Flash Fill
Flash Fill (Ctrl+E) automatically completes a column based on a pattern you demonstrate in the first few rows. It works like Excel's Flash Fill — you show the pattern, Excel View figures out the rule.
How to Use Flash Fill
- Add a blank column to the right of your data (right-click column header → Insert Formula Column, or just click in the next empty column)
- In the first cell of the blank column, type the value you want
- Optionally type one or two more examples to make the pattern clearer
- Press Ctrl+E
Excel View analyzes your examples and fills the rest of the column automatically.
Supported Patterns
| Pattern | Example Input | Example Output |
|---|---|---|
| Text extraction | "John Smith" → "John" | First name from full name |
| Date formatting | "2026-04-17" → "April 17, 2026" | Reformatted date string |
| Code generation | "INV-001", "INV-002" → "INV-003" | Sequential codes |
| Concatenation | "John" + "Smith" → "John Smith" | Combine columns |
| Prefix/suffix | "100" → "USD 100" | Add prefix or suffix |
| Case conversion | "john smith" → "JOHN SMITH" | Uppercase conversion |
Alert on Blank Column
If you press Ctrl+E on a column that is not blank (already has data), you'll see a warning:
"This column already has data. Flash Fill will overwrite it. Continue?"
Click Yes to proceed or No to cancel.
Limitations
- Flash Fill works only on columns where you provide at least 1 example in the first cell
- It detects patterns from the first visible column to the left that contains data
- Very complex multi-step transforms (e.g., extracting a middle name while handling initials) may not be detected — provide more examples in that case
- Flash Fill does not write back to Frappe (the filled column is a new formula column in the grid, not a DocType field save)