diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index ed086a748..9b5133291 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 * It's now possible to pass array formula vectors to `wb_add_formula()`.
 
+* `wb_add_data_table()` gained a new `total_row` argument. This allows to add a total row to spreadsheets including text and spreadsheet formulas.
+
 ## Fixes
 
 * Export `wb_add_ignore_error()`. [955](https://github.com/JanMarvin/openxlsx2/pull/955)
diff --git a/R/class-workbook-wrappers.R b/R/class-workbook-wrappers.R
index 319219a87..773768756 100644
--- a/R/class-workbook-wrappers.R
+++ b/R/class-workbook-wrappers.R
@@ -260,10 +260,31 @@ wb_add_data <- function(
 #' @param last_column logical. If `TRUE`, the last column is bold.
 #' @param banded_rows logical. If `TRUE`, rows are color banded.
 #' @param banded_cols logical. If `TRUE`, the columns are color banded.
+#' @param total_row logical. With the default `FALSE` no total row is added.
 #' @param ... additional arguments
 #'
+#' @details # Modify total row argument
+#' It is possible to further tweak the total row. In addition to the default
+#' `FALSE` possible values are `TRUE` (the xlsx file will create column sums
+#' each variable).
+#'
+#' In addition it is possible to tweak this further using a character string
+#' with one of the following functions for each variable: `"average"`,
+#' `"count"`, `"countNums"`, `"max"`, `"min"`, `"stdDev"`, `"sum"`, `"var"`.
+#' It is possible to leave the cell empty `"none"` or to create a text input
+#' using a named character with name `text` like: `c(text = "Total")`.
+#' It's also possible to pass other spreadsheet software functions if they
+#' return a single value and hence `"SUM"` would work too.
+#'
 #' @family worksheet content functions
 #' @family workbook wrappers
+#' @examples
+#' wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$
+#'   add_data_table(
+#'     x = as.data.frame(USPersonalExpenditure),
+#'     row_names = TRUE,
+#'     total_row = c(text = "Total", "none", "sum", "sum", "sum", "SUM")
+#'   )
 #' @export
 wb_add_data_table <- function(
     wb,
@@ -286,6 +307,7 @@ wb_add_data_table <- function(
     remove_cell_style = FALSE,
     na.strings        = na_strings(),
     inline_strings    = TRUE,
+    total_row        = FALSE,
     ...
 ) {
   assert_workbook(wb)
@@ -309,6 +331,7 @@ wb_add_data_table <- function(
     remove_cell_style = remove_cell_style,
     na.strings        = na.strings,
     inline_strings    = inline_strings,
+    total_row        = total_row,
     ...               = ...
   )
 }
@@ -530,7 +553,7 @@ wb_add_slicer <- function(
 #' cells (see the `MMULT()` example below). For this type of formula, the
 #' output range must be known a priori and passed to `dims`, otherwise only the
 #' value of the first cell will be returned. This type of formula, whose result
-#' extends over several cells, is only possible with scalar values. If a vector
+#' extends over several cells, is only possible with single strings. If a vector
 #' is passed, it is only possible to return individual cells.
 #'
 #' @param wb A Workbook object containing a worksheet.
diff --git a/R/class-workbook.R b/R/class-workbook.R
index d90126826..bed945f2e 100644
--- a/R/class-workbook.R
+++ b/R/class-workbook.R
@@ -1339,6 +1339,7 @@ wbWorkbook <- R6::R6Class(
     #' @param na.strings Value used for replacing `NA` values from `x`. Default
     #'   `na_strings()` uses the special `#N/A` value within the workbook.
     #' @param inline_strings write characters as inline strings
+    #' @param total_row write total rows to table
     #' @param ... additional arguments
     #' @return The `wbWorkbook` object
     add_data_table = function(
@@ -1361,6 +1362,7 @@ wbWorkbook <- R6::R6Class(
         remove_cell_style = FALSE,
         na.strings        = na_strings(),
         inline_strings    = TRUE,
+        total_row         = FALSE,
         ...
     ) {
 
