Basic concepts

Learn the plugins, snapshots, commands, and Facade API used by Univer Sheets. Continue to installation and basic usage for a working editor.

Basic Concepts

Before diving deeper into Univer, please read this document to understand the basic concepts of Univer, which will help you use Univer more smoothly.

The basic concepts include:

• Plugin
• Snapshot
• Command
• Facade API

Plugins

All of Univer's features are provided by plugins, which are the basic building blocks of Univer. Multiple plugins combined together form a Univer application.

The responsibilities of plugins include:

1. Implementing features, such as @univerjs/sheets-filter provides filtering functionality.
2. Providing some basic capabilities, such as @univerjs/engine-render provides rendering capabilities.

You can combine Univer's plugins to customize a Univer application that meets your requirements and avoid loading unnecessary code. You can also extend Univer's functionality by writing plugins to meet personalized needs.

Related Links

1. Write a CSV import plugin to learn how to write a plugin.
2. Univer Architecture to learn more about Univer's architecture design.

Snapshot

You need to load a snapshot in Univer to load a document. Each type of document provides its own snapshot format. Please refer to the above API documentation to learn how to write a snapshot that meets the format requirements:

1. The snapshot format of a spreadsheet is IWorkbookData.
2. The snapshot format of a document is IDocumentData.

Functional plugins can store resources, such as images, etc., through the resources field. For more information, see Plugin Custom Model.

Command

In Univer, all data modifications need to be executed through commands. The command-based approach can better track changes in values, implement functions such as undo, redo, and collaborative editing, handle complex associated logic between functions, etc.

If you want to modify document data through commands, please refer to How to Find Command ID. If you choose to modify document data through the Facade API, the Facade API will actually prepare parameters for you and execute commands behind the scenes.

Facade API

Due to the high complexity of office applications, Univer's architecture is also very complex. To make it easier for developers to use Univer, we provide the Facade API, which is a wrapper for Univer's first-party plugins, providing simpler interfaces that make it easier for developers to use Univer.

The Facade API is actively being improved. If you have any questions or requirements, please submit an issue on GitHub.

The Facade API is a high-level API that abstracts the underlying details. While it simplifies common tasks, complex features may require understanding Univer's architecture and using the low-level API directly.

Related Links

1. Using Facade API
2. General API
3. Univer Sheets API

Preset mode and plugin mode

A preset bundles preconfigured plugins. Both modes expose the same capabilities when they include the same plugins. Use presets for a simpler setup and plugin mode for explicit control over composition and loading.