{
  "id": 17649309,
  "title": "Your XLSX validation rule exists. Does it actually reject bad input?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/your-xlsx-validation-rule-exists-does-it-actually-reject-bad-input",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-01T18:02:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/earn2exist/your-xlsx-validation-rule-exists-does-it-actually-reject-bad-input-fkf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The validation rule for the yearly report in the profit tracker spreadsheet is designed to accept only whole numbers between 2000 and 2100 in cell B1. To verify if the rule effectively rejects bad input, a test was conducted using a disposable copy of the spreadsheet in the actual application being used. Upon entering invalid text, an error message appeared titled \"Check report period,\" but it was difficult to determine if the previous value was correctly restored to the cell. This indicates that the validation test did not fully pass, as the acceptance of invalid input and proper handling of erroneous entries remain unverified.",
  "summary": "A spreadsheet can pass a formula-preservation check and still fail its user. I hit that distinction while adding input validation to a profit tracker. The original report cells accepted text where a month or year belonged. In LibreOffice, that produced downstream date-formula errors. My local candidate adds a date rule to the monthly report and a whole-number rule to the yearly report. It is not…",
  "key_points": [
    "Validation rule designed for whole numbers 2000-2100 in cell B1",
    "Test with disposable spreadsheet copy conducted",
    "Invalid text entered, error message appeared but effectiveness unclear"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}