@@ -1394,7 +1396,8 @@ wbWorkbook <- R6::R6Class(
         applyCellStyle  = apply_cell_style,
         removeCellStyle = remove_cell_style,
         na.strings      = na.strings,
-        inline_strings  = inline_strings
+        inline_strings  = inline_strings,
+        total_row       = total_row
       )
       invisible(self)
     },
@@ -2754,23 +2757,25 @@ wbWorkbook <- R6::R6Class(
     #' @param tableName tableName
     #' @param withFilter withFilter
     #' @param totalsRowCount totalsRowCount
+    #' @param totalLabel totalLabel
     #' @param showFirstColumn showFirstColumn
     #' @param showLastColumn showLastColumn
     #' @param showRowStripes showRowStripes
     #' @param showColumnStripes showColumnStripes
     #' @return The `wbWorksheet` object, invisibly
     buildTable = function(
-      sheet = current_sheet(),
+      sheet             = current_sheet(),
       colNames,
       ref,
       showColNames,
       tableStyle,
       tableName,
-      withFilter, # TODO set default for withFilter?
-      totalsRowCount = 0,
-      showFirstColumn = 0,
-      showLastColumn = 0,
-      showRowStripes = 1,
+      withFilter        = TRUE,
+      totalsRowCount    = 0,
+      totalLabel        = FALSE,
+      showFirstColumn   = 0,
+      showLastColumn    = 0,
+      showRowStripes    = 1,
       showColumnStripes = 0
     ) {
 
@@ -2799,32 +2804,65 @@ wbWorkbook <- R6::R6Class(
       }
 
       if (is.null(self$tables)) {
-        nms <- NULL
+        nms     <- NULL
         tSheets <- NULL
-        tNames <- NULL
+        tNames  <- NULL
         tActive <- NULL
       } else {
-        nms <- self$tables$tab_ref
+        nms     <- self$tables$tab_ref
         tSheets <- self$tables$tab_sheet
-        tNames <- self$tables$tab_name
+        tNames  <- self$tables$tab_name
         tActive <- self$tables$tab_act
       }
 
 
       ### autofilter
       autofilter <- if (withFilter) {
-        xml_node_create(xml_name = "autoFilter", xml_attributes = c(ref = ref))
+        if (!isFALSE(totalsRowCount)) {
+          # exclude total row from filter
+          rowcol         <- dims_to_rowcol(ref)
+          autofilter_ref <- rowcol_to_dims(as.integer(rowcol[[2]])[-length(rowcol[[2]])], rowcol[[1]])
+        } else {
+          autofilter_ref <- ref
+        }
+        xml_node_create(xml_name = "autoFilter", xml_attributes = c(ref = autofilter_ref))
+      }
+
+      trf <- NULL
+      has_total_row <- FALSE
+      has_total_lbl <- FALSE
+      if (!isFALSE(totalsRowCount)) {
+        trf <- totalsRowCount
+        has_total_row <- TRUE
+
+        if (length(totalLabel) == length(colNames)) {
+          lbl <- totalLabel
+          has_total_lbl <- all(is.na(totalLabel))
+        } else {
+          lbl <- rep(NA_character_, length(colNames))
+          has_total_lbl <- FALSE
+        }
       }
 
       ### tableColumn
       tableColumn <- sapply(colNames, function(x) {
         id <- which(colNames %in% x)
-        xml_node_create("tableColumn", xml_attributes = c(id = id, name = x))
+        trf_id <- if (has_total_row) trf[[id]] else NULL
+        lbl_id <- if (has_total_lbl && !is.na(lbl[[id]])) lbl[[id]] else NULL
+        xml_node_create(
+          "tableColumn",
+          xml_attributes = c(
+            id                = id,
+            name              = x,
+            totalsRowFunction = trf_id,
+            totalsRowLabel    = lbl_id
+          )
+        )
       })
 
       tableColumns <- xml_node_create(
-        xml_name = "tableColumns",
-        xml_children = tableColumn,
+        xml_name       = "tableColumns",
+        xml_children   = tableColumn,
         xml_attributes = c(count = as.character(length(colNames)))
       )
 
