Public Schedule Face-to-Face & Online Instructor-Led Training - View dates & book

use column function

Forum home » Delegate support and help forum » Microsoft Excel Training and help » Use of column() function

Use of column() function

ResolvedVersion 2007

Edward has attended:
Excel Advanced course

Use of column() function

On the advanced course we used the column() function. As I understood it, if you used the function and picked a cell it would return the number 1 and then it was copied to teh adjacent cell then it would return a 2. however, on my own desktop it only returns the actual number of the column i.e. if a cell in column G is selected it will return 7. Can you advise which is correct?

RE: use of column() function

Edward,

your right, that is how the column() function is used. If you have a formula where you need to specify a number value, for example the formula looks in a certain column, say column H to pick up the invoice figure for that day, and you know you need to copy that formula to the right so it can pick up the invoice totals from I, J, K, L.
If you typed the column number in e.g. 8 as column H is the eighth column from the left, then after copying to the right, you'd have to go into each formula copied, and change the column number manually to 9, 10, 11 etc...
So if we replace that number 8 with the function Column(H3), excel see's it as a number 8 (remember the column function ignores the row number part! Its only interested in the H part.
Now, as this function and its cell ref H3 is RELATIVE, as we move the original formula across the sheet, the H3 in the Column function will change to I3, J3, K3 etc.. which in turn references the numbers 9, 10, 11 etc..

Sorry its a long explaination, if you need more help let me know.

Thu 16 Sep 2010: Automatically marked as resolved.

Excel tip:

Removing border lines on the keyboard

Highlight your cell(s) that have boreders on them and press CTRL + SHIFT + _, this will then remove the border lines.

View all Excel hints and tips

Connect with us:

0207 987 3777

Call for assistance

Request Callback

We will call you back

Server loaded in 0.09 secs.