Migrating from Excel

If you're coming from Excel, many concepts will feel familiar — cell references, functions, and formulas all work similarly. Here's what's different and how to adapt.

What's the same

Feature	Excel	EngCanvas
Cell grid	✓	✓
Cell references	A1, $A$1	$A1, $A$1
Ranges	A1:B10	$A1:$B10
Functions	SUM(A1:A10)	SUM($A1:$A10)
Formulas	=A1+B1	$A1 + $B1
Cross-sheet refs	Sheet1!A1	'Sheet 1'!$A1

What's different

1. Units are first-class

In Excel, 10 is just a number. In EngCanvas, you write 10 ft and the unit travels with the value through every calculation.

// Excel: you track units mentally
A1: 20        // (you know it's feet)
A2: 1.5       // (you know it's kip/ft)
A3: =A1*A2/8  // hope you got the units right

// EngCanvas: units are explicit
L = 20 ft
w = 1.5 kip/ft
Mmax = w * L^2 / 8    // → result in kip·ft, verified

2. Named variables, not just cells

In EngCanvas you can assign variables directly:

Fy = 50 ksi
Fb = 0.66 * Fy

Variables are resolved by name. You don't need to set up named ranges for every value — just write Fy = 50 ksi in any cell.

3. Cell reference syntax

EngCanvas uses $ markers for cell references, similar to Excel's absolute references:

Type	Excel	EngCanvas	Behavior
Relative	A1	A1	Variable name (not cell ref!)
Abs column	$A1	$A1	Cell reference, absolute column
Abs row	A$1	A$1	Cell reference, absolute row
Fully absolute	$A$1	$A$1	Cell reference, fully absolute

Important difference

In EngCanvas, A1 without a $ is treated as a variable name, not a cell reference. Use $A1 or $A$1 to reference cells. This allows natural variable names like L, M, b, d without conflicting with cell addresses.

4. No = prefix for formulas

In Excel, formulas start with =. In EngCanvas, you simply type the expression:

// Excel
=SUM(A1:A10)

// EngCanvas
SUM($A1:$A10)

For variable assignments, use = as the assignment operator:

total = SUM($A1:$A10)

5. LaTeX rendering

Results are rendered in mathematical notation using LaTeX. A formula like:

sigma = M * c / I

displays as a properly formatted equation: σ = M·c / I = ... ksi

6. Report canvas

EngCanvas has a visual report canvas that doesn't exist in Excel. Instead of cramming calculations, notes, and formatting into a single grid, you use dedicated boxes on a free-form canvas.

Function compatibility

Most common Excel functions work in EngCanvas:

Category	Supported functions
Math	SQRT, ABS, ROUND, FLOOR, CEIL, MOD, SIGN, PI(), E()
Statistical	SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, STDEV, MEDIAN, VAR
Lookup	VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH, CHOOSE
Logical	IF, AND, OR, NOT, IFS, SWITCH, XOR
Text	CONCAT, LEFT, RIGHT, MID, LEN, TRIM, UPPER, LOWER
Conditional	SUMIF, COUNTIF, AVERAGEIF, SUMIFS, COUNTIFS
Dynamic Array	SORT, FILTER, UNIQUE, SEQUENCE, SORTBY
Engineering	DELTA, GESTEP, BIN2DEC, DEC2BIN, HEX2DEC

See the Function Reference for the complete list of all 196 functions.

Importing Excel files

Use Insert → From Excel. The dialog accepts .xlsx, .xls, and .csv, and prompts for a password on protected workbooks.

Three toggles, all on by default:

Option	What it does
Import formulas	Brings formulas across, rewriting cell references to EngCanvas form (A1 → $A1). Functions EngCanvas doesn't have are preserved as text so you can find and fix them.
Import values	Brings the computed cell values across.
Import formatting	Brings cell formatting across.

Some Excel features have no equivalent and are skipped. After the import the dialog lists exactly what it dropped — charts, images, pivot tables, conditional formatting, data validation, macros/VBA, named ranges with external references, and error cells.

After import, add units to your inputs so dimensional checking can do its work.

Exporting

Format	Where	Scope
.xlsx	Insert → Export .xlsx	All sheets
.csv	Insert → Export .csv	Active sheet
PDF	View → PDF	Active report or document
JSON	View → JSON	Active report's boxes
.calcpad	Home → Save (Ctrl+S)	The whole project

Tips for transitioning

1. Add units to every input — 20 becomes 20 ft, 50 becomes 50 ksi
2. Use variable names — instead of referencing $A1 everywhere, define Fy = 50 ksi and reference Fy
3. Use the report canvas for documentation — instead of hiding notes in cell comments
4. Let dimensional analysis catch errors — if a result has unexpected units, your formula likely has a mistake
5. Use $ for cell references — remember that bare identifiers like A1 are variable names

Next steps

• Formula Syntax — complete formula reference
• Cell References — detailed reference guide