@@ -2849,8 +2887,8 @@ wbWorkbook <- R6::R6Class(
         name           = tableName,
         displayName    = tableName,
         ref            = ref,
-        totalsRowCount = totalsRowCount,
-        totalsRowShown = "0"
+        totalsRowCount = as_xml_attr(has_total_row),
+        totalsRowShown = as_xml_attr(has_total_row)
         #headerRowDxfId="1"
       )
 
diff --git a/R/helper-functions.R b/R/helper-functions.R
index 0ef42864a..deb6b93e2 100644
--- a/R/helper-functions.R
+++ b/R/helper-functions.R
@@ -976,3 +976,94 @@ clone_shared_strings <- function(wb_old, old, wb_new, new) {
   # print(sprintf("cloned: %s", length(new_ids)))
 
 }
+
+known_subtotal_funs <- function(x, total, table, row_names = FALSE) {
+
+  # unfortunately x has no row names at this point
+  ncol_x <- ncol(x) + row_names
+  nms_x <- names(x)
+  if (row_names) nms_x <- c("_rowNames_", nms_x)
+
+  fml <- vector("character", ncol_x)
+  atr <- vector("character", ncol_x)
+  lbl <- rep(NA_character_, ncol_x)
+
+  if (isTRUE(total) || all(as.character(total) == "109") || all(total == "sum")) {
+    fml <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(109,", table, "[", names(x), "])")
+    atr <- rep("sum", ncol_x)
+  } else {
+
+    # all get the same total_row value
+    if (length(total) == 1) {
+      total <- rep(total, ncol_x)
+    }
+
+    if (length(total) != ncol_x) {
+      stop("length of total_row and table columns do not match", call. = FALSE)
+    }
+
+    builtinIds <- c("101", "103", "102", "104", "105", "107", "109", "110")
+    builtins   <- c("average", "count", "countNums", "max", "min", "stdDev", "sum", "var")
+
+    ttl <- as.character(total)
+
+    for (i in seq_len(ncol_x)) {
+
+      if (any(names(total)[i] == "") && (ttl[i] %in% builtinIds || ttl[i] %in% builtins)) {
+        if (ttl[i] == "101" || ttl[i] == "average") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 101, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "average"
+        } else if (ttl[i] == "102" || ttl[i] == "countNums") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 102, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "countNums"
+        } else if (ttl[i] == "103" || ttl[i] == "count") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 103, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "count"
+        } else if (ttl[i] == "104" || ttl[i] == "max") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 104, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "max"
+        } else if (ttl[i] == "105" || ttl[i] == "min") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 105, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "min"
+        } else if (ttl[i] == "107" || ttl[i] == "stdDev") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 107, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "stdDev"
+        } else if (ttl[i] == "109" || ttl[i] == "sum") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 109, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "sum"
+        } else if (ttl[i] == "110" || ttl[i] == "var") {
+          fml[i] <- paste0("SUBTOTAL(", 110, ",", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+          atr[i] <- "var"
+        }
+
+      } else if (ttl[i] == "0" || ttl[i] == "none") {
+        fml[i] <- ""
+        atr[i] <- "none"
+      } else if (any(names(total)[i] == "text")) {
+        fml[i] <- as_xml_attr(ttl[i])
+        atr[i] <- ""
+        lbl[i] <- as_xml_attr(ttl[i])
+      } else {
+        # works, but in excel the formula is added to tables.xml as a child to the column
+        fml[i] <- paste0(ttl[i], "(", table, "[", nms_x[i], "])")
+        atr[i] <- "custom"
+      }
+
+    }
+
+  }
+
+  # prepare output
+  fml <- as.data.frame(t(fml))
+  names(fml) <- nms_x
+  names(atr) <- nms_x
+  names(lbl) <- nms_x
+
+  # prepare output to be written with formulas
+  for (i in seq_along(fml)) {
+    if (is.na(lbl[[i]])) class(fml[[i]]) <- c("formula", fml[[i]])
+  }
+
+  list(fml, atr, lbl)
+
+}
diff --git a/R/write.R b/R/write.R
index 85291a068..10521d60e 100644
--- a/R/write.R
+++ b/R/write.R
@@ -725,6 +725,7 @@ write_data2 <- function(
 #' @param na.strings Value used for replacing `NA` values from `x`. Default
 #'   `na_strings()` uses the special `#N/A` value within the workbook.
 #' @param inline_strings optional write strings as inline strings
+#' @param total_row optional write total rows
 #' @noRd
 #' @keywords internal
 write_data_table <- function(
@@ -750,7 +751,8 @@ write_data_table <- function(
     removeCellStyle = FALSE,
     data_table      = FALSE,
     na.strings      = na_strings(),
-    inline_strings  = TRUE
+    inline_strings  = TRUE,
+    total_row       = FALSE
 ) {
 
