Microsoft Excel receives new features fairly regularly across all platforms. Recently, it netted some enhancements to the automatic data conversion behavior on Windows and Mac, and now, the Redmond tech firm has announced a range of new capabilities for Excel for the Web, which should make formula authoring more convenient and efficient.

In a blog post, Microsoft has outlined three enhancements that are now available for Excel for the Web, which can be accessed for free online. First up is the Insert Function dialog box which basically enables users to select a formula like SUM, AVERAGE, SUBTOTAL, and more through a drop-down and then fill in the relevant arguments. As you fill in fields even with cell references, you'll get previews of the actual values as well the result before you even apply the formula. It's a nifty enhancement for those who don't like manually writing out potentially complex formulas. You can leverage it through the Formulas > Insert Function menu.

Next, we have Parentheses Coupling, which highlights pairs of parentheses as you move your cursor across a formula. This should improve readability and make it easier to identify the associated scope of a function. The third feature is fairly simple but improves readability too, it comes in the form of Monospaced Font. As the name suggests, a fixed-width font is offered in the formula editing mode.

Finally, there's a new feature called Value Preview specifically for Windows customers too. If you highlight any part of a formula, you'll be able to see the resultant value, which makes it easier to debug lengthy and complex calculations. And as always, Microsoft does welcome feedback for Excel, so if you have anything particular in mind regarding the new capabilities, you can reach out to the firm directly via the Help > Feedback menu item.