Template Parsing with User Feedback

Spreadsheets are among the most widely used end-user programming systems. According to some estimates, up to 90% of spreadsheets have non-trivial errors in them [7]. In many cases, spreadsheet errors have resulted in huge financial losses for companies. Spreadsheets are also in use in Science and Mathematics education in schools primarily because they offer a flexible modeling environment. With widespread adoption of spreadsheets by end users there is a greater need for better auditing tools to help users develop safer spreadsheets. Traditional approaches like code inspection, auditing, and testing might not be really conducive for users disadvantaged by their background, education, learning style or physical abilities. In this context, it is important to develop tools that work with minimal user intervention. Errors in spreadsheets might arise for a variety of reasons ranging from the user’s lack of understanding of the specifications or requirements of the spreadsheet to errors arising from entering the formulas or values incorrectly (for example, typos, poor understanding of operator precedence etc.). In Section 2 we discuss the main approaches we have explored so far. In Section 3 we discuss the importance of being able to infer the underlying models of spreadsheets and the steps involved in a first attempt at extracting specifications (templates) from spreadsheets.