FreeCAD: External Spreadsheet procedures & notes

[last updated: 2025-07-15]
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These procedures are likely overly-convoluted, with unnecessary things, but I have not done an exhaustive investigation, and these are JWID and they worked for me.
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• Start: Create a separate spreadsheet and drawing file:

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• In operation:
  • Start/execute your FreeCAD program:
    (this assumes your .FCStd drawing file with linked external spreadsheet has already been set up...)
    File --> Open ... [browse to the .FCStd drawing file you want] double-click to select and open
    • You will see in your model tree, that in addition to your drawing file having been opened,
      the external spreadsheet used in the drawing has also been opened.
    • However, this only works if the drawing file and the spreadsheet file are in the same folder.

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  • Updating parameter values:
    • Suppose you have a drawing file and an external spreadsheet loaded into your FC session.
      You want to change a dimension in some sketch.
      So you go into your spreadsheet, find the cell containing the dimension, and change it.
      Save your spreadsheet (not really necessary for this, but good practice regardless)
    • Now you go back and open your sketch, and the dimension hasn't been changed. WTF?
      The trick is, the recompute happens when you Close the Sketch.

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  • Changing fileNames:
    • It happens (at least in the way I do things...)
      that at some time in the future, after having created a drawing,
      you may want to change its filename.

    • One way to do that is in your file manager:
      highlight the file, right-click, select Rename
    • The gotcha is that this ONLY works for the drawing file.
      If you change the filename of the spreadsheet file in FM,
      then when you open your drawing file, it will give an error because the drawing file won't be able to find the spreadsheet with its new name.

    • This way works to change the spreadsheet fileName:
      With a drawing and its associated external spreadsheet both opened into a FC session,
      as a minimum there will be a tab at the bottom of your drawing pane with the drawing file.
      In the model tree, double-click the spreadsheet file,
      so now there will be another tab at the bottom of the drawing pane with the spreadsheet file.

      
      With the spreadsheet tab selected, click File --> Save-as
      and enter your new desired name for the spreadsheet file.

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