Use spreadsheet objects on a canvas

Spreadsheet objects are lightweight tables that live directly on the canvas. Use them when structured information belongs beside notes, screenshots, diagrams, and comments: scoring matrices, workshop votes, agenda timing, comparison tables, simple trackers, research summaries, or decision logs.

They are not meant to replace a full spreadsheet workbook.

When the source belongs in a spreadsheet app, place the exported view, file, or link on the canvas.

Availability and permissions

When to use a spreadsheet object

Use a spreadsheet object when the table is part of the visual workspace. Good examples include a decision matrix beside option cards, a meeting agenda beside sticky notes, a risk register beside project milestones, or a small scoring table for a design review.

Use a normal text object when the information is mostly prose. Use sticky notes when each item needs to move independently. Use an uploaded spreadsheet file when the source is a formal workbook. Use a file object when people need to preview or download the original spreadsheet.

Add a spreadsheet

Choose Spreadsheet from the canvas toolbar. On desktop, the spreadsheet tool uses a placement flow: select the tool, move to the canvas, then click or press Enter to place the table. Some toolbar paths can show spreadsheet presets or previews, but the common flow creates a simple editable table.

After the object appears, place it near the topic it supports. Rename or label the surrounding section if the table's purpose is not obvious. A table called "Prioritization" next to the options is easier to understand than an unlabeled grid sitting in the corner of a busy canvas.

For a broader list of object creation tools, see Add and select canvas elements.

Cell editing versus object selection

Spreadsheet objects have two modes that feel similar but do different work. Object selection is for moving, resizing, grouping, layering, locking, duplicating, deleting, or commenting on the whole table. Cell editing is for changing the table's contents and structure.

If clicks and keystrokes are changing cells when you meant to move the table, exit cell editing and select the object boundary. If dragging moves the whole table when you meant to select cells, enter edit mode first.

This distinction matters during reviews. A commenter may be able to select the object and leave feedback, while an editor can change cells. A viewer may be able to inspect the table but not edit either cells or object geometry.

Edit cells and table structure

In edit mode, use the spreadsheet's cell selection and context menu for table operations. Depending on the selected range, actions can include inserting rows above or below, inserting columns left or right, removing rows or columns, merging cells, and unmerging cells. Other structure actions, such as clearing cells or distributing row or column sizes, may appear only in the surfaces that support them.

Use merge when a label or heading needs to span several cells. Use unmerge when the table needs to return to a regular grid. Use clear when the structure should remain but the selected cell content should be removed. Use distribute when uneven row or column sizes are making the table hard to scan.

Keep tables small enough to read at the current zoom level. A giant table forces everyone to pan, zoom, and hunt for context. If the table grows past what people can understand on the canvas, move the source to a full spreadsheet app and keep the summary on the canvas.

Format collaborative cell content

Spreadsheet cells can hold more than plain text. In supported cell-editing states, use the cell toolbar to apply font family, font size, text color, background color, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, alignment, links, checklist-style content, merge, unmerge, and clear-cell actions. The link control is useful when a cell has visible text to attach the link to; if the selected cell is empty, add the label first.

This makes a canvas table useful for agendas, action trackers, lightweight status grids, and review checklists. For example, one cell can hold a checklist item, another can mention the owner, and another can link to the related canvas or external source. Keep that content concise. If a cell becomes a paragraph with several links and a long discussion, it probably belongs in a note, document, or comment thread instead.

Mentions may be available in spreadsheet cell editing where the editor supports them. Use mentions in cells for lightweight reference to a person or related ALLO item. Use object comments when someone needs accountable review, a reply thread, or a resolve state, because comments are designed for follow-up.

For links inside cells, keep the text clear enough that collaborators understand whether the link opens another ALLO canvas or an external website. For broader link behavior, see Links and YouTube embeds.

Use formulas and functions

Spreadsheet objects support lightweight formulas and function suggestions for simple calculations inside the canvas. Start a cell with = and type a function name to see available function suggestions. Suggestions appear only after the formula starts with = and contains a function search term, such as =S, =SUM, or =COUNT.

The function suggestion list is generated from ALLO's configured spreadsheet function list. It includes many familiar spreadsheet-style names:

• Math and summary: SUM, SUMIF, AVERAGE, COUNT, COUNTIF, MIN, MAX, ROUND, PRODUCT, POWER, and SQRT.
• Logic and comparison: IF, AND, OR, NOT, TRUE, FALSE, EQ, NE, GTE, LT, LTE, and SWITCH.
• Text: LEFT, RIGHT, MID, LEN, LOWER, UPPER, TRIM, CONCATENATE, SPLIT, and REGEXMATCH.
• Date and time: DATE, DAY, MONTH, YEAR, TODAY, NOW, TIME, and WEEKDAY.
• Financial or statistical: NPV, IRR, PMT, STDEV.P, STDEV.S, VAR.P, VAR.S, MEDIAN, and PERCENTILEINC.

Treat the suggestion list as the canvas table's supported formula vocabulary, not as a promise that imported Excel or Google Sheets workbooks will behave identically. Canvas spreadsheet objects are for lightweight shared calculations in context. They are not full workbook engines with multiple sheets, protected ranges, external data connectors, pivot tables, macros, or every vendor-specific function behavior.