   ## Input validating
@@ -873,10 +875,10 @@ write_data_table <- function(
 
       wb$worksheets[[sheet]]$autoFilter <- sprintf('<autoFilter ref="%s"/>', ref)
 
-      l <- int2col(unlist(coords[, 2]))
+      l   <- int2col(unlist(coords[, 2]))
       dfn <- sprintf("'%s'!%s", wb$get_sheet_names(escape = TRUE)[sheet], stri_join("$", l, "$", coords[, 1], collapse = ":"))
 
-      dn <- sprintf('<definedName name="_xlnm._FilterDatabase" localSheetId="%s" hidden="1">%s</definedName>', sheet - 1L, dfn)
+      dn  <- sprintf('<definedName name="_xlnm._FilterDatabase" localSheetId="%s" hidden="1">%s</definedName>', sheet - 1L, dfn)
 
       if (!is.null(wbdn <- wb$get_named_regions())) {
 
@@ -897,40 +899,40 @@ write_data_table <- function(
   ### End: Only in data --------------------------------------------------------
 
   if (data_table) {
-    overwrite_nrows <- 1L
+    overwrite_nrows     <- 1L
     check_tab_head_only <- FALSE
-    error_msg <- "Cannot overwrite existing table with another table"
+    error_msg           <- "Cannot overwrite existing table with another table"
   } else {
-    overwrite_nrows <- colNames
+    overwrite_nrows     <- colNames
     check_tab_head_only <- TRUE
-    error_msg <- "Cannot overwrite table headers. Avoid writing over the header row or see wb_get_tables() & wb_remove_tabless() to remove the table object."
+    error_msg           <- "Cannot overwrite table headers. Avoid writing over the header row or see wb_get_tables() & wb_remove_tabless() to remove the table object."
   }
 
   ## Check not overwriting existing table headers
   wb_check_overwrite_tables(
-    wb = wb,
-    sheet = sheet,
-    new_rows = c(startRow, startRow + nRow - 1L + overwrite_nrows),
-    new_cols = c(startCol, startCol + nCol - 1L),
+    wb                      = wb,
+    sheet                   = sheet,
+    new_rows                = c(startRow, startRow + nRow - 1L + overwrite_nrows),
+    new_cols                = c(startCol, startCol + nCol - 1L),
     check_table_header_only = check_tab_head_only,
-    error_msg = error_msg
+    error_msg               = error_msg
   )
 
   ## actual driver, the rest should not create data used for writing
   wb <- write_data2(
-    wb =  wb,
-    sheet = sheet,
-    data = x,
-    name = name,
-    colNames = colNames,
-    rowNames = rowNames,
-    startRow = startRow,
-    startCol = startCol,
-    applyCellStyle = applyCellStyle,
+    wb              =  wb,
+    sheet           = sheet,
+    data            = x,
+    name            = name,
+    colNames        = colNames,
+    rowNames        = rowNames,
+    startRow        = startRow,
+    startCol        = startCol,
+    applyCellStyle  = applyCellStyle,
     removeCellStyle = removeCellStyle,
-    na.strings = na.strings,
-    data_table = data_table,
-    inline_strings = inline_strings
+    na.strings      = na.strings,
+    data_table      = data_table,
+    inline_strings  = inline_strings
   )
 
   ### Beg: Only in datatable ---------------------------------------------------
@@ -950,6 +952,39 @@ write_data_table <- function(
       tableName <- wb_validate_table_name(wb, tableName)
     }
 
