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IPython's notebook source code, and various code samples, suggest that a notebook can consist of several "worksheets". What does a worksheet look like, and how do I create them or switch between them? I see nothing in the browser interface that would allow me to create a second worksheet.

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alexis
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1 Answers1

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According to IPEP 17 (link), multiple worksheets on a single notebook will be deprecated, and a UI to handle them never existed either. Before, as in your link, the format of the notebook was 

notebook["worksheets"]["cells"]

but it will soon be simply

notebook["cells"]

IPEP 17 is however an active IPEP, so changes may still occur at this stage (it is not accepted or implemented yet, see this list of IPEPs and their status)

EDIT: as a personal comment, having multiple worksheets like in Microsoft Excel may look like a nice idea, but you would often end up having many race conditions between sheets, with one cell of a worksheet depending on the output of a cell in another worksheet, often not in a self-evident way. And a scenario where many worksheets do not depend on each other is as good as a directory with as many notebooks.

gg349
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  • Thanks for the information. The IPEP says clearly "we never intend to support the multiple worksheet model". I was looking at them not as an Excel analogue, but as a way to tie notebooks together as sections of a larger work. (Putting them in a folder does not give you an interface for viewing them in order; you need to drop out to the directory browser). – alexis May 14 '14 at 22:39
  • I am dealing with the problem described in the answer exactly. I wish to separate a large and hard to understand process into simpler parts. However, each part depends on some of the previous results (outputs) It is hard to document clearly and maintain simply. Also, it is hard to run several notebooks in an organized and transparent manner. – AturSams Jun 21 '22 at 10:07