feat: Inline preview for spreadsheet attachments (.xlsx / .csv)
Author: chenniannian90Created Sep 17, 2026Updated Sep 17, 2026
Labelsenhancementeditor
Feature request: inline preview for spreadsheet attachments
Is your feature request related to a problem?
When a user attaches a .xlsx (or .csv) file to a document it renders as a
plain attachment widget (file icon + name + size). There is no way to view the
spreadsheet content without downloading the file and opening it in a separate
app.
Only PDF attachments currently support an inline preview
(shared/editor/nodes/Attachment.tsx renders a PdfViewer when preview is
set), so spreadsheet support is a natural extension of that path.
I searched existing issues (excel, xlsx, spreadsheet, csv preview) and could not find a duplicate feature request.
Describe the solution you'd like
- Uploading/dragging an
.xlsx(and ideally.csv) file should offer an inline preview of the sheet content, similar to the existing PDF preview. - Rendering should happen client-side (e.g. SheetJS / exceljs) so it works in fully offline / intranet deployments and does not depend on an external service such as the Microsoft Office online viewer.
- The preview should degrade gracefully back to the current attachment widget on failure or for other office formats.
Describe alternatives you've considered
- Microsoft Office online viewer iframe (
view.officeapps.live.com) — rejected because it requires external network access, which self-hosted / intranet installs do not have. - Pasting cells as a native table — works for manual data but not for files already attached to a document.
Additional context
- Extend the
previewattribute path already used by PDF attachments. - A custom node or plugin (see the
plugins/directory) could host this to keep the core small. - Happy to submit a PR if the approach is agreed.
Source: outline/outline