How to get the value of column D in the current row? - google-sheets

If I have a simple spreadsheet such as this:
A B C D
1 Hello 30 60
2 World 45 90
...
…where I want column D to simply be column C*2, how could I do that? Obviously, I could manually set the contents of each row's D column to be =C1 *2, =C2 *2, and so on, but if I have hundreds of rows, it'd be easier to have something along the lines of =C$ROW *2 — is that possible?

If you copy/paste the formula down, the spreadsheet app will automatically update indices appropriately. This is the standard way to do this kind of operation in spreadsheet applications; if you want to force a particular row/col ref to not update, prepend a $:
=sum($A$1:$A$9999) // this reference will never change
=$A1 // this will always reference column A but will follow row changes

Related

How do I code a formula to apply to an entire column in Google sheets, even when you insert a new row?

I have a basic cash flow Google Sheet that I use to track my personal finances, cash in and out of my checking account.
Here's basically what it looks like:
Column A Column B Column C
Row 1 | Water bill | -50.00 | 400.00
Row 2 | Credit card | -300.00 | 100.00 >> the formula here is =sum(C1,B2)
Row 3 | Paycheck | 2000.00 | 2100.00 >> the formula here is =sum(C2,B3)
I project this out a full year. Anytime I want to add a row, I have to manually apply the formula in column C, and then I also have to fix the formula in the row just below it, which then fixes the problem for the rest of the sheet.
In Google Sheets, Is there a way for me to hard-code a formula for Column C that would allow me to insert a new row and always have it math perfectly without having to manually add the formula, and fix the formula in the row below it?
Let me know if there would be an easier way to do this by making fundamental changes to how it's setup - this is just how I've done it for so long, and I'm looking for a way to automate this going forward.
I've heard array formula might be helpful, but I'm not sure how to set it up.
There are many kinds of ArrayFormulas and LAMBDA functions. I suggest you look into them for different cases and uses. There is one kind in particular that would serve to your purposes:
=SCAN(0,B2:B,LAMBDA(a,v,a+v))
If you put this in C2 you'll have a cumulative sum row by row. Try it and let me know!
If you want to hide the results if column B is empty you can use another ARRAYFORMULA to check if B is empty it returns empty, either way returns the SCAN result:
=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(B2:B="","",SCAN(0,B2:B,LAMBDA(a,v,a+v))))
If you need to insert a new row in between then it's quite tedious as it will mess up the formulas below it, but if you just keep appending a new entry on the bottom row, then the formula will smartly mimic the behavior above it. Then you can simply do this:
Select the current last row, then click the small dot at the end and drag it down to as much as you want
OR, Ctrl+C (Copy) the last row, then select as much empty rows beneath it as you want, then Ctrl+V (Paste)

Can change shape of range with ARRAYFORMULA() in Google Sheets?

My intention is to convert a single line of data into rows consist of a specific number of columns in Google Sheets.
For example, starting with the raw data:
A
B
C
D
E
F
1
id1
attr1-1
attr2-1
id2
attr2-1
attr2-2
And the expected result is:
(by dividing columns by three)
A
B
C
1
id1
attr1-1
attr1-2
2
id2
attr2-1
attr2-2
I already know that it's possible a bit manually, like:
=ARRAYFORMULA({A1:C1;D1:F1})
But I have to start over with it every time the target range is moved OR the subset size needs to be changed (in the case above it was three)!
So I guess there will be a much more graceful way (i.e. formula does not require manual update) to do the same thing and suspect ARRAYFORMULA() is the key.
Any help will be appreciated!
I added a new sheet ("Erik Help") where I reduced your manually entered parameters from two to one (leaving only # of columns to be entered in A2).
The formula that reshapes the grid:
=ArrayFormula(IFERROR(VLOOKUP(SEQUENCE(ROUNDUP(COUNTA(7:7)/A2),A2),{SEQUENCE(COUNTA(7:7),1),FLATTEN(FILTER(7:7,7:7<>""))},2,FALSE)))
SEQUENCE is used to shape the grid according to whatever is entered in A2. Rows would be the count of items in Row 7 divided by the number in A2 (rounded to the nearest whole number); and the columns would just be whatever number is entered in A2.
Example: If there are 11 items in Row 7 and you want 4 columns, ROUNDUP(11/4)=3 rows to the SEQUENCE and your requested 4 columns.
Then, each of those numbers in the grid is VLOOKUP'ed in a virtual array consisting of a vertical SEQUENCE of ordered numbers matching the number of data pieces in Row 7 (in Column 1) and a FLATTENed (vertical) version of the Row-7 data pieces themselves (in Column 2). Matches are filled into the original SEQUENCE grid, while non-matches are left blank by IFERROR
Though it's a bit messy, managed to get it done thanks to SEQUENCE() function anyway.
It constructs a grid by accepting number of rows/columns input, and that was exactly I was looking for.
For reference set up a sheet with the sample data here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p972tYlsPvC6nM39qLNjYRZZWGZYsUnGaA7kXyfJ8F4/edit#gid=0
Use a custom formula
Although you already solved this. If you are doing this kind of thing a lot, it could be beneficial to look into Apps Script and custom formulas.
In this case you could use something like:
function transposeSingleRow(range, size) {
// initialize new range
let newRange = []
// initialize counter to keep track
let count = 0;
// start while loop to go through row (range[0])
while (count < range[0].length){
// add a slice of the original range to the new range
newRange.push(
range[0].slice(count, count + size)
);
// increment counter
count += size;
}
return newRange;
}
Which works like this:
The nice thing about the formula here is that you select the range, and then you put in a number to represent its throw, or how many elements make up a complete row. So if instead of 3 attributes you had 4, instead of calling:
=transposeSingleRow(A7:L7, 3)
you could do:
=transposeSingleRow(A7:L7, 4)
Additionally, if you want this conversion to be permanent and not dependent on formula recalculation. Making it in run fully in Apps Script without using formulas would be neccesary.
Reference
Apps Script
Custom Functions

