Window Management¶

Window changes affect only the selected session's Excel instance. Do not create another session just to change visibility. Use CLI help or MCP tool descriptions for current window controls and inputs.

Worksheet views¶

Inspect the active sheet, selection, cell, and chart when that context matters. Context inspection does not show, activate, or select anything, and another workbook's selection is not a substitute for unavailable context.

Frozen panes retain rows and columns above/left of a boundary; movable splits are different and replace frozen panes. Set zoom and display choices before a split when exact pane counts matter, then inspect the resulting view.

Prepare the view before saving¶

Use set-view to scroll a named sheet and optionally select a cell or continuous range. The sheet stays active. Omitting selection keeps its existing selection. The command does not save the workbook; explicitly save after checking the view.

excelcli -q window set-view --session $sessionId --sheet-name Dashboard --top-left-cell A1 --select A1
excelcli -q window get-view --session $sessionId --sheet-name Dashboard

window(action: 'set-view', workbook_session_id: sessionId, sheet_name: 'Dashboard', top_left_cell: 'A1', select: 'A1')
window(action: 'get-view', workbook_session_id: sessionId, sheet_name: 'Dashboard')

Both actions return topLeftCell, selectionKind, selectedRangeAddress, and activeCellAddress, alongside panes, zoom, and display settings. Addresses are Excel's normalized addresses. Non-range selections have no range or active-cell address. get-view activates the requested sheet but does not select or scroll it.

Frozen panes and movable splits are retained. The scroll position belongs to the last pane: the bottom-right pane for splits in both directions, or the bottom/right pane for a single split. Frozen or hidden rows and columns may make Excel adjust the requested position; inspect topLeftCell for the actual result. Panes share scrolling in any direction that is not split, following Excel's normal behavior. Neither action changes the view mode, zoom, or display options, or intentionally shows Excel.

--top-left-cell / top_left_cell must identify one cell on the named sheet; --select / select accepts one cell or a continuous range on that sheet. References to other sheets or workbooks and multi-area selections are rejected. If Excel fails after a view change, do not assume the change was undone. Inspect the view before deciding what to do next.

Visibility and placement¶

Preserve existing visibility unless a change is requested or a blocking dialog is confirmed. Such dialogs automatically reveal Excel so the user can respond. Keeping a workbook open means retaining its session, not showing a hidden window. See the shared visibility policy.

show and bring-to-front restore a minimized window to its previous normal or maximized state before bringing it forward. bring-to-front leaves a hidden session hidden and returns guidance to use show first. If Windows refuses foreground activation, show still reports the verified visibility and isForeground: false, with guidance to select Excel. bring-to-front reports an error with instructions to select Excel on the Windows taskbar or press Alt+Tab to switch to Excel. Any visibility or window restoration already applied remains in effect. arrange verifies that Excel applied the requested preset and returns isForeground. If Windows refuses foreground activation, the verified placement still succeeds and the result explains how to select Excel. If Excel does not apply the requested placement, the operation reports an error; any window changes already applied remain in effect. Standalone show and hide also work while Excel is waiting on a dialog, without waiting behind the blocked command. Neither answers nor dismisses it. Use window(action: 'hide', workbook_session_id: sessionId) or excelcli window hide --session $sessionId to hide explicitly. An unsupported arrange preset (MCP) / --preset (CLI) is rejected before changing visibility, window state, or bounds. This does not promise rollback if Excel itself fails while applying a supported preset.

Arranging or restoring a normal/maximized window can make it visible. Layout uses the monitor containing Excel, and positioning uses points rather than pixel or cell counts. Do not assume those changes preserve hidden mode.

For requested side-by-side work:

window(action: 'show', workbook_session_id: sessionId)
window(action: 'arrange', workbook_session_id: sessionId, preset: 'right-half')

excelcli -q window show --session $sessionId
excelcli -q window arrange --session $sessionId --preset right-half

Visible work needs no extra charts or formatting. Optional status text should be cleared after success or failure. Do not tell a user to inspect a hidden window. Screenshots can bring Excel forward and need an interactive desktop.

Close only when authorized and active work has finished. Keep intended edits through explicit saving; see session recovery.