Rehearsal: UI: Formulas › Function Library as labelled buttons with category menus; Recently Used and Insert Function categories

ROADMAP.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 **Stage: alpha** · next: beta, ~25 points of "ready for real work" and ~160–240 h away
 
-> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-11 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-25 · **Change:** minor (AutoSum over a selected row puts its total to the right, and fills a selection's empty last row and column) · **Target:** Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365)
+> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-11 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-25 · **Change:** minor (AutoSum over a selected row puts its total to the right, and fills a selection's empty last row and column; earlier: Formulas › Function Library as labelled buttons with category menus; Recently Used follows the formulas entered) · **Target:** Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365)
 
 GridCraft aims at full Microsoft Excel parity, and at being better in places: faster, open (XLSX
 is the native format), fully scriptable by agents (MCP, control channel, CLI), and on the web.
@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@ Ranked; estimates in Opus 5.5 agent-hours. Detail and the full beta-gate list in
 | Date | What landed |
 |---|---|
 | 2026-10-25 | AutoSum over a selection does what Excel does: a selected row gets one total to its right (in its last cell if that is empty), not a one-cell total under each cell; a block whose last column is empty gets each row's total there, one whose last row is empty each column's, and with both the corner gets the total of the block; otherwise totals go under each column as before |
+| 2026-10-24 | Recently Used lists the functions most recently entered in a formula from any source (ribbon, control channel, MCP, scripts), kept with the preferences and returned by `formulas.recentlyUsed`; the Insert Function dialog takes Excel's title and a working category list (Most Recently Used, All, each category) |
+| 2026-10-24 | Formulas › Function Library as a big Insert Function button, the AutoSum split button and three columns of labelled small buttons, each category book in its own colour; category menus end with Insert Function… on that category; More Functions cascades into the remaining categories; Home › Editing shares the AutoSum menu; the MR key tip opens Recently Used |
 | 2026-10-24 | Go To lists the named ranges of every sheet (`Sheet2!Name` for a name scoped to another sheet; hidden names, constants and formulas left out) and the references entered before, a double-click goes to an entry, and the Reference box takes several names or references separated by commas (`Price, Type`, `B14:C22,F19:G30`) |
 | 2026-10-24 | Status bar: a right-click opens a menu that sets which selection statistics show (Average, Count and Sum by default; Numerical Count, Minimum and Maximum are new), kept with the preferences (`view.statusBar`) |
 | 2026-10-24 | Ctrl+Shift+U (Control+Shift+U on a Mac) expands and collapses the formula bar, on the grid and while editing (`view.expandFormulaBar`); on Windows and Linux it used to underline |
@@ -243,6 +245,8 @@ Ranked; estimates in Opus 5.5 agent-hours. Detail and the full beta-gate list in
 | Date | Change | Summary |
 |---|---|---|
 | 2026-10-25 | minor | Progress log: AutoSum over a selected row, and a selection's empty last row and column |
+| 2026-10-24 | minor | Progress log: Recently Used and Insert Function categories |
+| 2026-10-24 | minor | Progress log: Function Library |
 | 2026-10-23 | minor | Progress log: accounting negatives in number text |
 | 2026-10-23 | minor | Progress log: INDEX with one index on a 2-D reference is #REF! |
 | 2026-10-22 | trivial | Progress log: formula hardening (#2163, #2162) |

crates/engine/src/cmd/edit.rs

@@ -118,6 +118,16 @@ pub fn specs() -> Vec<CommandSpec> {
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------- entry
 
+/// Whether typing `input` into a cell enters a formula: `=…`, or `+…`/`-…` followed by a name or
+/// a parenthesis (not a number), as Excel takes `+SUM(1)`.
+pub(crate) fn is_formula_input(input: &str) -> bool {
+    input.starts_with('=')
+        || (input.len() > 1
+            && (input.starts_with('+') || input.starts_with('-'))
+            && gridcraft_core::parse::parse_number_text(input).is_none()
+            && input.chars().nth(1).is_some_and(|c| c.is_ascii_alphabetic() || c == '('))
+}
+
 /// What typing `input` into a cell produces (constant or formula, plus an automatic number
 /// format). Inherits the destination's cell, row or column style, including its number
 /// format, before parsing. Errors when the formula can't be parsed.
@@ -131,12 +141,7 @@ pub(crate) fn input_to_cell(input: &str, sheet: usize, at: CellRef, wb: &mut gri
     if fmt_is_text {
         return Ok(Some(Cell { value: Value::text(input), formula: None, style }));
     }
-    let is_formula = input.starts_with('=')
-        || (input.len() > 1
-            && (input.starts_with('+') || input.starts_with('-'))
-            && gridcraft_core::parse::parse_number_text(input).is_none()
-            && input.chars().nth(1).is_some_and(|c| c.is_ascii_alphabetic() || c == '('));
-    if is_formula {
+    if is_formula_input(input) {
         let body = input.strip_prefix('=').unwrap_or(input);
         let expr = wb.name_call_case(parse_typed_formula(body)?);
         check_arg_counts(&expr)?;

