Why would you use + at the beginning of a formula? (After the =)

[ArcticWildRose]

Is there any valid reason to do this? "=+IF(...)" or "=+B36+B37" I'm trying
to help solve calculation problems in a 45-sheet forecasting model. I was
just wondering if this might be messing up the formulas (it's in almost every
formula) or if this has an important use.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

You wouldn't.

A leading + sign is entirely superfluous in XL. It's mostly used by
converts from Lotus.

However, it's not messing anything up. It's simply ignored.

 

[Jonathan Cho]

The reason a lot of people do it is that the +is on the
number pad while the = is not. If you are entering a lot
of formulas with data, it is easier to use the + key.

Regards,

Jonathan

 

[Myrna Larson]

In my experience, if I start a formula with a + sign, Excel will remove it and
replace with the equal sign. You don't see the sort of formulas the OP showed.

 

[hgrove]

*In my experience, if I start a formula with a + sign, Excel wil
remove it and
replace with the equal sign. You don't see the sort of formulas th
OP showed.

 

[hgrove]

Myrna Larson wrote...

In my experience, if I start a formula with a + sign, Excel will
remove it and replace with the equal sign. You don't see the
sort of formulas the OP showed.

Your experience may not include old 123-originated habits. You can
indeed see LOTS of formulas like the OP showed if you work with former
(or stubbornly persistent) 123 users.

If I press the key sequences

+ 1 + 2 + 3 [Enter]

+ 1 + RAND() [Enter]

+ . 1 2 + . 3 4 [Enter]

Excel stores the respective formulas

=1+2+3

=1+RAND()

=0.12+0.34

But if I press the key sequences

+ ( 1 + 2 ) * 3 [Enter]

+ A 1 2 + 5 [Enter]

+ S U M ( A 5 : B 1 0 ) [Enter]

+ - 1 * 2 [Enter]

+ - . 2 3 * 4 [Enter]

Excel stores the respective formulas

=+(1+2)*3

=+A12+5

=+SUM(A5:B10)

=+-1*2

=+-0.23*4

It appears Excel prepends a zero before the decimal point for decimal
fractions beginning with a period or hyphen period, then it discards
initial + characters only when immediately followed by a decimal
numeral. The rest of the time Excel retains the initial +. This is
almost 123 formula entry/interpretation functionality except that 123
would also have converted the key sequences

+ - 1 * 2 [Enter]

+ - . 2 3 * 4 [Enter]

into the respective formulas

-1*2

-0.23*4

I'd figure this is handled by extremely old code, the programmers who
wrote it were trying for 123 compatibility and just missed.

 

[Myrna Larson]

Your experience may not include old 123-originated habits. You can

indeed see LOTS of formulas like the OP showed if you work with former
(or stubbornly persistent) 123 users.

In fact I *never* used 123. I started with Multiplan (on an Apple IIe with a
CP/M card!), then moved to Excel.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Nope, a single prepended +, e.g, +4+5 will automatically result in XL's
substituting the first + for =: =4+5.

To get =+4+5, you'd have to double-clutch: ++4+5

That doesn't make much sense.

 

[hgrove]

Myrna Larson wrote...
...

In fact I *never* used 123. I started with Multiplan (on an Apple
IIe with a CP/M card!), then moved to Excel.

Even given mortality, I'd bet there are at least 1,000 times more
former 123 users using Excel than former Multiplan users. That so, it's
not uncommon to see + chars just after the initial = in many Excel
workbooks in most US corporations.

In this respect your Excel experience may be substantially unlike that
of most other Excel users.

 

[Myrna Larson]

I guess I mis-spoke. I used VisiCalc a bit before switching to Multiplan.

But you're right, my experience can often be categorized as an "outlier" <g>.