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Tool Preview & Undo

X21’s preview and undo system lets you safely review and control Excel operations before they’re permanently applied.

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Tool Lifecycle

When the AI proposes an operation, it goes through these states: 
Pending → Viewing → Approved → Applied
                        ↓
                    Reverted

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Tool States

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Pending

  • What it means: AI has proposed the operation
  • What you see: Gray badge, “Pending Approval”
  • Available actions: View, Approve, Reject

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Viewing

  • What it means: Changes applied temporarily for preview
  • What you see: Blue badge, changes visible in Excel
  • Available actions: Apply (confirm), Revert (undo preview)

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Approved

  • What it means: You’ve approved, ready to execute
  • What you see: Green badge, “Approved”
  • Available actions: Apply, Revert

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Applied

  • What it means: Changes committed to workbook
  • What you see: Green checkmark, “Completed”
  • Available actions: Revert (undo the operation)

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Reverted

  • What it means: Changes undone, back to original state
  • What you see: Yellow badge, “Reverted”
  • Available actions: Apply (re-apply the changes)

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Errored

  • What it means: Operation failed
  • What you see: Red badge, error message
  • Available actions: View error details, dismiss

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Preview (View) Feature

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How to Preview

  1. Find the pending tool card
  2. Click View button
  3. Changes apply temporarily to Excel
  4. Review the results
  5. Click Apply to keep or Revert to undo

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What Gets Previewed

write_values: 
Before: A1 = 100
Preview: A1 = 150 (highlighted)
write_format: 
Before: Plain text
Preview: Bold with gray background
Structural changes: 
Before: 10 rows
Preview: 13 rows (3 inserted, highlighted)

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Preview Safety

  • Preview changes are temporary
  • Closing Excel reverts preview
  • Other users don’t see preview
  • Undo stack remains intact

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Apply vs Revert

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Apply

Commits the changes permanently: 
[View] → [Apply]
Changes become part of workbook history
Undo (Ctrl+Z) now available in Excel

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Revert

Undoes the operation: 
[View] → [Revert]
Returns to state before tool execution
Removes from Excel undo stack

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Undo Operations

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After Application

Even after applying, you can still revert:
  1. Find the tool card (now shows “Completed”)
  2. Click Revert button
  3. Changes are undone
  4. Original state restored

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Revert vs Excel Undo

X21 Revert:
  • Undoes specific tool operation
  • Preserves other changes
  • Works across sessions
  • Tracked by X21
Excel Undo (Ctrl+Z):
  • Undoes last action in Excel
  • Sequential only
  • Cleared on workbook close
  • Built into Excel
Recommendation: Use X21 Revert for tool operations, Excel Undo for manual edits.

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Batch Operations

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Multiple Tools

When the AI proposes multiple operations: 
Tool 1: write_values (Pending)
Tool 2: write_format (Pending)
Tool 3: add_rows (Pending)

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Preview All

Click View on each tool separately to preview:
  • Tools execute in order
  • Each preview builds on the previous
  • Review cumulative effect

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Approve All

Click Approve All to:
  • Approve all pending tools
  • Execute in sequence
  • Apply all changes

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Advanced Features

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Reapply After Revert

You can revert and reapply multiple times: 
Apply → Revert → Apply → Revert → Apply
Useful for:
  • A/B testing different approaches
  • Showing before/after to colleagues
  • Experimenting with changes

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Selective Undo

Revert specific operations while keeping others: 
✓ Operation 1: Keep (Applied)
↩ Operation 2: Undo (Reverted)
✓ Operation 3: Keep (Applied)

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Best Practices

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Always Preview First

For important data:
  1. View before approving
  2. Verify results in Excel
  3. Check formulas, values, formatting
  4. Only then Apply

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Test with Copies

For risky operations:
  1. Copy worksheet first
  2. Test on copy
  3. Review results
  4. Apply to original if correct

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Use Revert Liberally

Don’t hesitate to revert:
  • Revert is instant and safe
  • Better to undo than keep mistakes
  • You can always reapply

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Document Complex Changes

For multi-step operations:
  1. Preview each step
  2. Take screenshots if needed
  3. Document what changed
  4. Easier to troubleshoot later

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Common Scenarios

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Scenario 1: Wrong Formula

1. AI proposes: =SUM(A1:A10)
2. You View: Results look wrong
3. You Revert: Back to original
4. You clarify: "Actually sum A1:A100"
5. AI proposes corrected formula
6. You View then Apply

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Scenario 2: Format Experiment

1. View different color schemes
2. Revert after each preview
3. Compare options
4. Apply preferred format

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Scenario 3: Structural Change

1. AI proposes: Insert 5 rows
2. You View: Position looks wrong
3. You Revert: Undo insertion
4. You clarify: "Insert before row 3, not row 5"
5. View then Apply when correct

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Limitations

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What Can’t Be Reverted

Some operations are permanent:
  • remove_sheets: Deleted sheets cannot be restored
  • remove_rows/remove_columns: Data permanently deleted
  • VBA operations: Code changes committed immediately
For these: X21 warns you and requires explicit approval.

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Revert Time Limits

  • Reverts work within the current session
  • After closing Excel, revert history may be lost
  • Important changes should be documented

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Troubleshooting

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Revert Button Disabled

Cause: Operation not yet applied or already reverted Solution: Check tool state badge

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Changes Not Reverting

Cause: Excel has other unsaved changes Solution: Save workbook first, then revert

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Preview Not Visible

Cause: Changes in different sheet or scroll position Solution: Navigate to target range (click range reference in tool card)