Turn a spreadsheet into an app

Plenty of businesses run on a spreadsheet — jobs, customers, stock, a budget. MonstarX can turn that workbook into an app of its own, with every row in it: your tables become the app’s data, formula columns keep being worked out, report sheets become the dashboard, drop-downs become choices, and a settings sheet becomes settings you can edit.

How do I turn a spreadsheet into an app?

1. On Projects, click Spreadsheet beside Import (it is also in the Import menu). Or attach a workbook with the paperclip — the box offers Turn file into an app, with all its rows.

   

2. In Turn a spreadsheet into an app, drop your file or choose it. It is read on your computer in a moment — nothing is uploaded yet.

3. Look over what MonstarX found (below). If something is read wrong, you can say so later, when the plan is proposed.

4. In Anything MonstarX should know? (optional), add what the spreadsheet cannot say: who uses it, what should work differently, what the app should also do.

5. Leave Show me the plan first on and press Plan the app. (Turn it off and the button reads Build the app — the build starts straight away.)

6. In the workspace, read the proposed plan and press Build it to approve it.

What does MonstarX read in my spreadsheet?

Everything a person would notice, and a few things they might not — all shown in the dialog above:

• Tables — each block of records with its row count and cell range, and its name if it is an Excel table. A title line above a table, empty rows and a split table are handled.
• Columns — each shown as a chip with an icon for what it holds: text, whole numbers, numbers, money (with its currency), percentages, dates, times, yes/no, email addresses, phone numbers, web addresses or long text. A column where some values do not fit is marked in amber, with examples.
• The key — the column that names each row, like Customer ID or Job # (key icon).
• Formulas — a column worked out by a formula (Σ), written in words: Total = [Hours] × [Rate] + [Parts].
• Links — a column that points at another table: Customer points at Customers (Name: 29 of 29 found).
• Drop-downs — a column’s list of choices, from Excel’s data validation or repeated short values.
• Totals rows — left out as Not a record, with the reason.
• Series — months, quarters or years across the columns: 12 months across the columns: the app keeps one row per month.
• Report sheets — figures with labels, which become the dashboard.
• Settings — two-column blocks like GST | 10%, which become the app’s settings.
• Lists — columns of choices behind your drop-downs.

Phone numbers keep their leading zeros, dates are read correctly whichever way round they are written, and hidden sheets are read too (with a note).

What does the proposed plan look like?

With Show me the plan first on, MonstarX studies the spreadsheet and proposes an app — App plan from your spreadsheet — before building anything:

• What the app is and who it is for (your note shapes this).
• Pages, each with what it shows.
• Data — each table, where its rows come from and how many (Data · 223 rows come along).
• Calculations it keeps, the Dashboard and the Rules.
• What the app adds and what is Left out.

Something missing or read wrong? Say so in the chat and the plan is revised — nothing is built until you approve it. Press Build it to start.

What happens to my rows?

The build creates the app’s tables first, then brings every row in exactly — MonstarX moves the data itself, so nothing is retyped, lost or made up. Links become real connections between tables (each job linked to its customer), a series becomes one row per month, and settings become one editable record. The build finishes by saying how many rows each table started with. You can look through them in Backend → Database, and add or change records in the Admin tab. See Your app’s database.

Your rows are your records, not code:

• They are never pushed to GitHub, even if the project is connected.
• They are included in the project’s Export.

How big can my spreadsheet be?

Limit	Value
File types	.xlsx, .xlsm, .xls, .ods, .csv, .tsv
File size	up to 25 MB
Sheets	up to 40
Each sheet	the first 60,000 rows are read; a table keeps up to 100 columns
Rows an app starts with	up to 25,000 (and 5 million characters of data)

Over the row limit, the biggest tables bring their first rows and the dialog says so — for example An app starts with up to 25,000 rows, so the first 12,000 of Orders’s 180,000 come along. To bring less, save a copy with only the sheets the app needs.

Tip

Using Google Sheets or Numbers? Download the sheet as .xlsx (or .csv) and drop that file in. An Excel file keeps its drop-downs and Excel tables, which help MonstarX most.

Can I add a spreadsheet to an app I already have?

Yes. Attach it in the project’s chat and say what to do with it — for example Import these customers into the app. MonstarX reads it and can bring its rows into your app’s tables.

Frequently asked questions

Is my spreadsheet uploaded when I drop it in?

No. It is read on your computer. Nothing is uploaded until you press Plan the app or Build the app.

Do my formulas keep working?

Their logic does. A formula column becomes a value the app works out for you, such as a job total from hours, rate and parts — so it stays right as you add rows in the app.

Which model builds it?

The one chosen in the prompt box — shown beside the dialog's buttons, where you can change it. See Choose a model.

What if MonstarX says nothing was found?

It found no table of records, report or settings — the file may be empty. If it cannot be read at all, saving it again as .xlsx usually helps. A password-protected file must be saved without the password first.

What is the project called?

It is named after the file — ace-plumbing_jobs 2026.xlsx becomes Ace Plumbing Jobs 2026 — and you can rename it any time.

Related

Your app's databaseSee the rows your app keeps.

Attach filesEvery file type MonstarX accepts.

Build from documentsSpecs and RFPs instead of data.

The feature planFollow what the build is doing.