crates/engine/src/cmd/extra.rs

@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ pub fn specs() -> Vec<CommandSpec> {
             new_cell_style
         ),
         cmd!(query "home.addIns", "Add-ins", ["Home", "Add-ins"], None, "{} → GridCraft extends through MCP and scripts instead of add-ins", always, |_, _| Ok(json!({"addIns": [], "hint": "Use gridcraft-cli mcp or Automate › scripts"}))),
-        cmd!(query "formulas.recentlyUsed", "Recently Used", ["Formulas", "Function Library"], None, "{} → recently used functions in this workbook", has_doc, recently_used),
+        cmd!(query "formulas.recentlyUsed", "Recently Used", ["Formulas", "Function Library"], None, "{} → the functions most recently entered in formulas, newest first", has_doc, recently_used),
         cmd!(query "formulas.financial", "Financial", ["Formulas", "Function Library"], None, "{}", always, |s, _| s.execute("formulas.functions", json!({"category": "Financial"}))),
         cmd!(query "formulas.logical", "Logical", ["Formulas", "Function Library"], None, "{}", always, |s, _| s.execute("formulas.functions", json!({"category": "Logical"}))),
         cmd!(query "formulas.text", "Text", ["Formulas", "Function Library"], None, "{}", always, |s, _| s.execute("formulas.functions", json!({"category": "Text"}))),
@@ -1287,25 +1287,10 @@ fn new_cell_style(s: &mut Session, p: &Json) -> Result<Json> {
     })
 }
 
+/// Formulas › Recently Used: the functions most recently entered in a formula, newest first
+/// ([`crate::Prefs::recent_functions`]).
 fn recently_used(s: &mut Session, _: &Json) -> Result<Json> {
-    let mut seen: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
-    for (id, p) in s.journal.iter().rev() {
-        if id != "cell.set" {
-            continue;
-        }
-        let input = p.get("input").and_then(Json::as_str).unwrap_or("");
-        if let Ok(e) = gridcraft_formula::parse(input.trim_start_matches('=')) {
-            for f in e.functions() {
-                if !seen.iter().any(|x| x == f) {
-                    seen.push(f.to_string());
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        if seen.len() >= 10 {
-            break;
-        }
-    }
-    Ok(json!(seen))
+    Ok(json!(s.prefs.recent_functions))
 }
 
 fn use_in_formula(s: &mut Session, p: &Json) -> Result<Json> {

crates/engine/src/lib.rs

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ pub mod outline;
 pub mod paper;
 pub mod pivot;
 pub mod pivot_calc;
+pub mod recent;
 pub mod record;
 pub mod sample;
 pub mod selection;
@@ -368,6 +369,10 @@ pub struct Prefs {
     pub formula_bar: bool,
     /// The statistics the status bar shows for a selection (right-click the status bar).
     pub status_bar: StatusBarStats,
+    /// Formulas › Recently Used: the functions most recently entered in a formula, newest first
+    /// (at most [`recent::MAX`]; see [`recent`]). An application list, as in Excel.
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "recent::lenient")]
+    pub recent_functions: Vec<String>,
 }
 
 /// The selection statistics shown on the status bar, set with `view.statusBar`. Excel turns on
@@ -402,6 +407,7 @@ impl Default for Prefs {
             user_dictionary: vec![],
             formula_bar: true,
             status_bar: StatusBarStats::default(),
+            recent_functions: recent::defaults(),
         }
     }
 }
@@ -694,6 +700,7 @@ impl Session {
                 rec.push(record::RecordedStep { doc, sheet, sheet_name, selection, id: id.to_string(), params: cmd::journal_params(&params) });
             }
             self.push_journal(id, cmd::journal_params(&params));
+            recent::note(&mut self.prefs.recent_functions, id, &params);
         }
         // Inside an undo group the group owns the step. A command that ended a group open before
         // it leaves the group its step and makes one of its own for what it changed after the end.

