# pyspread FAQ

### What kind of expressions can a cell contain?

A cell can contain any normal Python expression such as a list comprehension or a generator expression. However, it cannot contain statements such as

    for i in xrange(10): pass

If you want to program more complex algorithms then use the macro editor.
There, you can define functions that use arbitrary Python code and is callable from any cell.

Example:
Type in the macro editor:

    def factorize(number):
        """Silly factorizing algorithm for demonstration purposes only"""
        counter = 1
        result = []
        while counter <= number:
            if number % counter == 0:
                result.append(counter)
            counter += 1
        return result

And in the cell:

     factorize(25)

Result is:

     [1 5 25]

### What are the boundaries for the number of rows/columns/sheets?

These are limited by your memory (and maybe your stack restriction if any). However, the grid is restricted to a number that changes with row size. For standard size (GTK), 80 000 000 rows can be displayed.

### Is the new file-format considered stable, or will it change again?

The new file format is stable. This means that future versions of Pyspread will be able to read the old format.

### Can pyspread still read the old format?

Unfortunately not. If you have old pys files, install both versions of pyspread and copy the cell contents via the Clipboard from the old to the new version. However, cell formatting cannot be preserved this way.

Copyright Martin Manns
Contact mmanns < at > gmx < dot > net
Last changed: 12. May 2013