At the heart of any major application is the need to read in data from a number of different sources. Whether the source is from an ODBC-compliant database (Microsoft Access, SQL Server, etc.), text file, Microsoft Excel 97/2000 file, or a number of other sources, Spread can display it. Select from various ways to add data:

• Bound Mode - adding data from a database
• Unbound Mode - adding data from another source
• Virtual Mode - the fastest way to display large amounts of data

Spread can automatically retrieve information from a multitude of databases and connect to them using any of these connections:

• ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 2.0 using OLE DB technology
• Data Access Objects (DAO)
• Remote Data Objects (RDO)

After the database connection has been made, Spread can connect to the data source and display the requested information. But Spread takes this several steps further to help ensure data integrity by automatically doing most of the work for you. After the connection has been established, Spread can:

• Read and display the field names as the column headers
• Create the necessary number of columns
• Create the appropriate cell types depending on the data .to ensure data integrity when editing
• Display the requested data in the appropriate format
• Allow the user to make any changes on screen and have Spread automatically update the database without writing any extra code
• Let users navigate though the data using the standard or special scroll bars
• Insert new columns and rows (especially useful for creating "total" columns or rows)

And of course, all of this default behavior can be modified and enhanced to best suit your business needs. Many of the features listed above are explained in more detail in the Updating/Exporting Data section.

When bound to a database, Spread can automatically configure the appropriate cell type depending on the data it reads. For example, if the field is a date field, Spread creates a corresponding column of date cells in the spreadsheet. This feature can also be enhanced. For example, let's say the database contains information that you do not want edited by the user, but still needs to be displayed. Spread makes this easy by allowing you to overwrite the default behavior and change any cell type. You can make the cells that you do not want to be changed static text cells, thus preventing any editing. And of course, all this default behavior can be modified and enhanced to suit your business needs.

Easily insert new or delete existing records in the spreadsheet and have these changes reflected in the database. You can also insert "unbound" rows or columns. This is ideal for situations where you might want to display a totals row or column or something similar but not have the data inserted into the database.

While Spread is powerful in getting data from a database, it is equally effective when loading data from many other sources. In addition to connecting to most major databases, listed below are other types of files that Spread can import with just a few lines of code:

• Microsoft Excel 97 worksheets
• Microsoft Excel 2000 worksheets
• .SS2/3 Files (Spread’s proprietary format)
• Comma-delimited files
• Tab-delimited files
• Custom-delimited files

You have 300,000 rows of data you need to display in a grid. Loading this in memory will take a long time to read and display, thus making your customer wait during this entire process. That is if your current grid will even support this much data. Using Spread’s Virtual Mode:

• The display time will be much faster
• Up to two billion rows and two billion columns are supported
• Spread holds in memory and buffers a limited number of records at any given time

For example, you can specify that you want to load and display one screen’s worth of data at any given time. Spread will fetch and display this data. When the user scrolls up or down, Spread will request the additional data and display it at that time. Your application no longer needs to load an entire file into memory at one time, which means a faster application and happier customers.

Similar to spreadsheet applications, Spread includes a very comprehensive Calc Engine to provide formula support, including providing over 100 of the most commonly used functions. In addition, you can easily add your own custom formulas to Spread. You can also use named expressions or relative cell addressing to reference the formulas.

Easily sort rows or columns. Instead of limiting you to sorting by one or two columns, Spread allows you to perform up to a 256-key sort. Sorting can be accomplished using code to specify a range of data to sort, or the user can automatically sort data simply by clicking a column header.

There are many instances where you do not want the data to be edited, for example a "totals" column or row, or want it to be edited only after other information has first been added. Spread makes this easy by allowing you to "lock" cells to prevent them from being edited. The cells can be unlocked at any time for editing and then locked again.

Operation modes control how your customers can interact with Spread. For example, you can make Spread read-only or have it act as a list box. You can specify the following modes to provide the interaction you need:

Mode	Description
Normal	Acts as a normal spreadsheet.
Read Only	Does not allow any editing in the entire spreadsheet.
Row	Clicking the mouse highlights the entire row. Double-clicking activates the desired cell.
Single Selection	Highlights the entire row, and prevents the user from editing data, similar to a single-selection list box.
Multiple Selection	Operates similarly to a multiple-selection list box.
Extended Selection	Operates similarly to an extended-selection list box.

When connected to a database, Spread will display the data and allow changes to be made to the data. When the data has been changed, Spread can automatically update the database with the changes. There is no additional coding required on the developer's part to implement this feature and this behavior can easily be modified to best fit your needs. For example, you may need to perform some additional validation on the data before it gets updated. Spread makes this easy by notifying you, or flagging the cell as being changed, when a change has been made. Once you have accepted or rejected the changes, only then will Spread update the database.

Once Spread contains data, you have many options for what to do with the data. You have seen how Spread can automatically update databases. You can also export data to many different files. Spread can export to:

• Microsoft Excel 97/2000
• XML
• HTML
• .SS8 (Spread proprietary format)
• Tab-delimited
• Comma-delimited
• Other custom-delimited files

The included print preview control makes it easy to preview the printed spreadsheet. There are several options for controlling how your customer will preview the data, including the number of pages that will be previewed on the screen and zooming options.

Spread allows you to print multiple items on a single page. This feature allows you to print multiple spreadsheets on one page to create a composite report, add custom header and footer graphics, and to provide many other options that your users will want. This example illustrates color printing and including images in your printed spreadsheet.

In addition to previewing the data, there are many options for providing additional information in the printout. These options include:

• Specifying a range of data to print
• Specifying page ranges to print
• Adding custom headers and footers
• Creating custom print configurations by specifying margins, page orientation, borders, headers, grid lines, colors, and shadow effects

As you have seen, Spread is a very flexible, yet extremely powerful, spreadsheet and grid component. Given the available features, you might expect a steep learning curve for your developers. However, Spread provides the Spread Designer to facilitate rapid development, for example:

• Developers can use the Spread Designer to aid in the quick creation of the look and feel of the spreadsheet.
• Managers can use the Spread Designer to design a prototype, with no coding necessary.

Simply select options from the available menus. Changes in the Spread Designer can be applied to the project or saved for future use.