crates/engine/src/recent.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,205 @@
+//! Formulas › Recently Used: the functions most recently entered in a formula.
+//!
+//! The list is [`crate::Prefs::recent_functions`], an application list like Excel's, saved with
+//! the other preferences. [`crate::Session::execute`] calls [`note`] for each `cell.*` and
+//! `range.*` command it journals, from any source (the interface, the control channel, MCP or a
+//! script), so the list never depends on the journal, which drops its oldest entries.
+
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+use std::sync::OnceLock;
+
+use crate::cmd::edit::is_formula_input;
+use gridcraft_formula::lexer::{Tok, tokenize};
+use gridcraft_formula::normalize_function_name;
+use serde::Deserialize;
+use serde_json::Value as Json;
+
+/// How many functions the list keeps.
+pub const MAX: usize = 10;
+/// The longest formula read (Excel's formula length limit): a longer one was not typed.
+const FORMULA_MAX: usize = 8_192;
+/// The most formulas read from one command: a large paste needs only its last few.
+const SCAN_BUDGET: usize = 2_000;
+
+/// What the list holds before any function has been used.
+pub fn defaults() -> Vec<String> {
+    ["SUM", "AVERAGE", "IF", "COUNT", "MAX", "MIN", "SUMIF", "XLOOKUP", "PMT", "TODAY"].map(String::from).to_vec()
+}
+
+/// Whether `name` (upper case, without `_xlfn.`) is a function of the catalog.
+fn known(name: &str) -> bool {
+    static NAMES: OnceLock<HashSet<String>> = OnceLock::new();
+    NAMES
+        .get_or_init(|| crate::cmd::formulas::function_list().iter().filter_map(|f| f["name"].as_str().map(str::to_ascii_uppercase)).collect())
+        .contains(name)
+}
+
+/// The functions a formula calls, outermost first, known functions only. A formula is what a
+/// cell takes as one (`=…`, or `+…`/`-…` as Excel takes `+SUM(1)`).
+pub fn functions_in_formula(text: &str) -> Vec<String> {
+    if !is_formula_input(text) {
+        return vec![];
+    }
+    let body = text.strip_prefix('=').unwrap_or(text);
+    if body.len() > FORMULA_MAX {
+        return vec![];
+    }
+    let mut out: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
+    for t in tokenize(body).unwrap_or_default() {
+        if let Tok::Func(name) = t.tok {
+            let name = normalize_function_name(&name);
+            if known(&name) && !out.contains(&name) {
+                out.push(name);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    out
+}
+
+/// The formula texts a command's params enter, the last first, at most `budget` of them.
+fn formulas_newest_first<'a>(id: &str, params: &'a Json, budget: usize) -> Vec<&'a str> {
+    fn walk<'a>(v: &'a Json, out: &mut Vec<&'a str>, depth: usize, budget: usize) {
+        match v {
+            Json::String(s) if is_formula_input(s) && out.len() < budget => out.push(s),
+            // A range's values are rows of cells; anything deeper is not a cell value.
+            Json::Array(a) if depth < 2 => {
+                for x in a.iter().rev() {
+                    if out.len() >= budget {
+                        return;
+                    }
+                    walk(x, out, depth + 1, budget);
+                }
+            }
+            _ => {}
+        }
+    }
+    let mut out = Vec::new();
+    if id.starts_with("cell.") || id.starts_with("range.") {
+        for key in ["formula", "values", "value", "input"] {
+            if let Some(v) = params.get(key) {
+                walk(v, &mut out, 0, budget);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    out
+}
+
+/// Moves `names` (most recent first) to the front of `recent`, keeping at most [`MAX`].
+pub fn push(recent: &mut Vec<String>, names: &[String]) {
+    let mut next: Vec<String> = Vec::with_capacity(MAX);
+    for n in names.iter().chain(recent.iter()) {
+        if next.len() == MAX {
+            break;
+        }
+        if !next.contains(n) {
+            next.push(n.clone());
+        }
+    }
+    *recent = next;
+}
+
+/// Moves the functions that the formulas a command entered call to the front of `recent`. The
+/// last formulas are read first (they are the most recent), within [`SCAN_BUDGET`].
+pub(crate) fn note(recent: &mut Vec<String>, id: &str, params: &Json) {
+    let mut names: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
+    for f in formulas_newest_first(id, params, SCAN_BUDGET) {
+        for n in functions_in_formula(f) {
+            if !names.contains(&n) {
+                names.push(n);
+            }
+        }
+        if names.len() >= MAX {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    if !names.is_empty() {
+        push(recent, &names);
+    }
+}
+
+/// Reads a saved list leniently: known function names only, at most [`MAX`]. A value that is not
+/// a list gives the default list, so a hand-edited or hostile `prefs.json` loses this list, never
+/// the other preferences.
+pub(crate) fn lenient<'de, D: serde::Deserializer<'de>>(d: D) -> Result<Vec<String>, D::Error> {
