Temp variables in formulas?

[Andy Smith]

Here's a common example: you want a formula with a VLOOKUP which either looks
up the number you want, or returns zero if it's not in the table -- this is
so that calculations based on that formula use zero and calculate something
meaningful rather than result in #N/A!. So you have to do this:

IF(ISNA(VLOOKUP(...)),0,VLOOKUP(...))

Of course that "..." can be pretty long and hairy. And it's inefficient
too, because that long VLOOKUP has to be calculated twice. Isn't there any
way of writing a formula so it calculates the VLOOKUP once, stored the
result, and uses just the result in the rest of the formula? That is:

R=VLOOKUP(...);IF(ISNA(R),0,R)

I realize you can insert columns just to hold temporary results, and then
hide them, but when you copy them and paste them outside Excel, you get the
hidden columns too, and I don't want them.

Thanks!

 

[Rick Rothstein]

I provided an answer to this question in the other newsgroup where you
posted it. You should really only post your questions in one newsgroup
(usually the one applicable to your question... this question is not really
a "programming" question). Otherwise you end up wasting the time of the
volunteers here... if you ask in more than one newsgroup, and it gets
answered in that other newsgroup, someone wanting to help wouldn't know that
and might waste their time answering it again here.

 

[Dave Peterson]

You have a response at your other post.

Here's a common example: you want a formula with a VLOOKUP which either looks
up the number you want, or returns zero if it's not in the table -- this is
so that calculations based on that formula use zero and calculate something
meaningful rather than result in #N/A!. So you have to do this:

IF(ISNA(VLOOKUP(...)),0,VLOOKUP(...))

Of course that "..." can be pretty long and hairy. And it's inefficient
too, because that long VLOOKUP has to be calculated twice. Isn't there any
way of writing a formula so it calculates the VLOOKUP once, stored the
result, and uses just the result in the rest of the formula? That is:

R=VLOOKUP(...);IF(ISNA(R),0,R)

I realize you can insert columns just to hold temporary results, and then
hide them, but when you copy them and paste them outside Excel, you get the
hidden columns too, and I don't want them.

Thanks!

 

[Peter T]

It's a personal thing but I dislike very long single cell formulas, and
split it up into two or more cells. Apart from being more efficient it's
much easier to figure what it all does when you come back six months later.
So with your example put the lookup formula into a helper cell and refer to
that cell.

Regards,
Peter T