How column types are detected

Automatic detection

SheetForge analyses your data to assign a type to each column. The detected type determines how data is formatted and displayed in each view. The following types are supported:

Text

The default type for any column that does not match a more specific type. Displayed as plain text.

Number

Columns where all non-empty values are numeric. Displayed with appropriate formatting. Used in numeric summaries and charts.

Date

Columns where values match common date patterns (YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY, etc.). Used in the Calendar and Timeline views.

Email

Columns containing email addresses. Displayed as clickable mailto: links.

URL

Columns containing web URLs. Displayed as clickable links that open in a new tab.

Boolean

Columns containing true/false, yes/no, 1/0 values. Displayed as tick/cross icons.

Enum (categorical)

Columns with a small set of repeating values (detected automatically). Used for Kanban grouping and filter dropdowns.

Tips for accurate detection

• Ensure date columns use a consistent format throughout
• Avoid mixing types in a single column (e.g. numbers and text)
• Keep category columns consistent in capitalisation