AnnexCalc – Manual

1. Overview

AnnexCalc is the spreadsheet app of the AnnexCREATE suite. It is aimed at freelancers, the self-employed and small agencies who want to handle budgets, quote calculations and simple evaluations without heaviness. The app offers a classic cell grid with formulas, saves in its own .axsheet container format and exports to common office formats.

Core benefits:

• A classic cell grid with formulas and cell references instead of an overloaded ribbon.
• A formula engine with the basic arithmetic operators, ranges and the functions SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX.
• Per-cell display formats (currency, date, percent) that carry into export and print.
• Export to common office formats (CSV, XLSX, ODS, PDF) over a shared display path.
• Integration with the suite via the Annex clipboard (CSV) and the shared asset library.

AnnexCalc is part of the "Creative OS": the app shares the design system, asset library, clipboard and diagnostics with the other apps. Via open formats and MCP automation it integrates into existing workflows.

2. Installation & activation

AnnexCalc is obtained and managed via AnnexHub:

• Download & updates: AnnexHub is the central place for apps, updates and licenses.
• License activation: centrally via AnnexHub (AnnexLicenseKit); offline activation possible.
• Offline operation: AnnexCalc is offline-first and runs without a server connection; all sheets stay local on the Mac.

3. Basic workflow

The typical flow from launch to a finished sheet:

1. Launch: open AnnexCalc from AnnexHub or open an existing .axsheet (File ▸ Open…, ⌘O).
2. Enter values: click a cell, type a value or formula, confirm with Enter.
3. Calculate: write formulas with cell references and functions, e.g. =SUM(B1:B5).
4. Structure the sheet: set the title in the inspector, extend rows and columns via the toolbar.
5. Format: choose a display format for a cell (Standard, Currency, Date, Percent) via the Format menu or the inspector.
6. Evaluate: read the column sum and grand total in the inspector; check formula cells in the sidebar.
7. Save & share: save as .axsheet (⌘S) and export as CSV, XLSX, ODS or PDF or print (⌘P).

4. Core features

4.1 Workspace & menu bar

AnnexCalc uses the suite's three-column design: left sidebar (sheet info and asset library), cell grid in the middle, inspector on the right; transparent title bar and app header. The menu bar (wired via WindowActions/@FocusedObject) offers:

• File ▸ Open… – ⌘O
• File ▸ Save – ⌘S
• File ▸ Save As… – ⌘⇧S
• File ▸ Export… – no shortcut
• File ▸ Print… – ⌘P
• AnnexCalc ▸ Settings… – ⌘,

There is also a dedicated Format menu for the number formats of the selected cell (a checkmark marks the active format).

4.2 Cell grid & editing

The scrollable grid (SpreadsheetGridView, CalcCellView) has row and column headers. You select a cell by clicking and edit it via a text field; the entry is committed with Enter.

4.3 Formulas

The formula engine (SpreadsheetFormulaEngine in AnnexCalcKit) supports:

• The basic arithmetic operators + - * /, parentheses and unary signs.
• Cell references (A1, B2, AA10) and ranges (A1:B5).
• The functions SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX.
• Circular-reference detection and the German decimal comma.

The formula scope is deliberately narrow (four functions); sorting and charts are not implemented.

4.4 Managing the sheet

You change the sheet title in the inspector. You extend rows and columns via the toolbar (CalcDocumentController.addRow/addColumn). There is one sheet per document; multiple sheets per file do not exist yet.

4.5 Cell & number formats

Cells carry an optional number format (CellNumberFormat): Standard, Currency (EUR, locale-aware via NumberFormatter), Date (short date format) or Percent. The format applies to the display only (inspector row "Display", print/PDF, exports) – the stored raw value and the formula calculation stay unchanged. You select the format for the selected cell via the Format menu (a checkmark on the active format) or the format picker in the inspector. Old .axsheet files without format information load as "Standard".

4.6 Inspector & sidebar evaluations

• Inspector (CalcInspectorView): raw value/formula and result of the selected cell, format picker, display value, column sum, grand total of all numeric cells and the page count for printing.
• Sidebar (CalcSidebarView): sheet size, number of used cells and a clickable list of all formula cells (selects the cell in grid and inspector).

