Product OX Spreadsheet

General FAQs

What is OX Spreadsheet?

OX Spreadsheet is a cloud based spreadsheet application that can work with Microsoft Excel documents in a lossless way. User can edit shared spreadsheets on various devices. More detailed information on the features and functionality of OX Spreadsheet can be found here Link to OX Spreadsheet datasheet

Who should use OX Spreadsheet?

When you need to work with numbers, create tables, and calculate formulas, OX Spreadsheet is for you. You can view and edit your spreadsheets from anywhere at any time in your browser and on various devices without having to do anything manually to manage your documents across these devices.

What are the main benefits of OX Spreadsheet for end users?

• Online spreadsheet editing
• Fully integrated with OX App Suite
• Reduced complexity
• Increased productivity
• Familiar user experience
• Greater focus on content
• Anytime, anywhere access
• Compatible with Microsoft Office
• Seamless document round-tripping with MS Office and (coming soon) OpenOffice users

What is unique about OX Spreadsheet?

Unlike other spreadsheet applications like Google Sheet or Zoho you don’t have to worry about losing content or formatting when you import and export your existing Excel documents. OX Spreadsheet preserves the fidelity of the original document. For example if you have an Excel document, you can edit any cell content in OX Spreadsheet and – if needed – edit the spreadsheet again in Excel. You will not know that OX Spreadsheet was used. We called this seamless Round-trip editing“.

What does “Round-trip” mean for the user?

All Desktop spreadsheet products have problems to work with a foreign file format. Although open document standards like OOXML and ODF did a great job in giving users back information ownership and long-term access to their documents, they have not solved the interoperability problem, the ability to work together with different office products. The document Round-trip between two different spreadsheet products is still a problem. Documents don't look the same when they are imported and exported to another product. OX Spreadsheet solved this problem.

Can end users exchange documents with other users using Microsoft Excel?

Yes. OX Spreadsheet is file-compatible with Microsoft Excel

How do I get OX Spreadsheet?

You need to buy OX Spreadsheet separately as an upgrade to OX App Suite. A download key is available on request.

Is OX Spreadsheet Open Source?

Yes, we are an Open Source company and OX Spreadsheet is open source, too!

When will OX Presentations be available?

OX Presentation is under development at the moment. Please check the roadmap for more information.

Technical FAQs

What file formats are supported?

OX Spreadsheet supports the following file formats: xlsx, xlsm, xltx, xltm, xls, xlt

Does OX Spreadsheet come with a new file format?

No, we have not introduced a new format. The original file will remain the same.

Does OX Spreadsheet also support OpenOffice users?

Support for ODF is in development and will be released in one of our next releases.

Which devices can be used?

End users can use any device, including rich clients (Windows desktops and notebooks), thin clients and even tablets and smartphones. The only requirement is an HTML5 compatible browser and – at least today – a network connection

Does OX Spreadsheet offer all Excel features?

It was not a design goal of OX Spreadsheet to copy all the features available in other spreadsheet applications. If a feature is missing in OX Spreadsheet, that you love, feel free to use it in your Desktop product. We believe user experience is key, not feature-richness.

If I upload an Excel document to OX Spreadsheet that has some features that OX Spreadsheet doesn’t offer, won’t the fidelity of the document be lost when I open it again in Excel?

Even if OX Spreadsheet does not support a particular feature, users can continue to work on the document. The application never loses or changes formatting or content. It simply ‘ignores and retains’ the formatting and objects it does not support. And as soon as the legacy file is opened in the program that created it (Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice), all data can be viewed intact.

Can I collaborate with multiple users on the same spreadsheet?

Yes, the collaborative features of OX Spreadsheet mean multiple users can work on the same document. To prevent confusion, just one person has exclusive editing rights at any time. Other team members can view the changes in real time in a read-only mode, adding their own edits when the rights are transferred to them. OX Spreadsheet automatically keeps track of versions, ensuring one consistent and up-to-date document is available at any given moment.

What is the functional scope of OX Spreadsheet?

This release of OX Spreadsheet focuses on Round-trip editing, entering data, keyboard shortcuts, calculating, formatting, importing charts and teamwork. A more detailed overview about the functionality of OX Spreadsheet can be found here <Link to OX Spreadsheet Intro Guide>