Syncfusion winforms spreadsheet editor

Syncfusion Windows Forms Spreadsheet Editor

Overview

Create Excel-like viewer/editor UI in Windows Forms using Syncfusion Spreadsheet control. This skill generates C# Windows Forms code for interactive spreadsheet functionality.

Key Capabilities

• Create & Edit: Workbooks (.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm), worksheets, cell editing, formatting, styles
• Advanced Features: 400+ formulas, named ranges, data validation, dropdown lists, cell locking, worksheet protection
• UI Components: SpreadsheetRibbon (File, Home, Insert, Formulas tabs), interactive editing
• Visual Elements: Charts (Column, Line, Pie, Bar, Area, Scatter, etc.), sparklines (Line, Column, Win/Loss)
• Navigation: Hyperlinks (web URLs, email, files, workbook navigation)

Quick Start Examples

Example 1

User: "Show me how to create a spreadsheet with data and formulas"

Result: C# code generated to create workbook, set cell values, and add formulas

Example 2

User: "Add data validation and rules in the spreadsheet control"

Result: C# code generated for spreadsheet control validation and custom rules

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Generate C# Code for the User's Project (default)

Trigger keywords: "how to", "add spreadsheet", "code sample", "show me", "example", "snippet", "integrate", "component", "create sample", "code", "sample code", "generate code", "implement", "add to project", "configure spreadsheet"

STEP 1 — Analyze User Request

1. Read the user’s request and extract the feature keywords.
2. If relevant reference/*.md files exist, use them as the only source of truth for generating code.
3. If no matching reference file exists, generate code using the samples in references/getting-started.md.

STEP 2 — Consent & Destination Gate (MUST ASK BEFORE ANY FILE ACTIONS)

Before generating or writing anything, ask the user:

I'm ready to generate your Syncfusion Windows Forms Spreadsheet sample.

Where should I place it?
1) Create a new Form file in the skill's "output" folder (recommended for quick tryout)
2) Add or modify an existing file in your project (please provide the full file path; choose append or replace)
3) Say "Just show me the code" to get the snippet here without modifying any files.

Rules

• Do NOT proceed until the user selects an option or says "Just show me the code."
• If the user refuses file modifications:
  • Only show the C# code in chat
  • No file creation or changes
• For Option 2 only: Before generating code, check if the project has the prerequisites from references/getting-started.md (Prerequisites and Setup Requirements section). If missing, ask user consent and add them.

STEP 3 — Generate Code (Strict Reference-Only Rules)

• ALWAYS use the sample code structure from the "Minimal code" section in getting-started.md as the base template for spreadsheet creation.
• Use APIs exactly as shown in references/*.md (e.g., getting-started.md, formulas.md).
• Never invent APIs or guess behavior.
• If the feature is not documented in any reference file, inform the user that it is unavailable.

STEP 4 — Apply Changes (Only After Consent)

Option A — Create New File in Skill’s Folder

• Create a folder named output/ at the skill root (if it does not already exist).
• Default filename: SpreadsheetSample.cs
• If the file already exists, ask: "A file named 'SpreadsheetSample.cs' already exists. Overwrite, append, or use a different name?"
• Wait for the user’s decision before writing anything.
• Write the generated C# content.

Option B — Modify a File in the User’s Project

1. Ask: "Which file should I modify? Provide the COMPLETE file path (e.g., D:\Project\Form1.cs)"
2. Wait for explicit confirmation.
3. If the user only replies with “2” (option number) and no path → ask again.
4. Never guess or infer file paths.
5. Once confirmed, apply the requested change (overwrite or append).

Option C — Show the Code Only

• Display the generated C# code in chat.
• Do NOT create or modify any files.

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Out-of-Scope Requests

When a user asks a question that does NOT match the skill domain (i.e., not related to Windows Forms Spreadsheet, Excel processing, or Syncfusion spreadsheet control), respond with:

"Unable to process the input. Please provide the input in a different way."

Do NOT attempt to:

• Generate code outside the spreadsheet/Excel domain
• Provide general Windows Forms guidance unrelated to spreadsheet functionality
• Process requests for other Syncfusion controls or unrelated frameworks
• Assist with non-spreadsheet features

ONLY activate this skill and its workflows when the user's request matches trigger keywords: "spreadsheet", "Excel", "form", "UI", "code", "Ribbon", "WinForms" (in context of spreadsheet/Excel).

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Code References (in references/ folder)

All templates and feature snippets live in references/*.md. Each file is a focused snippet the agent combines when generating samples.