4.7 Saving & autosave

AnnexCalc saves in its own .axsheet container format via AnnexCoreKit. Known file locations are saved directly (⌘S), otherwise "Save As" (⌘⇧S); opening via the file picker (⌘O). Autosave saves silently to the known location on an interval – you configure activation and interval in the settings.

4.8 Export & print

Via the export dialog (File ▸ Export… or the toolbar button "Export") you produce real files:

• CSV (semicolon, with quoting; exports the formatted display values including formula results).
• XLSX (Office Open XML, own ZIP writer via AnnexArchiveKit).
• ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet).
• PDF – XLSX/ODS/PDF carry the number formats over the shared display path.

Printing (File ▸ Print…, ⌘P) uses the suite's shared print path (AnnexPrintSheet, AnnexPrintOperation) with a DIN-A4 layout (CalcPrintLayout) – the same render path as the PDF export, including header, row numbers and grid.

4.9 Asset integration & Annex clipboard

• Asset library (suite-wide AssetLibraryView) sits in the sidebar. Dragging an asset reference into the grid writes a visible file-reference entry into the selected cell (the format does not support inline assets).
• Annex clipboard (CalcInteropService): "Copy sheet" puts the whole sheet as CSV into the suite clipboard (with a text fallback for foreign apps); "Paste" takes multi-line, semicolon-separated text as a CSV import, single values into the selected cell.

5. Formats & interoperability

• Native format .axsheet: an Annex container (AnnexCoreKit) with a sheet.json snapshot (title, rows/columns, cells including optional number format; backward compatible, old files load with the "Standard" format). Loading and saving are wired.
• Import: CSV import into the existing sheet (from a file or the clipboard; rows/columns are extended as needed). In the app you reach it via Paste. XLSX/ODS import is not implemented (export only).
• Export: CSV, XLSX, ODS, PDF – all wired in the export dialog and written as real files.
• Suite interop: the Annex clipboard (AnnexInteropKit) with a text fallback against other Annex apps and foreign apps; asset references from the shared asset library (AnnexAssetKit).
• Central search (AnnexHub): when saving, the central version/draft index (SharedVersionIndexStore) is updated best-effort, so sheets can be found in the AnnexHub search.
• iCloud/cloud sync: not wired; documents live purely locally.

6. MCP operation

The MCP host runs in AnnexHub, JSON-RPC 2.0 over STDIO, and is started from there. This makes AnnexCalc's actions reachable for AI agents and automation.

Suite-wide tools (for all apps): list_apps, open_app, open_document, get_active_document, get_license_status, search_assets.

App-specific tools for AnnexCalc:

• calc.create_document – creates a real .axsheet file (rows/columns configurable).
• calc.set_cell – a real file change: sets a cell value or formula (with a leading =).
• calc.open_document – opens a spreadsheet document.

Skills (suite-wide): suite.discover, brandkit.apply.

Sheet creation, cell editing and opening are fully automatable via this interface.

7. Diagnostics & privacy

AnnexCalc logs errors and actions locally via AnnexDiagnosticsKit into rotating JSON log files under ~/Library/Logs/AnnexCREATE/AnnexCalc/, mirrored to os_log (subsystem com.annexcreative.annexcalc), with a PII filter. Diagnostics are enabled by default during development and can be switched off in the settings (Privacy); nothing is transmitted. AnnexCalc logs, among other things, opening, saving, export and error cases. Telemetry is wired (TelemetryClient.shared.configure) and runs strictly on opt-in (off by default). All data stays on the Mac.

8. FAQ

Does AnnexCalc need an internet connection? No. The app is offline-first and runs without a server connection; cloud sync is not wired.

Can I open Excel or LibreOffice files? XLSX/ODS import is not implemented – export only. You can import CSV (via Paste); natively AnnexCalc loads .axsheet.

Which formulas are available? Basic arithmetic, parentheses, cell references, ranges and the functions SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX – with circular-reference detection and the German decimal comma. More functions, sorting and charts are not (yet) part of the app.

Does a number format change my values? No. Currency, date and percent are pure display formats; the stored raw value and the calculation stay unchanged.

How many sheets does a document have? Currently exactly one sheet per document. Multiple sheets per file do not exist yet.

Where do I find my log files? Under ~/Library/Logs/AnnexCREATE/AnnexCalc/. Diagnostics are active during development and can be switched off in the settings.

Which languages is the interface available in? German, English, Spanish, French and Italian.