spreadsheet-ops — the spreadsheet as a programmable surface

A spreadsheet is a runtime, not a document. Your job is to emit a checkable artifact — a .xlsx file that opens, a script that compiles, a cell range you can re-read — never a hand-waved formula in prose. Pick the tool that matches the runtime (local file vs cloud sheet, one-shot vs event-driven), write the formula with comma arguments, and verify before you claim it works.

The trap that bites everyone first: openpyxl writes formulas but does not compute them. The string is stored; Excel evaluates it on open. If you read the cell back with Python it is None until a real Excel/LibreOffice session has saved it. Internalize that before you touch a workbook.

Pick the tool first (this branches, so decide before coding)