+    ## write total rows column. this is a formula and needs to be written separately
+    total_fml <- FALSE
+    total_lbl <- FALSE
+    if (!isFALSE(total_row)) {
+
+      total <- known_subtotal_funs(
+        x         = x,
+        total     = total_row,
+        table     = tableName,
+        row_names = rowNames
+      )
+
+      total_row <- total[[1]]
+      total_fml <- total[[2]]
+      total_lbl <- total[[3]]
+
+      wb <- write_data2(
+        wb              = wb,
+        sheet           = sheet,
+        data            = total_row,
+        name            = name,
+        colNames        = FALSE,
+        rowNames        = FALSE,
+        startRow        = startRow + nrow(x),
+        startCol        = startCol,
+        applyCellStyle  = applyCellStyle,
+        removeCellStyle = removeCellStyle,
+        na.strings      = na.strings,
+        data_table      = data_table,
+        inline_strings  = inline_strings
+      )
+    }
+
     ## If 0 rows append a blank row
     cstm_tableStyles <- wb$styles_mgr$tableStyle$name
     validNames <- c("none", paste0("TableStyleLight", seq_len(21)), paste0("TableStyleMedium", seq_len(28)), paste0("TableStyleDark", seq_len(11)), cstm_tableStyles)
@@ -972,21 +1007,22 @@ write_data_table <- function(
 
     ref1 <- paste0(int2col(startCol), startRow)
     ref2 <- paste0(int2col(startCol + nCol - !rowNames), startRow + nRow)
-    ref <- paste(ref1, ref2, sep = ":")
+    ref  <- paste(ref1, ref2, sep = ":")
 
     ## create table.xml and assign an id to worksheet tables
     wb$buildTable(
-      sheet = sheet,
-      colNames = col_names,
-      ref = ref,
-      showColNames = colNames,
-      tableStyle = tableStyle,
-      tableName = tableName,
-      withFilter = withFilter,
-      totalsRowCount = 0L,
-      showFirstColumn = firstColumn,
-      showLastColumn = lastColumn,
-      showRowStripes = bandedRows,
+      sheet             = sheet,
+      colNames          = col_names,
+      ref               = ref,
+      showColNames      = colNames,
+      tableStyle        = tableStyle,
+      tableName         = tableName,
+      totalLabel        = total_lbl,
+      withFilter        = withFilter,
+      totalsRowCount    = total_fml,
+      showFirstColumn   = firstColumn,
+      showLastColumn    = lastColumn,
+      showRowStripes    = bandedRows,
       showColumnStripes = bandedCols
     )
   }
@@ -1210,6 +1246,7 @@ write_datatable <- function(
     remove_cell_style = FALSE,
     na.strings        = na_strings(),
     inline_strings    = TRUE,
+    total_row         = FALSE,
     ...
 ) {
 