+    let raw = Json::deserialize(d)?;
+    let Some(list) = raw.as_array() else { return Ok(defaults()) };
+    let mut out = Vec::new();
+    for name in list.iter().filter_map(Json::as_str) {
+        if out.len() == MAX {
+            break;
+        }
+        let name = name.to_ascii_uppercase();
+        if known(&name) && !out.contains(&name) {
+            out.push(name);
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(out)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use serde_json::json;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn formulas_name_their_functions_outermost_first() {
+        assert_eq!(functions_in_formula("=IF(SUM(A1:A3)>2,_xlfn.XLOOKUP(1,B:B,C:C),sum(1))"), ["IF", "SUM", "XLOOKUP"]);
+        assert!(functions_in_formula("=MYLAMBDA(1)+A1").is_empty(), "only known functions");
+        assert!(functions_in_formula("SUM(1)").is_empty(), "not a formula");
+        assert!(functions_in_formula("=\"SUM(\"").is_empty(), "inside a string");
+        assert!(functions_in_formula(&format!("=SUM({})", "1+".repeat(9000))).is_empty(), "too long");
+        assert!(functions_in_formula("=((((").is_empty());
+        assert!(functions_in_formula("=").is_empty());
+        // A formula may be typed with + or - instead of =, as input_to_cell takes it.
+        assert_eq!(functions_in_formula("+SUM(1)"), ["SUM"]);
+        assert_eq!(functions_in_formula("-ABS(A1)"), ["ABS"]);
+        assert!(functions_in_formula("-5").is_empty() && functions_in_formula("+1e3").is_empty(), "numbers");
+        assert!(functions_in_formula("+").is_empty() && functions_in_formula("- SUM(1)").is_empty(), "not formulas");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn commands_give_their_formulas_newest_first() {
+        let read = |id: &str, params: Json| formulas_newest_first(id, &params, SCAN_BUDGET).into_iter().map(String::from).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+        assert_eq!(read("range.setValues", json!({"values": [["=SUM(1)", 2], ["x", "=PMT(1,2,3)"]]})), ["=PMT(1,2,3)", "=SUM(1)"]);
+        assert_eq!(read("cell.set", json!({"input": "=NPV(1,2)"})), ["=NPV(1,2)"]);
+        assert_eq!(read("range.setValues", json!({"values": [["+SUM(1)", "-5", "-ABS(2)"]]})), ["-ABS(2)", "+SUM(1)"]);
+        assert!(read("home.bold", json!({"input": "=IRR(1)"})).is_empty(), "only cell.* and range.* enter formulas");
+        assert!(read("range.setValues", json!({"values": [[["=FV(1,2,3)"]]]})).is_empty(), "deeper than rows of cells");
+        // A large paste is read from its end, within the budget.
+        let rows: Vec<Json> = (0..5_000).map(|i| json!([format!("=ABS({i})")])).collect();
+        let paste = json!({ "values": rows });
+        let last = formulas_newest_first("range.setValues", &paste, 3);
+        assert_eq!(last, ["=ABS(4999)", "=ABS(4998)", "=ABS(4997)"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn recent_keeps_ten_distinct_newest_first() {
+        let mut r = defaults();
+        assert!(r.iter().all(|n| known(n)), "the default list names known functions");
+        push(&mut r, &["PMT".into(), "NPV".into()]);
+        assert_eq!(r.len(), MAX);
+        assert_eq!(&r[..3], ["PMT", "NPV", "SUM"]);
+        assert_eq!(r.iter().filter(|n| *n == "PMT").count(), 1);
+        let many: Vec<String> =
+            ["ABS", "ACOS", "AND", "CHOOSE", "DATE", "EXP", "FIND", "INDEX", "LEFT", "LN", "MOD", "NOW"].map(String::from).to_vec();
+        push(&mut r, &many);
+        assert_eq!(r, many[..MAX]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_saved_list_is_read_leniently() {
+        let prefs = |v: Json| serde_json::from_value::<crate::Prefs>(v).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(prefs(json!({"r1c1": true})).recent_functions, defaults(), "a prefs.json from before the list gets the default");
+        // A hostile value loses only itself, never the other preferences.
+        let bad = prefs(json!({"r1c1": true, "recentFunctions": 5}));
+        assert!(bad.r1c1);
+        assert_eq!(bad.recent_functions, defaults());
+        let mut odd: Vec<Json> = ["npv", "NOT_A_FUNCTION", "SUM", "NPV"].iter().map(|n| json!(n)).chain([json!(3), json!(null)]).collect();
+        odd.extend(crate::cmd::formulas::function_list().into_iter().take(40).map(|f| f["name"].clone()));
+        let odd = prefs(json!({ "recentFunctions": odd }));
+        assert_eq!(&odd.recent_functions[..2], ["NPV", "SUM"]);
+        assert_eq!(odd.recent_functions.len(), MAX);
+        let back = prefs(serde_json::to_value(&odd).unwrap());
+        assert_eq!(back.recent_functions, odd.recent_functions, "the list survives a save and reload");
+    }
+}

crates/engine/tests/it/main.rs

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ mod percent_entry;
 mod pivot_unknown_func;
 mod pivotchart_link;
 mod range_fill_formats;
+mod recently_used;
 mod row_autofit;
 mod sheet_name_quoting;
 mod sparse_clear_invalidation;