Switch to A1 notation from x,y coordinates

Technical
1

[This change is soon to be released]

Quadratic is transitioning from using x,y coordinates to A1 notation and removing negative and zero-indexed coordinates. Existing sheets are automatically migrated to this new format.

Docs for thorough explanation of how these changes work:
Python references
JavaScript references

Summary of changes

  • Switching from (x, y) to A1
    • Now you use q.cells('A1') instead of cells(0,0)
  • Removing negative indices
    • No more (-1, -5) coordinates
  • Removing zero-indexed coordinates
    • No more (0,0) coordinates
    • Coordinates start at A on the x-axis and 1 on the y-axis now

Your existing sheets will automatically upgrade to this new paradigm when you open them, which will include the following changes:

  • Any cells occupying negative space will shift inside the new bounds
  • All cell references will update to A1 notation
  • Any cells in the 0 row or column will shift to row/column 1

Coordinates now run from A to infinity along the x-axis and 1 to infinity along the y-axis.

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Code language cell references

In the past, to reference cells from code, you would use:

cells((x1,y1),(x2,y2))

For example, to reference cells from columns 1 to 4 and rows 1 to 9, you would do:

cells((1,1),(4,9))

With A1 notation, that reference is performed using the new keyword q.cells(), where 0,0 to 4,9 is referenced as q.cells('A1:D9').

A1 notation enables some really powerful functionality. For example, you can reference all cells with values in a column by using q.cells('A') or all cells from multiple columns with q.cells('A:C').

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Breaking changes

If you were using variables inside of your cells() functions, that cannot be automatically shifted.

e.g.

x = 1
y = 2
cells(x,y)

Will not be automatically shifted since the reference uses variables. ^

If your sheet is broken and you need help fixing, please reply to this thread for help or reach out to us directly: Contact us | Quadratic

More information

For more in-depth instructions on how to use A1 notation in code, you can visit the docs:
Python references
JavaScript references