@@ -1238,6 +1275,7 @@ write_datatable <- function(
     applyCellStyle  = apply_cell_style,
     removeCellStyle = remove_cell_style,
     na.strings      = na.strings,
-    inline_strings  = inline_strings
+    inline_strings  = inline_strings,
+    total_row       = total_row
   )
 }
diff --git a/R/write_xlsx.R b/R/write_xlsx.R
index 08f2b52d2..ad2258314 100644
--- a/R/write_xlsx.R
+++ b/R/write_xlsx.R
@@ -6,12 +6,12 @@
 #' columns of `x` with class `Date` or `POSIXt` are automatically
 #' styled as dates and datetimes respectively.
 #'
-#' @param x An object or a list of objects that can be handled by [wb_add_data()] to write to file
-#' @param file An xlsx file name
+#' @param x An object or a list of objects that can be handled by [wb_add_data()] to write to file.
+#' @param file An optional xlsx file name. If no file is passed, the object is not written to disk and only a workbook object is returned.
 #' @param as_table If `TRUE`, will write as a data table, instead of data.
 #' @inheritDotParams wb_workbook creator
 #' @inheritDotParams wb_add_worksheet sheet grid_lines tab_color zoom
-#' @inheritDotParams wb_add_data_table start_col start_row col_names row_names na.strings
+#' @inheritDotParams wb_add_data_table start_col start_row col_names row_names na.strings total_row
 #' @inheritDotParams wb_add_data start_col start_row col_names row_names na.strings
 #' @inheritDotParams wb_freeze_pane first_active_row first_active_col first_row first_col
 #' @inheritDotParams wb_set_col_widths widths
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ write_xlsx <- function(x, file, as_table = FALSE, ...) {
   arguments <- c(ls(), "creator",  "sheet_name", "grid_lines",
     "tab_color", "tab_colour",
     "zoom", "header", "footer", "even_header", "even_footer", "first_header",
-    "first_footer", "start_col", "start_row",
+    "first_footer", "start_col", "start_row", "total_row",
     "col.names", "row.names", "col_names", "row_names", "table_style",
     "table_name", "with_filter", "first_active_row", "first_active_col",
     "first_row", "first_col", "col_widths", "na.strings",
@@ -259,6 +259,11 @@ write_xlsx <- function(x, file, as_table = FALSE, ...) {
     tableStyle <- params$table_style
   }
 
+  totalRow <- FALSE
+  if ("total_row" %in% names(params)) {
+    totalRow <- params$total_row
+  }
+
   na.strings <-
     if ("na.strings" %in% names(params)) {
       params$na.strings
@@ -356,7 +361,8 @@ write_xlsx <- function(x, file, as_table = FALSE, ...) {
         table_style = tableStyle[[i]],
         table_name  = NULL,
         with_filter = withFilter[[i]],
-        na.strings  = na.strings
+        na.strings  = na.strings,
+        total_row   = totalRow
       )
     } else {
       # TODO add_data()?
@@ -440,6 +446,8 @@ write_xlsx <- function(x, file, as_table = FALSE, ...) {
     }
   }
 
-  wb_save(wb, file = file, overwrite = overwrite)
+  if (!missing(file))
+    wb_save(wb, file = file, overwrite = overwrite)
+
   invisible(wb)
 }
diff --git a/inst/WORDLIST b/inst/WORDLIST
index f13c88334..7be0d7e35 100644
--- a/inst/WORDLIST
+++ b/inst/WORDLIST
@@ -195,6 +195,7 @@ posixt
 pre
 printTitleCols
 printTitleRows
+priori
 pugi
 pugixml
 queryTables
@@ -239,6 +240,7 @@ tableStyle
 tablename
 textLength
 th
+totalLabel
 totalRow
 totalsRowCount
 twoCell
diff --git a/man/wbWorkbook.Rd b/man/wbWorkbook.Rd
index 51c003d05..f3b826336 100644
--- a/man/wbWorkbook.Rd
+++ b/man/wbWorkbook.Rd
@@ -579,6 +579,7 @@ add a data table
   remove_cell_style = FALSE,
   na.strings = na_strings(),
   inline_strings = TRUE,
+  total_row = FALSE,
   ...
 )}\if{html}{\out{</div>}}
 }
@@ -625,6 +626,8 @@ add a data table
 
 \item{\code{inline_strings}}{write characters as inline strings}
 
+\item{\code{total_row}}{write total rows to table}
+
 \item{\code{...}}{additional arguments}
 }
 \if{html}{\out{</div>}}
@@ -972,8 +975,9 @@ Build table
   showColNames,
   tableStyle,
   tableName,
-  withFilter,
+  withFilter = TRUE,
   totalsRowCount = 0,
+  totalLabel = FALSE,
   showFirstColumn = 0,
   showLastColumn = 0,
   showRowStripes = 1,
@@ -1000,6 +1004,8 @@ Build table
 
 \item{\code{totalsRowCount}}{totalsRowCount}
 
+\item{\code{totalLabel}}{totalLabel}
+
 \item{\code{showFirstColumn}}{showFirstColumn}
 
 \item{\code{showLastColumn}}{showLastColumn}
diff --git a/man/wb_add_data_table.Rd b/man/wb_add_data_table.Rd
index 22b20b9e9..31d557f7c 100644
--- a/man/wb_add_data_table.Rd
+++ b/man/wb_add_data_table.Rd
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ wb_add_data_table(
   remove_cell_style = FALSE,
   na.strings = na_strings(),
   inline_strings = TRUE,
+  total_row = FALSE,
   ...
 )
 }
@@ -77,6 +78,8 @@ columns to a character vector e.g.
 
