Can Appsheet build an app from an empty spreadsheet, that has only columns and formulas?

[falcon]

I want to build an app that lets the user gather and tabulate data. I have built a spreadsheet which only contains formulas and no data. I have included a few records of sample data for testing purposes only. Other than that, my spreadsheet is empty. I intend to erase the sample data when the app is ready for publication Each user will populate the spreadsheet with their own data.

[LeventK]

@falcon
May I ask why spreadsheet formulas? Why don’t you do it with AppFormula instead? And what’s the target of the app?

[falcon]

Thanks for the help, LeventK.

I just started with appsheets. I did not know App formulas worked the same as ss formulas. I am building a record keeping app to track daily work activities.

[Phil]

Hi Joe,

When you are creating your app for the first time, or when doing a “Regenerate”, your worksheet should have a single header row with meaningful column headers and one or more data rows that contain representative data.

We are using heuristics to determine the type of each column in your table.

We use the column header names to help determine what kind of data the column contains. For example, column headers that contain “Name” such as “First Name” or “Last Name” are likely to be “Name” columns. Column headers that contain “Street”, “City”, “State”, and “Zip” are likely to be parts of an address.

We look at the data values in your data rows. For example, we look for date values, time values, decimal values, integer values, percent values, price values, and the like to determine what kind of data the column contains.

We look at the data values to determine the number of decimal digits in your decimal, price, and percent columns.

We look at the data values to determine which columns can be used as keys. We favor the leftmost column that contains unique data values. If we cannot find a single column with unique values, we look for combinations of columns that have unique values.

Once your app has been created and the column types have been determined, you can make copies of the app and the column types are normally preserved. But when you are creating your app, it is best to have at least a few valid data rows in your worksheet.