Microsoft Considers Adding Python As an Official Scripting Language in Excel (bleepingcomputer.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft is considering adding Python as one of the official Excel scripting languages, according to a topic on Excel's feedback hub opened last month. Since it was opened, the topic has become the most voted feature request, double the votes of the second-ranked proposition. "Let us do scripting with Python! Yay! Not only as an alternative to VBA, but also as an alternative to field functions (=SUM(A1:A2))," the feature request reads, as opened by one of Microsoft's users.

The OS maker responded yesterday by putting up a survey to gather more information and how users would like to use Python inside Excel. If approved, Excel users would be able to use Python scripts to interact with Excel documents, their data, and some of Excel's core functions, similar to how Excel currently supports VBA scripts. Python is one of the most versatile programming languages available today. It is also insanely popular with developers. It ranks second on the PYPL programming languages ranking, third in the RedMonk Programming Language Rankings, and fourth in the TIOBE index.

Comments

With Excel + Python,

[olsmeister]

I wonder how many more applications my boss can dream up for Excel that it really should never, ever have been used for?

Re:With Excel + Python,

[Ubi_NL]

When I'd say "I struggle to see the purpose of using a language where a semicolon is significant" you'll scream and berate me for heracy. It's just another key. If you think the whole niche of python and its popularity is solely based on this one single feature you're ignorant.

Re: With Excel + Python,

[UnknownSoldier]

You are _completely_ missing the point.

Form should NOT matter for function.

A compiler has one job -- translate code. It shouldn't matter if there is EXTRA (leading) whitespace for operations.

There are times where placing multiple operations on one line make the code MORE readable; so yeah, having a statement separator is a big deal. It isn't 1970 anymore where we have to place 1 operation on 1 line. Some of us have evolved to writing code two dimensionally WHERE it makes sense too.

Python, started off with the noble idea "We'll dictate indentation to solve readability". In theory this sounds good -- expect it practice this is fucking retarded. Python was designed by an idiot who didn't understand the difference between form and function.

Guess what -- you can write shitty code in ANY language -- indentation is only PART of the problem. Worse, the author didn't have a clue about multi-column-alignment. If I want to indent code more, or less, AND preserve the SAME block scope, I can do that in C / C++ / JS. In Python I can't.

Python cripples everybody else to handle the moron who doesn't understand block scope in the name of "safety."

Good idea

[DogDude]

It's a good idea. There's no reason (that I can think of) not to have more languages to use in Excel.

Python is not popular with developers

[Anonymous Coward]

It is popular with non-developers (such as system admins). Developers use other tools.

Why is /. so negative?

[substance2003]

So far it all seems to be very much against Python being used by Microsoft in Excel, granted it's still under 20 posts as I write this but considering it was the most voted feature on M$' site and I'm assuming those asking are themselves programmers, why so much negativity here?
The way I see it, if Excel uses Python, it gives people more incentive to learn it and that can translate into people able to use it in other programs that use Python.

Also, as someone who's had to troubleshoot broken VBA scripts on Excel, anything that can move us away from them is a win in my book.

Python "most versatile"

[Anonymous Coward]

In fact it's so versatile that it's the only general purpose programming language (that's not dead today) where whitespace is a core fundamental aspect of its grammar. When was the last time this novel concept used before, previously? Fortran?

I guess I'm in the minority that finds Python to be something I would only imagine after a long night of drinking. Because of that, I pissed my pants after reading this. Get a load of this: somebody thinks that Python would be an improvement over VBA?

Re:Python in Excel...

[MightyYar]

My gut reaction is YES YES YES because I'm often stuck in Excel for... reasons... and don't like VBA much despite being pretty good at it.

But like you said, it probably won't be Python - it will likely be MS Python, stuck at some version forever and probably without nicey-nice stuff like the scientific libraries and package management that make it so useful.