Always have a maximum of 10 values, with the last value being in B1 and the one in A1 disappearing

I will use a script to copy the data from Column C to Column A, always adding 1 value that is in B1 and remove the A1 value
If I do it this way, there will always be 11 values:
If I do it this way the value of B1 will never appear:
If I do it this way when there are less than 10 values in Column A it will never go from row 7 and add up to row 10:
If I do it this way there will be lines with no values between the data and this cannot happen:
How I wish it were!
If there are less than 10 values in Column A, look like this:
If there are 10 values in Column A, look like this:
I think you can use double reverse ranges and querying non-empties
=IF(COUNTA(A:A)>=9,{
SORT(QUERY(SORT(A:A,ROW(A:A),0),
"where Col1<>'' limit 9"),
ROW(A1:A9),0);
B1
},
QUERY({A:A;B1},"where Col1<>''")
)
There is the second solution
={IFNA(IF(
ROWS(A:A)-MATCH("*",SORT(IF(A:A="",,TO_TEXT(A:A)),ROW(A:A),0),0)>=9,
OFFSET(A:A,ROWS(A:A)-MATCH("*",SORT(IF(A:A="",,TO_TEXT(A:A)),ROW(A:A),0),0)+1-9,0,9),
OFFSET(A:A,0,0,ROWS(A:A)-MATCH("*",SORT(IF(A:A="",,TO_TEXT(A:A)),ROW(A:A),0),0)+1)
),"");B1}
This support empties cells and numbers
no need to overthink it:
=IF(COUNTA(A1:A10)=10, {A2:A10; B1}, {FILTER(A1:A10, A1:A10<>""); B1})

How to use "if contains"?

I'm trying to make a scheduler for work and I have a dropdown list of the hours that the employees work in one column and I want it to display how many hours it is next to that. I.e.:
Column B (Selected from a drop down menu) Column C
6:00 - 14:30 to display 8 as it is an 8 hour shift
10:00 - 15:00 to display 5 as it is an 5 hour shift
Is there a way to do this?
So for the sake of clarity, I am going to develop this step by step, in several columns. These could be combined into one impenetrable formula, but that will not help you follow. You can do what I suggest here and then hide the columns with the calculation.
Suppose your time is in column A. You can do the following in the first row (mine assumes row 1, if you have headers, probably row 2) and then copy the formulas on down. In column B, I placed, =search("-",A1), which tells where the - sign is. In column C, I find the first time as a string with =left(A1,B1-2), which takes the first characters up to 2 before the dash. In column D I have =mid(A1,B1+2,5) which takes from 2 characters after the dash to the end (if it is only 4 characters long, it copies 4 not 5),and finally in column E we find the desired result, with =HOUR(timevalue(D1)-timevalue(C1)).
That does what you asked. If you wanted to add minutes you could use =MINUTE(timevalue(D1)-timevalue(C1)). Finally if a 22:00 - 6:00 graveyard shift existed, you would need to add logic for it.
You could also simplify the string calculation by in column B using the formula =split(A1,"-") and then putting =HOUR(timevalue(C1)-timevalue(B1))
And so if you really want a single formula, it could be =hour(INDEX((split(A1,"-")),2)-INDEX((split(A1,"-")),1)), which subtracts the first part from the second and converts to hours.
If in the course of time you want to handle the wrap around midnight, =iferror(hour(INDEX((split(A1,"-")),2)-INDEX((split(A1,"-")),1)),24-hour(INDEX((split(A1,"-")),1)-INDEX((split(A1,"-")),2))) should do the trick.
UPDATE: Sheets recognizes the times that resulted from the split as times. So if in B1 you place =split(A1,"-"), D1 can contain =C1-B1 if you are willing to keep the minutes. It even gives the right answer for 22:00 - 2:00.
Make a table with a column for the shifts (this could be the list used for the Validation, if you chose that method) and a column immediately to its right of the respective shift durations. I named that table Larry. Then in C2 (assuming your first dropdown is in B2):
=ArrayFormula(vlookup(B1:B,Larry,2,0))

