Chapter 9. Formula Interpretation

The spreadsheet program is capable of handling text, numerical values, and formulas composed by the four arithmetic operators. In order to do so, we need to interpret the formulas. We also need to find the sources of a formula (the cells referred to in the formula) and the targets of a cell (the cells affected by a change).

In this chapter, we will take a look at the following topics:

  • Interpretation (scanning and parsing) of numerical expressions
  • Parse and syntax trees
  • Evaluation of formulas
  • References and matrices
  • Drawing of cells
  • Loading and saving of cells

In the following spreadsheet, the C3 cell is being edited:

Formula Interpretation

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