 \item{inline_strings}{write characters as inline strings}
 
+\item{total_row}{logical. With the default \code{FALSE} no total row is added.}
+
 \item{...}{additional arguments}
 }
 \description{
@@ -112,6 +115,28 @@ distinction is that the latter creates a table in the worksheet that can be
 used for different kind of formulas and can be sorted independently, though
 is less flexible than basic cell regions.
 }
+\section{Modify total row argument}{
+It is possible to further tweak the total row. In addition to the default
+\code{FALSE} possible values are \code{TRUE} (the xlsx file will create column sums
+each variable).
+
+In addition it is possible to tweak this further using a character string
+with one of the following functions for each variable: \code{"average"},
+\code{"count"}, \code{"countNums"}, \code{"max"}, \code{"min"}, \code{"stdDev"}, \code{"sum"}, \code{"var"}.
+It is possible to leave the cell empty \code{"none"} or to create a text input
+using a named character with name \code{text} like: \code{c(text = "Total")}.
+It's also possible to pass other spreadsheet software functions if they
+return a single value and hence \code{"SUM"} would work too.
+}
+
+\examples{
+wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$
+  add_data_table(
+    x = as.data.frame(USPersonalExpenditure),
+    row_names = TRUE,
+    total_row = c(text = "Total", "none", "sum", "sum", "sum", "SUM")
+  )
+}
 \seealso{
 Other worksheet content functions: 
 \code{\link{col_widths-wb}},
diff --git a/man/wb_add_formula.Rd b/man/wb_add_formula.Rd
index 370d4dfcf..0816dec40 100644
--- a/man/wb_add_formula.Rd
+++ b/man/wb_add_formula.Rd
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ take \code{dims} as a reference. For some formulas, the result will span multipl
 cells (see the \code{MMULT()} example below). For this type of formula, the
 output range must be known a priori and passed to \code{dims}, otherwise only the
 value of the first cell will be returned. This type of formula, whose result
-extends over several cells, is only possible with scalar values. If a vector
+extends over several cells, is only possible with single strings. If a vector
 is passed, it is only possible to return individual cells.
 }
 \examples{
diff --git a/man/write_datatable.Rd b/man/write_datatable.Rd
index b1ab251ce..ba14e8b52 100644
--- a/man/write_datatable.Rd
+++ b/man/write_datatable.Rd
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ write_datatable(
   remove_cell_style = FALSE,
   na.strings = na_strings(),
   inline_strings = TRUE,
+  total_row = FALSE,
   ...
 )
 }
@@ -77,6 +78,8 @@ columns to a character vector e.g.
 
 \item{inline_strings}{write characters as inline strings}
 
+\item{total_row}{logical. With the default \code{FALSE} no total row is added.}
+
 \item{...}{additional arguments}
 }
 \description{
diff --git a/man/write_xlsx.Rd b/man/write_xlsx.Rd
index 1f4419b88..d43efd540 100644
--- a/man/write_xlsx.Rd
+++ b/man/write_xlsx.Rd
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
 write_xlsx(x, file, as_table = FALSE, ...)
 }
 \arguments{
-\item{x}{An object or a list of objects that can be handled by \code{\link[=wb_add_data]{wb_add_data()}} to write to file}
+\item{x}{An object or a list of objects that can be handled by \code{\link[=wb_add_data]{wb_add_data()}} to write to file.}
 
-\item{file}{An xlsx file name}
+\item{file}{An optional xlsx file name. If no file is passed, the object is not written to disk and only a workbook object is returned.}
 