Google Spreadsheet sum which always ends on the cell above

How to create a Google Spreadsheet sum() which always ends on the cell above, even when new cells are added? I have several such calculations to make on each single column so solutions like this won't help.
Example:
On column B, I have several dynamic ranges which has to be summed. B1..B9 should be summed on B10, and B11..B19 should be summed on B20. I have tens such calculations to make. Every now and then, I add rows below the last summed row , and I want them to be added to the sum. I add a new row (call it 9.1) before row 10, and a new raw (let's call it 19.1) before row 20. I want B10 to contain the sum of B1 through B9.1 and B20 to contain the sum of B11:B19.1.
On excel, I have the offset function which does it like charm. But how to do it with google spreadsheet? I tried to use formulas like this:
=SUM(B1:INDIRECT(address(row()-1,column(),false))) # Formula on B10
=SUM(B11:INDIRECT(address(row()-1,column(),false))) # Formula on B20
But on Google Spreadsheet, all it gives is a #name error.
I wasted hours trying to find a solution, maybe someone can calp?
Please advise
Amnon
You are probably looking for formula like:
=SUM(INDIRECT("B1:"&ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4)))
Google Spreadsheet INDIRECT returns reference to a cell or area, while - from what I recall - Excel INDIRECT returns always reference to a cell.
Given Google's INDIRECT indeed has some hard time when you try to use it inside SUM as cell reference, what you want is to feed SUM with whole range to be summed up in e.g. a1 notation: "B1:BX".
You get the address you want in the same way as in EXCEL (note "4" here for row/column relative, by default Google INDIRECT returns absolute):
ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4)
and than use it to prepare range string for SUM function by concatenating with starting cell.
"B1:"&
and wrap it up with INDIRECT, which will return area to be sum up.
REFERRING TO BELOW ANSWER from Druvision (I cant comment yet, I didn't want to multiply answers)
Instead of time consuming formulas corrections each time row is inserted/deleted to make all look like:
=SUM(INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW()-9,COLUMN(),4)&":"&ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4)))
You can spare one column in separate sheet for holding variables (let's name it "def"), let's say Z, to define starting points e.g.
in Z1 write "B1"
in Z2 write "B11"
etc.
and than use it as variable in your sum by using INDEX:
SUM(INDIRECT(INDEX(def!Z:Z,1,1)&":"&ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4))) - sums from B1 to calculated row, since in Z1 we have "B1" ( the 1,1 in INDEX(...,1,1) )
SUM(INDIRECT(INDEX(def!Z:Z,2,1)&":"&ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4))) - sums from B11 to calculated row, since in Z2 we have "B11" ( the 2,1 in INDEX(...,2,1) )
please note:
Separate sheet named 'def' - you don't want row insert/delete influence that data, thus keep it on side. Useful for adding some validation lists, other stuff you need in your formulas.
"Z:Z" notation - whole column. You said you had a lot of such formulas ;)
Thus you preserve flexibility of defining starting cell for each of your formulas, which is not influenced by calculation sheet changes.
By the way, wouldn't it be easier to write custom function/script summing up all rows above cell? If you feel like javascripting, from what I recall, google spreadsheet has now nice script editor. You can make a function called e.g. sumRowsAboveMe() and than just use it in your sheet like =sumRowsAboveMe() in sheet cell.
Note: you might have to replace commas by semicolons
NOTE
After testing this answer, it will only work if the sum is in a different column due to a circular dependency error. Otherwise, the solution is valid.
It's a bit of algebra, but we can take advantage of Spreadsheets' lower right corner drag.
=SUM(X:X) - SUM(X2:X)
Where X is the column you are working with and X2 is your ending point. Drag the formula down and Sheets will increment the X2, thus changing the ending point.
*You mentioned that you had tens of such calculations to make. So in order to fit your exact need, we would subtract your last summation to get that "middle" range that we wanted.
e.g.
B1..B9 should be summed on B10, and B11..B19 should be summed on B20
