Notes inside formulas using N-function

[MrIainMacleod]

All,

I've used the tip from Bob Umlas' book ("This Isn't Excel - it's
Magic!") and added some notes to a few complicated formulas - to give
users a clue as to what is going on.

For those of you who haven't seen this, it essentially involves adding
+N("Text in quotes") at the end of any formula.

The problem I have, is that when I copy the formula down to the rows
below, I get #VALUE! errors.

Is there any way of getting around this?

 

[Dave Peterson]

If the original value/formula returns a number, then this should work ok.

But if your original value/formula returns text, then this will not work. (You
can't add 0 to a text value.)

But you could use:
="something that returns text"&text("somecommenthere",";;;")

 

[iainmacleod]

Sorry - didn't make myself clear.

The formula itself works, when you enter data into the cells to which
it refers.

It is when the cells are 'blank' that I get the #VALUE! error.

The formulas are all set up with an =IF(ISBLANK(A1),"" statement.

 

[Dave Peterson]

When your formula returns an empty string (""), then the cell is not numeric.
You can't add numbers to it.
But you can concatenate a string. That was in the previous suggestion.