RE: Formula help

From: Kassie (Kassie_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 03/03/05 

Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2005 22:17:03 -0800

Glad I could help, Mike. If I can transate into English: D1<>"" means that
D1 is not equal to nothing, or then not equal to an empty cell. D1 ="",""
means that if D1 is equal to nothing, then do not insert any value. And yes,
read your Help File, my friend. At least you now know that "" means no
value, nothing, empty. To choose which one to use, you have to logically
figure out how Excel would trap conditions. If your formula read
=IF(OR(B1="",C1="",D1=""),"",<Enter your formula>), the formula would only
have worked correctly while B1 contained a value. Even if you swapped the
last two arguments to read =IF(OR(B1="",C1="",D1=""),<Enter your
formula>,""), the formula would not have worked because your formula would
then calculate on an empty cell, hence the suggestion to use<> (not equal).
In this manner, the first non-empty cell sets the trap, and your formula
works.

"Mike R" wrote:

> Biff and Kassie Thank you for the post.
> It worked!!!! And Kassie your assumption was correct, these columns may or
> may not have data, the only truth was that there was to be at least one entry
> on each row. Is there any place to study how some symbols work in a formula?
> I would never have figured out D1<>"", for instance. And what is the
> difference between D1<>"" and D1="","",? I understand the IF statement, but
> how do you know which symbol means "null" or "empty". Thank you very much
> for sharing your education and therefore contributing to mine.
>
> Mike R.
>
> "Kassie" wrote:
>
> > There are a number of possibilities here. The word either may mean that you
> > will enter data into either B, C or D. In that case, the formula is :
> > =IF(OR(B1<>"",C1<>"",D1<>""),<Enter your formula here>,"")
> > If you want to enter data into column B, C and D before a culculation is
> > done, then Biff's formula is correct.
> > If you want to ensure that all these columns have data before a calculation
> > is made, the formula is : =IF(OR(B1="",C1="",D1=""),"",<Enter your formula
> > here>)
> >
> > "Mike R" wrote:
> >
> > > Xl2000
> > > Been trying to get this right, and I think it is simple but I am not getting
> > > it. What I have is: Column B “amount Rec’d”, Column C “Purchases”, Column D
> > > “Cash out”, Column E “Balance”. I am trying to put together a formula in
> > > Column E that will only give a result when data is entered into either B, C,
> > > or D. Then be able to copy it all the way to row 36, and not have anything
> > > in Column E until data is entered into the corresponding row. I know this is
> > > easy but I am not getting it. Please Help
> > >
> > > Mike R.
> > >

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