Because of the circular dependency error mentioned earlier, I can't solve it exactly and put the sum on the same line, but this could work in other cases where the sum needs to be stored in a different column.
=SUM(B:B) - SUM(B9:B) //Formula on C10 (Sum of B1..B9)
=SUM(B:B) - SUM(B19:B) - B10 // Formula on C20 (Sum of B11..B19)
This is based on #PsychoFish, here is the solution:
=SUM(INDIRECT(SUBSTITUTE(ADDRESS(1,COLUMN(),4),"1","")&"3:"&ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4)))
Simply replace the "3:" for the row to start sum.
#PsychoFish is correct but cannot be dragged and copied since the column is literal and hard coded, and #Druvision was in the right direction but was wrong... basically ended up with the same issue of having to re-enter the ranges and then sliding the formulas over and over.
You guys are making this harder than you have to. I just leave a couple of empty rows above by "sum" row (you can format them to be filled with color or something to keep them from being inadvertently used), then just add your new rows just above those special rows.
Agree with what user7255446 said that everyone is overcomplicating. Keep one row blank before your sum row. And then whenever you want to insert a new row, click on your blank row and use "Insert row ABOVE" instead of "insert row below". Your sum formula will automatically adjust.
Example: I want to sum from B1 to B19. I leave row 20 blank. In cell B21, put =SUM(B1:B20). Then if you ever need to insert a new row, click on row 20 and choose "Insert row above". The sum formula automatically changes to =SUM(B1:B21) for you. And of course your sum cell is now B22.
General syntax:
=SUM(INDIRECT(cell_reference_as_string1 &":"& cell_reference_as_string2)
with for example:
cell_reference_as_string1 = ADDRESS(ROW(),COLUMN(),4)
cell_reference_as_string2 = ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4)
I like how #abernier describes the general solution. So far only alphabet-based A1 notation (A being first column, 1 being first row) are being used. It keeps confusing me, especially when thinking of number of columns left of another column. I like the number-based R1C1 notation much better. To use R1C1 notation for INDIRECT, you need to pass FALSE like so:
=SUM(INDIRECT("R1C"&COLUMN()&":R"&(ROW()-1)&"C"&COLUMN(), FALSE))
I hope you find that helpful, too.
OFFSET() can be used/abused for this purpose. Give it the absolute address of the top left of the range, 0 and 0 for the row/column offsets, and the height/width of the range. Let OFFSET() be the argument to SUM(), SUMIF(), etc.
ROW() and COLUMN() are handy when computing the desired height/width. Be sure to remember to subtract one to exclude the current row/column, or else you're liable to end up with a circular reference. If you have header rows/columns, subtract for them too.
For example, to sum everything from A2 down, excluding the current row, try:
=SUM(OFFSET($A$2,0,0,ROW()-2,1))
To sum everything to the left of the current cell, wherever it may be, try:
=SUM(OFFSET(INDIRECT("RC1",FALSE),0,0,1,COLUMN()-1))
Now let's flip things upside down, to show that this works in the other direction. Suppose you want to sum the B column, starting below the current row, until (and including) row #10. Try this:
=SUM(OFFSET($B$10,ROW()-9,0,10-ROW(),1))
You can avoid negative offsets, while still summing column B:
=SUM(OFFSET(INDIRECT("RC2",FALSE),1,0,10-ROW(),1))
Remove the "2" to instead sum the current column:
=SUM(OFFSET(INDIRECT("RC",FALSE),1,0,10-ROW(),1))
(Credit to Tom Sharpe, who commented above.) INDEX() can be used in a range expression. You might prefer this over OFFSET(), so I'm putting it here. The following sums everything from G1 down to the row above the current:
=SUM(G1:INDEX(G:G,ROW()-1))
Here's how I do it.
This formula does not require you to edit or enter anything about the particular column you would like to sum
=SUM(INDIRECT(CONCATENATE(address(1,column(),4),":",LEFT(address(1,column(),4),1))&ROW()-1))
The answer by #PsychoFish led me in the correct way.
The only issue that I had to rewrite the formula again from each column and each sum. So here is the improved formula, which sums the previous 9 cells on the same column, without hardcoding the column or row numbers:
=SUM(INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW()-9,COLUMN(),4)&":"&ADDRESS(ROW()-1,COLUMN(),4)))
The only issue is that I had to rewrite the formulas if someone adds or deletes a row. In this case I should change 9 to 10 or 8 corrspondingly.

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