Strange function

S

Steve Barnett

I have no idea what this is, but I have a spreadsheet that contains cells
with the following formula:

{ =Table(,j12) }

As far as I know there isn't an = Table function in Excel and I don't know
why there are braces around the function when it's displayed.

I'm sure I'm missing something obvious... anyone know how I track down the
meaning of this function?

Thanks
Steve
 
P

Pete_UK

Could be a named range - have a look at Insert | Name | Define to see
if it is listed there.

Alternatively, it could be a User-defined function - press Alt-F11 to
bring up the VBE and see if it is there.

Hope this helps.

Pete
 
S

Steve Barnett

Looks like it's some kind of data table. Unfortunately, knowing that doesn't
help because I've read the description of data tables and am utterly
confused.

Steve
 
S

Steve Barnett

No problem, I've worked it out.

Thanks
Steve

Steve Barnett said:
Looks like it's some kind of data table. Unfortunately, knowing that
doesn't help because I've read the description of data tables and am
utterly confused.

Steve
Click to expand...
 
S

Steve Barnett

The solution was to flounder around until I found a message on Google that
identified the formula as being part of a data table (never used one of
those).

Then flounder around a little longer trying to determine what a data table
is and how to edit on.

Then come to the conclusion that, having created a data table, Excel gives
you no way of "editing" it, so you need to recreate it if you make changes.
You can't even 'select' the data table as you're expected to know how it was
created in the first place - bit of a bummer when the spreadsheet was
created by someone else.

Then, do the unthinkable, follow the example in the help file for creating a
two variable data table only to find it looks nothing like the data table
I'm trying to understand.

Then, realise that there is a one variable data table and follow that
example. The one variable data table seemed to look right, so apply the same
logic to the spreadsheet I was trying to understand and come to the
conclusion that the fit is good.

I think what irritated me the most in the whole process is that the Excel
help (and online help) makes no mention of an =Table function. I only found
it's relation to a data table because someone had already asked the question
in the past and Google had a record of it. Excel must understand this
function because it created it in the first place, so would it hurt to
document it?

Steve
 
G

Gord Dibben

Thanks for the feedback Steve.

Under Help you can type in "table" and second hit is "About data tables".

Some instructions on use there.

Akin to a what-if-analysis.


Gord

The solution was to flounder around until I found a message on Google that
identified the formula as being part of a data table (never used one of
those).

Then flounder around a little longer trying to determine what a data table
is and how to edit on.

Then come to the conclusion that, having created a data table, Excel gives
you no way of "editing" it, so you need to recreate it if you make changes.
You can't even 'select' the data table as you're expected to know how it was
created in the first place - bit of a bummer when the spreadsheet was
created by someone else.

Then, do the unthinkable, follow the example in the help file for creating a
two variable data table only to find it looks nothing like the data table
I'm trying to understand.

Then, realise that there is a one variable data table and follow that
example. The one variable data table seemed to look right, so apply the same
logic to the spreadsheet I was trying to understand and come to the
conclusion that the fit is good.

I think what irritated me the most in the whole process is that the Excel
help (and online help) makes no mention of an =Table function. I only found
it's relation to a data table because someone had already asked the question
in the past and Google had a record of it. Excel must understand this
function because it created it in the first place, so would it hurt to
document it?

Steve
Click to expand...

Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP
 
S

Steve Barnett

Gord
That's the great thing about help systems, if you know what you're
looking for you can find it very easily. My problem was that I had a formula
function that didn't appear to be documented anywhere, so I didn't know what
I was looking for and couldn't recognise the solution when I found it.

Even when I found information on data tables, NOTHING mentions an =TABLE()
formula function, so I wasn't sure whether I was in the right place. I
actually looked at the item you highlight and thought "Oh, it's searched for
table and not =table()". When I looked at the topic, it didn't mention
=table(), so I dismissed it as an irrelevant hit.

I'm just glad someone else had asked the question and that Google lets me
search so many news groups in one go, so I could make the connection.

Steve
 
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