Data Mode & Spreadsheet

Intermediate · 8 min read · By Chitmunk Team · Updated Oct 18, 2026

Overview

Your card list is a spreadsheet, whether or not you call it one. The Data tab is a spreadsheet editor built into Chitmunk. You edit your card list next to a live preview of the card, so you never switch between a spreadsheet app and the editor. Every row becomes one card, and every change you make shows on the preview straight away.

Opening the Data Tab

Click Data in the stage tabs at the top of the editor. The spreadsheet fills the page, and a live preview of the card sits on the right. Click Design (or Edit this card under the preview) to go back to designing. Your data is kept as you switch.

A new game starts with no card list. The tab says No card list yet and offers three ways in:

• Bring in my spreadsheet: opens the same menu as Data source, with a CSV or Excel file, Google Sheets, or Excel on OneDrive. You can also drop a spreadsheet file onto the tab.
• Type my cards here: starts a blank table you fill in yourself.
• Or try a sample deck: fills the table with example cards.

The Two Sides

• Spreadsheet: all your columns and rows. A line above it says where the list came from and how many cards and fields it has, for example "36 cards from Google Sheet". If your game has more than one deck, a list on the left switches between them.
• Live card (right): the card for the selected row, with a note such as "Row 3 of 36 becomes this card. 4 of 5 columns are on the card (green dots)." Text links, show-or-hide rules and linked pictures all apply. The preview is for looking; use Edit this card to change the design.

Editing Cells

• Click a cell to select its row and show that card on the right.
• Double-click a cell to type in it.
• Enter saves the change and moves down to the next row.
• Tab saves and moves right (Shift+Tab moves left).
• Esc cancels and restores the old value.

Changes appear on the live card as you go. For a large list, More has Sort, search and page, a read-only view for big lists, and Back to editing returns you to the editable table.

Adding Rows and Columns

• Add a row adds one more card to the list.
• Add a column asks what to call it (for example "Attack"), then adds that column to every card with an empty value.

Column names are the names you link to on the card. Name them clearly: "Attack" is easier to work with than "atk_val_1". If a list has no columns yet, add a column first, then rows.

Renaming and Deleting

• Rename a column: right-click its header and choose Rename column. Text on the card that is linked to the old name follows the new one.
• Delete a column: right-click its header and choose Delete column, or open More and choose Delete a column…. It disappears from every row.
• Delete a row: select the row, open More, and choose Delete the selected row. Chitmunk asks first, and the last row cannot be deleted.

The Rest of the Toolbar

• Refresh from source: appears when the list is linked to a Google Sheet or Excel workbook, and pulls in the latest rows. See Google Sheets and Excel links.
• Download as spreadsheet: saves the table as a CSV file.
• Map columns: choose which column fills each part of the card. It needs a text box on the card first.
• More: Import images in bulk (match a folder of pictures to your rows), Check the columns (finds {{fields}} on the card with no column behind them), and Download a blank template.
• Save table: saves your game now. Chitmunk also saves as you work.

Link the Card to Your Columns

Back on the Design tab, a From your spreadsheet group under Text in the Add panel lists your columns. Select a text box and click a field to link it, or drop a field onto the card. A linked box shows {{Column Name}} and fills in with each row's value. Show-or-hide rules and picture links react to the selected row too, so you can test them by editing a cell and watching the preview. See CSV Data Merge and Conditional Logic.

Tips

• Design one card, fill in a few test rows, and look at each on the live card before you type the whole list.
• Test show-or-hide rules by editing the relevant cell and watching the preview.
• For hundreds of cards, bring in a spreadsheet or link a Google Sheet instead of typing.