Alternating (banded) colors
A repeating header/odd/even/footer fill pattern, applied over a range from the Format ▸ Alternating colors panel, colors the range immediately and keeps coloring it correctly as rows are inserted or deleted inside it. The panel previews every field edit on the grid immediately, before Done — Done only finalizes it as one undoable command, and Cancel discards the live preview entirely with no trace.
What it does
Select a range and open Format ▸ Alternating colors to give it a repeating fill pattern, the way Google Sheets does — a distinct header color on the range's own first row (on by default), two colors that alternate down every row after it, and an optional distinct footer color on the range's own last row. Turn Header or Footer off to fold that row back into the ordinary alternation. Every change colors the range on the sheet immediately, exactly like real Google Sheets — Done doesn't "apply" anything, it just closes the panel; Cancel (or Escape, an outside click, or the panel's own close button) discards the live preview entirely, with no trace left behind.
The banding is live: insert or delete rows inside the range and it re-colors correctly from the range's own current top — the header stays pinned to whichever row is now first, and the alternation restarts from there, never from a stale original row position. An explicit cell fill you set yourself (Format ▸ Fill color) always shows through the band rather than being hidden by it, and a conditional-format rule's highlight always wins over both — it exists specifically to call out exceptional cells.
Verified behavior
Matches Google Sheets: Google Sheets' Format ▸ Alternating colors opens a right-docked panel with preset style swatches plus custom color pickers: a Header checkbox + color (defaults on), two required band colors that alternate down the range, and a Footer checkbox + color (defaults off). The header row (the range's own top row) and footer row (its own bottom row), when their checkboxes are on, always render in their own distinct color rather than joining the alternation; every other row alternates the two band colors starting from the first row after the header. Inserting or deleting rows inside the range re-derives the banding from the range's own current top, so the header/footer stay pinned to the range's top/bottom row and the alternation stays correct rather than tracking stale original row positions. The panel previews every field edit live on the grid, the same way every other Sheets format side panel does — Done just closes the panel, it is not an apply gate, and Cancel discards whatever was previewed with no trace left behind. (The live oracle session for this feature could not complete — see the oracle's own "Session method" section — so the panel's exact preset swatches, default hex colors, and precise Format-menu position are Studio's own considered choices, not pixel-matched against a live session.)
Opening Format > Alternating colors shows the panel
Given
When I select A1:A5, then click menu item format.alternatingColors
Then
[data-testid="alternating-colors-dialog"]is visible[data-testid="alternating-colors-header"]is visible[data-testid="alternating-colors-footer"]is visible
Applying the default banding colors the header row and alternates the rest
Given
When I select A1:A5, then click menu item format.alternatingColors, then click alternating-colors-done
Then
- A1 renders as fill=#d9d9d9
- A2 renders as fill=#ffffff
- A3 renders as fill=#f3f3f3
- A4 renders as fill=#ffffff
Turning the header checkbox OFF lets the first row join the ordinary alternation instead
Given
When I select A1:A5, then click menu item format.alternatingColors, then click alternating-colors-header, then click alternating-colors-done
Then
- A1 renders as fill=#ffffff
- A2 renders as fill=#f3f3f3
Turning the footer checkbox ON colors the range's own last row distinctly
Given
When I select A1:A5, then click menu item format.alternatingColors, then click alternating-colors-footer, then click alternating-colors-done
Then
- A5 renders as fill=#d9d9d9
Editing a band color previews it LIVE on the grid, BEFORE Done is clicked
Given
When I select A1:A3, then click menu item format.alternatingColors, then fill alternating-colors-first with #ff0000
Then
- A2 renders as fill=#ff0000
Cancel discards the live-previewed banding entirely — the grid returns to its pre-panel state
Given
When I select A1:A3, then click menu item format.alternatingColors, then click alternating-colors-cancel
Then
- A1 renders as fill=false
An explicit cell fill always shows through the band
Given
When I click A1, then click menu item format.fillColor, then select A1:A5, then click menu item format.alternatingColors, then click alternating-colors-done
Then
- A1 renders as fill=#fff2cc
A dense category axis stays readable
A chart whose categories are packed tighter than their labels are wide does not draw them on top of each other. The category axis climbs a ladder measured against the room it actually has — slant the labels to 45°, then stand them up at 90°, then drop to every Nth label — and cuts a label with an ellipsis rather than let the label band eat the plot. A band axis on the vertical side thins the same way but is never rotated; its gutter grows instead.
Autofill a series by dragging the fill handle
Dragging the small square at the bottom-right of a selection down or right extends a detected pattern — a lone number or date increments by one step, two-or-more numbers/dates continue their observed step, a recognized weekday or month name advances through its list, and a formula's references shift exactly like a copy. Anything that isn't a recognized pattern repeats as a cycle, which is exactly a plain repeat for a single-cell source.