Flow: Always start with references/getting-started.md (Prerequisites and Setup Requirements section), then merge matched feature snippets. If no feature keywords match, return only the basic sample.

File	Contents
getting-started.md	Setup, assemblies (required/optional), instantiate Spreadsheet/SpreadsheetRibbon, create/open/save workbooks, display charts/sparklines, register renderers
formulas.md	SetCellValue, named ranges (add/edit/delete), 409 formula functions (Database, Date/Time, Engineering, Financial, Information, Logical, Lookup, Math, Statistical, Text, Web)
editing.md	Enable/disable editing, BeginEdit/EndEdit/ValidateAndEndEdit, cell locking (Locked property), properties, methods, events (CurrentCellBeginEdit, CurrentCellValueChanged, etc.)
data-management.md	Import from DataTable/DataView/Business Objects/Arrays, export to DataTable (ImportDataTable, ExportDataTable, ExcelExportDataTableOptions), refresh display (InvalidateCells)
data-validation.md	Number/date/time/text length validation, list validation (dropdowns), custom formula validation, IDataValidation interface, comparison operators, error messages
hyperlinks.md	Create hyperlinks (URL, email, file, workbook cell references), add/edit/remove, ExcelHyperLinkType enum, IHyperLink interface properties
clipboard-operations.md	Cut/Copy/Paste, Paste Special (ExcelPasteType, ExcelPasteOptions), Fill Series (Down/Right/Up/Left)
conditional-formatting.md	Highlight cell rules (value, formula, text, time period), Data Bars, Color Scales, Icon Sets, IConditionalFormat interface
conversion.md	Convert to Image (Bitmap/Metafile), PDF (ExcelToPdfConverter, settings), HTML (SaveAsHtml), required assemblies
formatting.md	Cell background, font, borders, alignment (horizontal/vertical/orientation/indent), wrap text, number formats, built-in styles, format as table, clear formatting
freeze-panes.md	FreezeRows, FreezeColumns, FreezePanes, UnfreezePanes, XlsIO SetFreezePanes/RemoveFreezePanes
localization.md	CurrentUICulture setup, resource files (.resx), culture-specific localization, modify default strings
merge-cells.md	Merge/unmerge cells, CoveredCellInfo, IRange.Merge/UnMerge methods, InvalidateCell
overview.md	Feature overview (Ribbon, editing, formulas, data validation, conditional formatting, charts, sparklines, protection, conversion, supported file types)
outline.md	Group/ungroup rows and columns, collapse/expand groups, outline settings (summary row/column location), clear outlines, OutlineLocation enum
protection.md	Worksheet protection (Protect/Unprotect, ExcelSheetProtection options), workbook protection, lock/unlock cells, check protection status
rows-columns-operations.md	Insert/delete rows and columns, set row height/column width, hide/show rows and columns, adjust row/column dimensions
worksheet.md	Add/remove/rename worksheets, navigate between worksheets, access worksheets, move/copy worksheets, show/hide worksheets, worksheet events
filtering-and-sorting.md	AutoFilter enable/disable, filter data (number, text, date, custom), sort data (ascending/descending, custom sort), clear filters/sorting
find-and-replace.md	Find cells (FindAll, FindNext), replace functionality, find options (case-sensitive, whole word), search by criteria, navigate results
selection.md	Select ranges (single cell, multiple cells, entire row/column), get active cell, select named ranges, selection change events, clear selection
shapes.md	Import charts, sparklines, pictures, textboxes, add/resize/reposition shapes, access selected shapes, select/clear shape selection, GraphicChartCellRenderer, SparklineCellRenderer

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Rules

1. Use Only Reference Snippets

   • Generate code exclusively from the Markdown files under `references/
   • Do not invent/guess/include any properties, events, API methods, component names, or parameters not present in references/*.md

2. NO FILE MODIFICATIONS WITHOUT PERMISSION

• Never create or modify files/folders in user workspace without explicit user selection and confirmation.
• Cannot create buttons, forms, dialogs, MessageBox or any UI elements beyond the Spreadsheet without user permission.

3. Unsupported Feature Handling

   • If the user requests a feature with no corresponding snippet in references/*.md, respond with: That feature is not currently supported by the Syncfusion Windows Forms Spreadsheet component.
   • Suggest the closest supported features only if they have snippets
   • Explicitly list unsupported items and do not synthesize code for them

4. Validation Before Write

   • Re-validate before writing that all code blocks originate from references/*.md files
   • If validation fails, stop and inform the user