Understanding Range Names and Labels

R

Robert_Steel

I have just worked through an excelent example for creating a chart
directly from a formula on www.jkp-ads.com.
This at last has got my head around Names (I think)
eg.
a name defined "sheet1!Top_left" =sheet1!$a$1 cannot be used or seen on
another sheet
a name defined "Top_left" =sheet1!$a$1 can be used on all sheets and
always refers to sheet1
a name defined "Top_left" =indirect("a1") can be used on all sheets and
refers to a1 on the same sheet as the name call.

The bit I need help on (and sorry for the waffle) is what Labels are and
how do I use them.
Pointers to other reading would be welcome. The xlhelp and ms sites
haven't realy helped.
What I am hoping they do is make some fairly involved sheets I have easier
for others to decipher .

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions

Cheers RES
 
N

Niek Otten

There is no one-and-only definition of "Labels", but in connection with
Names they usually mean the same thing.
If you enter "Label1" in A1, and enter "=Label1" in B4, it works as "=A4",
but only if you have checked Tools>Options>Calculation>Accept labels in
formulas.
So Labels work as a sort of implicit names.
The option to disable this feature has been introduced later, because use of
labels can cause many problems and is generally discouraged by experienced
users.
Recommended is to use explicitly defined names. Then you can get lots of
support from utilities like Jan Karel Pieterse's Name Manager, to be
downloaded from the site you already found.

--

Kind Regards,

Niek Otten

Microsoft MVP - Excel
 
D

Dave Peterson

That sheet1!top_left may not be visible in the namebox or the insert|Name
dialog, but it can be used on a different sheet.

If I define a couple of names:

sheet1!top_left
and
sheet2!top_left

I could put
=sheet2!top_left
anywhere on sheet1 and see the value from sheet2.

That didn't work for you?
 
R

Robert_Steel

Thanks to you all (Bob Dave Niek)
this has added to my understanding significantly
esp. local vers global names

also I feel happy to leave the Labels element of Naming alone as it seems
to be a bit unpredictable and can be covered using proper Names

Cheers RES
 
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