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Using functions in Excel
Once the add-in is installed, your functions behave like any other Excel function — type a formula, pass cell references, and let the result fill in. Behind the scenes Excel talks to your agent, and your data never leaves your network.
5 min read
The namespace
Every function is addressed as =CONNXL.MODULE.FN(…) — your add-in's namespace (CONNXL by default, unless your organization chose its own), then your module, then the function name. Start typing the namespace and Excel's formula autocomplete suggests the functions your add-in registered.
=CONNXL.SALES.REVENUE("EMEA", A2)Cell references as arguments
Pass literals or cell references — A2, a range, the output of another formula. When a referenced cell changes, Excel recalculates the function, so a ConnXL formula stays in sync with the rest of your sheet.
Spilled results
A function that returns rows spills into the cells below and to the right of the formula. Leave room — if the spill range is occupied, Excel shows #SPILL! until it's clear. A scalar function lands in the single calling cell, and an entity function renders a chip you can expand with field accessors like =A2.Price.
The taskpane
Open the taskpane from the ribbon to work without memorizing names. It lets you:
- Browse the available functions and data types, grouped by module.
- Fill in a function's parameters in a small form and insert the composed formula into the active cell.
- Insert a pre-built worksheet template with one click.
- Sign in, when your add-in requires authentication.
The taskpane is yours to design — its layout, sections, and branding are configured per environment in the dashboard and rendered live in Excel.
Live updates
Streaming functions update their cells as new values arrive. And because functions, connections, the taskpane, and templates all flow to the agent over its config channel, edits you make in the dashboard reach open workbooks without anyone reinstalling anything.
The one exception: manifest changes
A handful of changes alter the Office manifest itself — the add-in icon, adding, removing, or relabelling a ribbon button, and the custom tab name. Those need users to re-install the manifest. Everything else — function and connection edits, retargeting a ribbon button to a different function, taskpane and template changes — applies live.
Where the work happens
Excel sends each call to your agent, which runs it against your connection on your own infrastructure and returns just the result. ConnXL's backend is never in the path of your cell data.
Excel resources reference
Beyond functions, an environment can carry ten kinds of Excel artifact — charts, tables, dialogs, formatting, and more — that the agent applies live from config. This page covers all ten, in depth for the three novel ones (charts, grid views, dialogs) and to the point for the rest.
Functions reference
A function has two independent axes — its kind (the sort of data source it runs against, set when you pick a connection) and its output shape and execution model, which you choose in the builder. This page is the full catalog of all three.