 \item{as_table}{If \code{TRUE}, will write as a data table, instead of data.}
 
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ hidden.}
 \code{grDevices::colors()}) or a valid hex color beginning with "#".}
     \item{\code{zoom}}{The sheet zoom level, a numeric between 10 and 400 as a
 percentage. (A zoom value smaller than 10 will default to 10.)}
+    \item{\code{total_row}}{logical. With the default \code{FALSE} no total row is added.}
     \item{\code{start_col}}{A vector specifying the starting column to write \code{x} to.}
     \item{\code{start_row}}{A vector specifying the starting row to write \code{x} to.}
     \item{\code{col_names}}{If \code{TRUE}, column names of \code{x} are written.}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-write.R b/tests/testthat/test-write.R
index 2e167f6f8..84b7dd4f3 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-write.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-write.R
@@ -806,3 +806,74 @@ test_that("filter works with wb_add_data()", {
   expect_equal(exp, got)
 
 })
+
+test_that("writing total row works", {
+
+  # default row sums
+  wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$add_data_table(x = mtcars, total_row = TRUE)
+
+  exp <- data.frame(
+    A = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[mpg])", B = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[cyl])",
+    C = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[disp])", D = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[hp])",
+    E = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[drat])", F = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[wt])",
+    G = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[qsec])", H = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[vs])",
+    I = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[am])", J = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[gear])",
+    K = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[carb])"
+  )
+  got <- wb_to_df(wb, dims = wb_dims(rows = 33, cols = "A:K"),
+                  show_formula = TRUE, col_names = FALSE)
+  expect_equal(exp, got, ignore_attr = TRUE)
+
+  # empty total row
+  wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$add_data_table(x = mtcars, total_row = c("none"))
+
+  exp <- data.frame(
+    A = NA_real_, B = NA_real_, C = NA_real_, D = NA_real_,
+    E = NA_real_, F = NA_real_, G = NA_real_, H = NA_real_, I = NA_real_,
+    J = NA_real_, K = NA_real_
+  )
+  got <- wb_to_df(wb, dims = wb_dims(rows = 33, cols = "A:K"),
+                  show_formula = TRUE, col_names = FALSE)
+  expect_equal(exp, got, ignore_attr = TRUE)
+
+  # total row with text only
+  wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$add_data_table(x = cars, total_row = c(text = "Result", text = "sum"))
+
+  exp <- data.frame(A = "Result", B = "sum")
+  got <- wb_to_df(wb, dims = wb_dims(rows = 51, cols = "A:B"),
+                  show_formula = TRUE, col_names = FALSE)
+  expect_equal(exp, got, ignore_attr = TRUE)
+
+  # total row with text and formula
+  wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$add_data_table(x = cars, total_row = c(text = "Result", "sum"))
+
+  exp <- data.frame(A = "Result", B = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[dist])")
+  got <- wb_to_df(wb, dims = wb_dims(rows = 51, cols = "A:B"),
+                  show_formula = TRUE, col_names = FALSE)
+  expect_equal(exp, got, ignore_attr = TRUE)
+
+  # total row with none and custom formula
+  wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$add_data_table(x = cars, total_row = c("none", "COUNTA"))
+
+  exp <- data.frame(A = NA_real_, B = "COUNTA(Table1[dist])")
+  got <- wb_to_df(wb, dims = wb_dims(rows = 51, cols = "A:B"),
+                  show_formula = TRUE, col_names = FALSE)
+  expect_equal(exp, got, ignore_attr = TRUE)
+
+  # with rownames
+  wb <- wb_workbook()$add_worksheet()$
+    add_data_table(
+      x = as.data.frame(USPersonalExpenditure),
+      row_names = TRUE,
+      total_row = c(text = "Total", "none", "sum", "sum", "sum", "SUM")
+    )
+
+  exp <- data.frame(
+    A = "Total", B = NA_real_, C = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[1945])",
+    D = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[1950])", E = "SUBTOTAL(109,Table1[1955])",
+    F = "SUM(Table1[1960])"
+  )
+  got <- wb_to_df(wb, dims = wb_dims(rows = 6, cols = "A:F"), col_names = FALSE, show_formula = TRUE)
+  expect_equal(exp, got, ignore_attr = TRUE)
+
+})