Files
aiturk-hermes-ide/skills/productivity/xlsx/references/restructuring.md
T

72 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown

# Reference-aware restructuring (xlsx_restructure.py)
`scripts/xlsx_restructure.py` performs one row/column insert or delete
and rewrites everything that references the moved cells. This document
gives the exact rewrite rules and honest limits.
## What gets rewritten
| Artifact | Scope | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Formula references | ALL sheets | A1 refs into the edited sheet are shifted; refs into a fully deleted region become `#REF!` |
| Merged-cell ranges | edited sheet | shifted; expanded when they span the insertion point; dropped (reported `to: null`) when fully deleted |
| Autofilter ref | edited sheet | shifted/expanded like a range |
| Freeze panes | edited sheet | anchor cell shifted (never below row/col of the pane's own minimum) |
| Data validations | edited sheet | each range in the sqref shifted; deleted ranges removed |
| Conditional formats | edited sheet | applied range (sqref) shifted |
| Native tables | edited sheet | table `ref` shifted/expanded |
| Defined names | workbook scope | `attr_text` refs into the edited sheet rewritten |
| Row heights / column widths | edited sheet | dimension keys re-indexed |
## Reference grammar handled
- Relative and absolute coordinates in any mix: `B2`, `$B2`, `B$2`,
`$B$2` — the `$` flags are preserved through the shift.
- Ranges `B2:D9`, including partial-absolute endpoints.
- Cross-sheet refs: `Data!B2`, `'My Sheet'!$A$1:$C$9` (quoted names may
contain doubled quotes `''`). Only refs whose sheet qualifier matches
the edited sheet are touched; unqualified refs are interpreted
relative to the formula's own sheet.
- String literals inside formulas (`"See B2"`) are never rewritten.
- Function names that look like cells (`LOG10(...)`) are not touched
(a reference is never followed by `(`).
- Whole-row/column refs (`B:B`, `2:2`) pass through unchanged — Excel
semantics keep them valid across inserts within the span.
## Shift semantics
Insert of N at index i: every coordinate >= i moves +N; range endpoints
move independently, so a range spanning i grows by N.
Delete of N at index i: coordinates before i are unchanged; coordinates
past the deleted block move -N; a single cell inside the block becomes
`#REF!`; a RANGE partially covering the block is clamped (Excel does the
same); a range entirely inside the block becomes `#REF!` (formulas) or
is removed (merges/validations).
## What it CANNOT shift (honest limits)
- **Chart anchors and plotted ranges** — openpyxl chart objects are not
reliably round-tripped; anchors stay where they were. Re-create
charts after restructuring if their data moved.
- **Images / drawings** — same reason.
- **Conditional-format RULE formulas** — the applied range (sqref) is
shifted, but formulas inside `cell_is`/`expression` rules (e.g.
`$B1>100`) are left as-is. Review them if they reference moved cells.
- **Sheet-local defined names** and names using R1C1 or union/
intersection operators are rewritten only if they parse as plain A1
refs; anything else passes through untouched.
- **Structured table references** in formulas (`Table1[Sales]`) don't
need shifting (they follow the table), and are left alone.
Every run prints a JSON report listing exactly which formulas, merges,
tables, names, and ranges were changed, plus a fixed `not_shifted` list
of the above limits — inspect it after any structural edit.
## One op per invocation
The CLI takes exactly one of `--insert-rows/--delete-rows/
--insert-cols/--delete-cols` (as `IDX[:N]`; columns accept letters).
For multiple operations run it repeatedly — ordering compound shifts in
one pass is where spreadsheet tools historically corrupt references.