Keep formulas readable. A short formula inside a prioritization table is useful. A dense reporting model buried inside a tiny canvas table is not. If collaborators need auditability, many tabs, external data, protected cells, or formal reporting, keep the source in a spreadsheet app and place the relevant export, file, or link on the canvas.

When a formula result looks wrong, enter the cell and inspect the formula text. If the table was copied from another source, verify that the referenced cells and supported functions still match the canvas table. If no suggestions appear, confirm that you are editing a cell, the formula starts with =, and the function name uses letters or supported function punctuation.

Example: a prioritization table people can actually use

A useful canvas spreadsheet usually sits next to the evidence it summarizes. For a product prioritization session, place option cards, screenshots, research notes, or customer quotes on the left, then add a spreadsheet object on the right with columns for option, impact, effort, confidence, owner, score, and next step.

In the score column, use a short formula such as =(B2*C2)/D2 or a supported function like =ROUND((B2*C2)/D2, 1) if the team needs a rough sortable value. The formula is not the decision. It is a pressure test. If everyone disagrees with the score, the table has done its job: it has shown which assumption needs discussion.

Use mentions in the owner column when the table needs a person attached to a row. Choose the person from the mention picker so ALLO stores it as a mention, not just typed text. If the owner needs to answer a specific question, add an object comment as well, because comments give the conversation a reply thread and a place to resolve the review.

Use checklist content in the next-step column for small, visible actions: "confirm data source," "ask Sales for two examples," "turn score into Initiative." Keep it short. A checklist inside a cell is excellent for lightweight follow-through during a meeting. It is the wrong place for a full project plan.

This is the sweet spot for a canvas spreadsheet: enough structure to make a decision visible, close enough to the source material that people can inspect the evidence, and lightweight enough that nobody has to open another tab to understand the conversation.

Example: a collaborative meeting agenda

For a recurring planning meeting, create an agenda table with time, topic, owner, status, and outcome. The owner cell can mention the person leading that section. The status cell can use checklist-style content for "ready," "needs input," and "decision made." The outcome cell can link to a canvas page, external document, or follow-up object.

During the meeting, keep the agenda table on the same page as the notes and decision objects. When a topic runs long, the facilitator can update the time cell and leave a comment on the spreadsheet object explaining what changed. When a decision is made, write the decision in the outcome cell and link to the supporting page or object.

This keeps the meeting record from splitting into three places. The canvas shows the agenda, the evidence, and the decisions together. The spreadsheet object provides structure without turning the meeting into a workbook.

Object menu actions

When the whole spreadsheet object is selected, use the Element menu for object-level actions: comment, copy link, group, ungroup, lock, unlock, layer order, duplicate, copy, delete, and other actions that apply to the selected object.

These actions are not the same as spreadsheet cell actions. Deleting the object removes the table from the canvas. Removing a row changes the table. Locking the object helps prevent accidental movement, but it can also confuse collaborators if they need to edit the table and do not know why it is locked.

If the spreadsheet was created as part of a larger workflow, group it with its title or instruction note after the layout is stable. That keeps the table and its explanation together.

Collaborate with spreadsheet objects

Use comments when someone needs to check a value, explain a row, or approve a table. Object comments work well for "Please confirm this estimate" or "Use the final campaign dates here." Comments attach to the spreadsheet object as a whole, so if the comment refers to a specific cell, mention the row, column, or visible label in the comment text. For the full comment workflow, see Comments and mentions.

For live workshops, keep cell editing intentional. If everyone needs to contribute independently, sticky notes may work better because each person can add and move their own note. If one facilitator is consolidating results, a spreadsheet object can turn the workshop output into a clear table.

When sharing with external collaborators, confirm that they have the right role. Someone with view or comment access may understand the table but still be unable to edit cells. See Share a canvas for role behavior.

Examples

For a prioritization session, create a table with rows for options and columns for impact, effort, owner, formula-based score, and decision. Place it beside the sticky notes or screenshots that explain each option.

For meeting planning, create an agenda table with time, topic, owner, checklist status, and outcome. Put it near the relevant page or workshop instructions so participants can read it without opening another document.

For research synthesis, create a small comparison table for sources, confidence, and next action. Link or upload the source files nearby rather than pasting every detail into the cells.

What can go wrong

If the spreadsheet will not move, you may still be editing cells. Exit edit mode, click the table boundary, and move the object.

If row or column actions are missing, select the cells first and make sure you are in spreadsheet edit mode with edit permission.

If formula suggestions do not appear, make sure the cell starts with =, you are editing the cell, and the function you want is supported in ALLO's spreadsheet function list.

If a formula result looks stale or surprising, enter the cell, inspect the formula, and confirm the referenced cells still contain the expected values.

If a cell edit does not save immediately, wait briefly and avoid making the same change repeatedly. Spreadsheet edits autosave through the canvas object system.

If the table becomes unreadable, reduce the number of rows or columns, split the content into several tables, or keep the detailed workbook elsewhere and summarize the decision on the canvas.

If collaborators keep editing the wrong part of the table, add a short instruction note or lock the object after the table is finalized.