Excel as a free-form outliner
The Excel grid is а handy free-form structure, where you can arrange and visualize your records. You can create notes to store all kinds of needed data, such as rich text, web pages, and files. If you have already stored data in comments, import it to XLnotes using the From Comments function. Use the Search function to quickly find text entries across multiple worksheets and notes.

Business analysis with Excel
When using Excel for business purposes, the ability to add some documents or pictures to your Excel workbook is crucial. Notes allow you to add multiple data to your projects such as pictures, files, and web pages. Using Templates and Data Linking fields, you can build forms that contain your Excel data, such as contracts, inventory cards, and specifications.

Writing in Excel
If you are writing a thesis, memo, or analytical report, it’s easier to start with writing and citing small fragments of text. You can structure your writing project by breaking it into small blocks of content and arranging them on an Excel grid so you will see the whole picture. You can write text and paste citations and your thoughts into text notes. Then you can finalize your work by gathering all your fragments into one MS Word document using the Export to Word function.

Advanced comments in Excel
If you are doing calculations in Excel, you can add web pages and notes describing the formulas and methods used in the calculations. You can also add new columns to your tables such as pictures, files, and web pages to bring an additional perspective to your spreadsheets. For example, when listing product portfolios for marketing research, you can add product images, specifications, web pages, and documentation to your notes in addition to traditional sales and market share data.

Excel as a bookmarks manager
To prevent your bookmarks in your browser from becoming cluttered, you can organize your web pages collection in Excel. You can save web pages as copies if you need to save the current state of a web page, or as bookmarks if you want to save the address only. You can view them directly in Excel by using XLnotes’ built-in browser. You can also use text notes to add comments and store important fragments.

Excel as a personal information manager (PIM)
Excel functions and graphs let you easily create personal schedules and plans. Notes are helpful so you can describe your activities in more detail. For example, if you want to create an account book with Excel, use notes to add comments and attachments to store related information like checks, contracts, and invoices.

Cataloguing in Excel
The Directory Index function builds an index of the selected directory in Excel, so you can catalog your files and media. Notes will help to add comments, attachments, and web pages to file entries. For example, you can build an index of your books and add notes to describe them, as well as store extracts and citations.

Mind mapping in Excel
Excel’s built-in drawing tools offer a handy way to create simple mind maps. To present nodes in more detail, add text notes, web pages, and attachments to them. If you want to use your notes outside of Excel, export them to a selected directory using the To Files function.