Trying to achieve blank cells in formulas

[aly1cat]

Two questions - similiar nature!!

1. This formula relies on another cell having the appropriate
information in which it can perform. However, if nothing is entered in
the cell and I want to copy the formula down the column for future
entried - What can I include in this formula to ensure that if other
cells are empty (nothing to calculate against) that it leaves the cell
empty too. Presently, I get N/A#

=VLOOKUP(G2,'Data sheet2 '!$A$5:$B$12,2,TRUE)

2. what would the formula be for a simplier calculation i.e =n3*m3
(again if nothing is in n3 what can I add to the formula so it leaves
the cell blank instead of N/A#.

Thanks to anyone in advance!

 

[Frank Kabel]

Hi
For 1. try
=IF(G2="","",VLOOKUP(G2,'Data sheet2 '!$A$5:$B$12,2,TRUE)=

for 2. try
=IF(cell="","",your_formula)

Frank

 

[AlfD]

Hi!

Excel is quite good on averages!

Try this:

Put 90 in C3
Put 80 in C4
Leave C5 blank
Put 70 in C6
Put 68 in C7

Now put =AVERAGE(C1:C3) in D3
Copy this formula down to D4...D7

Is this what you are looking for?

Now replace the blank in C5 with a 0. Trouble!

So: if you can ensure that the blank values are really empty, you ar
OK. If C5 is filled from A5 and B5, you could use a formula like
=if(or(A5=0, B5=0),"",A5/B5) and the same for all the other C cells.

The reason I left 2 blank cells above the columns was, of course, t
simplify the "boundary conditions" at the start of the column. No
essential to do it this way, but it is easy

 

[AlfD]

PS!!

Don't confuse null with zero: Excel doesn't and it was learning tha
the hard way which turned my hair white!

Al