Show HN: Alphasheets – Write Python, R, and SQL in your spreadsheets (opens in new tab)

(alphasheets.com)

72 pointsnancyhua9y ago30 comments

30 comments

For Python use, what would be the case for using this over something like xlwings -- what are the main benefits over xlwings?

alexzhu9y ago

xlwings doesn't let you write Python code straight in the cells and have it immediately Just Work. It requires you to install a plugin and write commands in a separate file to execute Python. The UX difference is key here.

zgao9y ago

Also if you want shared sheets.

asafira9y ago

I am friends with one of the cofounders --- these guys have been working hard on this for a while. It looks great!

caseyf79y ago

Awesome demo. I've seen a few others with Python but I'm looking forward to using R with this.

robocaptain9y ago

The demos all look really great!

I got really excited at first, wondering if this all took place inside Excel. Realizing now that's not quite what is going on here but probably aiming for a similar experience.

fiatjaf9y ago

It's impossible to do these things inside Excel, I guess. Things like xlwings or https://www.blockspring.com/ try to make Excel better, but there are way too much assumptions going down there.

The experience with "objects" with the Blockspring add-in, for example, is terrible terrible.

alexzhu9y ago

We're taking that as a compliment. From talking to users, a key piece of feedback we've gotten was that the experience of using AlphaSheets has to be really similar to that of using Excel.

fiatjaf9y ago

You can click on the examples and see and edit the actual sheets behind.

robocaptain9y ago

Thanks. I edited my comment - wasn't able to get through to the spreadsheets before, but I see what's going on now, I think.

fiatjaf9y ago

That's amazing. How do you do it?

ESRogs9y ago

They'd probably answer, "With Haskell."

fiatjaf9y ago

I would be satisfied with that answer.

fiatjaf9y ago

In fact it is probably all Javascript. The formula editor at the top is an Ace editor, the spreadsheet itself is based on https://github.com/openfin/fin-hypergrid, which is an incredibly enourmous piece of software I had never heard of and which I don't understand at all what it is trying to accomplish, but I can see it renders to canvas.

1 more reply

narayan20169y ago

Very cool. Looks elegant and professional. Good luck to you guys.

narayan20169y ago

Does this support sharing and collaboration ?

alexzhu9y ago

Yes, it does. Live updating already works (i.e. if A and B have a sheet open and A updates it, B sees the updates at the same time as A). And you can share links with others. These features are disabled for the demo, though.

edimaudo9y ago

Looks pretty good. Great job!

egastfriend9y ago

Wow this is awesome!

dang9y ago

You can't put "Show HN" on something that isn't ready for people play with. Signup pages are explicitly excluded: https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html.

When it's ready for people to try out, by all means do a Show HN then. In the meantime we've taken that out of the title.

alexzhu9y ago

Hey! I'm Alex, a cofounder of AlphaSheets. The three gifs on the page link to spreadsheets that you can play around with, with a majority of features already functional. Is that not fair game for Show HN? (I will admit that this isn't immediately obvious, so I apologize for any resultant confusion.)

dang9y ago

Ah, I missed those. Ok, we've put 'Show HN' back in the title.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

30 comments

ystvn9y ago

For Python use, what would be the case for using this over something like xlwings -- what are the main benefits over xlwings?

alexzhu9y ago

zgao9y ago

Also if you want shared sheets.

asafira9y ago

I am friends with one of the cofounders --- these guys have been working hard on this for a while. It looks great!

caseyf79y ago

Awesome demo. I've seen a few others with Python but I'm looking forward to using R with this.

robocaptain9y ago

The demos all look really great!

I got really excited at first, wondering if this all took place inside Excel. Realizing now that's not quite what is going on here but probably aiming for a similar experience.

fiatjaf9y ago

It's impossible to do these things inside Excel, I guess. Things like xlwings or https://www.blockspring.com/ try to make Excel better, but there are way too much assumptions going down there.

The experience with "objects" with the Blockspring add-in, for example, is terrible terrible.

alexzhu9y ago

We're taking that as a compliment. From talking to users, a key piece of feedback we've gotten was that the experience of using AlphaSheets has to be really similar to that of using Excel.

fiatjaf9y ago

You can click on the examples and see and edit the actual sheets behind.

robocaptain9y ago

Thanks. I edited my comment - wasn't able to get through to the spreadsheets before, but I see what's going on now, I think.

fiatjaf9y ago

That's amazing. How do you do it?

ESRogs9y ago

They'd probably answer, "With Haskell."

fiatjaf9y ago

I would be satisfied with that answer.

fiatjaf9y ago

1 more reply

narayan20169y ago

Very cool. Looks elegant and professional. Good luck to you guys.

narayan20169y ago

Does this support sharing and collaboration ?

alexzhu9y ago

edimaudo9y ago

Looks pretty good. Great job!

egastfriend9y ago

Wow this is awesome!

dang9y ago

You can't put "Show HN" on something that isn't ready for people play with. Signup pages are explicitly excluded: https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html.

When it's ready for people to try out, by all means do a Show HN then. In the meantime we've taken that out of the title.

alexzhu9y ago

dang9y ago

Ah, I missed those. Ok, we've put 'Show HN' back in the title.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse