countIf with merged cells
Given this sheet, I'd like to count duplicates in column B:
[ ][ A ][ B ][ C ][ D ]
[1][ cat ][ ][ ]
[2][ ][ cat ][ ][ dog ]
[3][ cat ][ bar ]
[4][ ][ hat ][ ][ ]
[5][ ][ cat ][ red ]
[6][ cat ]
[7][ ][ mad ][ ][ ]
[8][ cat ][ cat ][ ][ cat ]
If I use =countif(B1:B7,"cat") Google Sheets only counts cells B2, B5, and B8, and it doesn't count B1, B3, and B6.
Note that I didn't want to count cells A8 and D8, as I specifically only want to count duplicates in column B.
google-sheets google-sheets-formula
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
add a comment |
Given this sheet, I'd like to count duplicates in column B:
[ ][ A ][ B ][ C ][ D ]
[1][ cat ][ ][ ]
[2][ ][ cat ][ ][ dog ]
[3][ cat ][ bar ]
[4][ ][ hat ][ ][ ]
[5][ ][ cat ][ red ]
[6][ cat ]
[7][ ][ mad ][ ][ ]
[8][ cat ][ cat ][ ][ cat ]
If I use =countif(B1:B7,"cat") Google Sheets only counts cells B2, B5, and B8, and it doesn't count B1, B3, and B6.
Note that I didn't want to count cells A8 and D8, as I specifically only want to count duplicates in column B.
google-sheets google-sheets-formula
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
2
Yes nice table, but to answer your question: the issue is that there are no values in B1,B3 and B6. The value resides in Column A and as such a formula will not work here. This is the problem with using Merged Cells on anything but the final output. Formulas cannot determine if a cell is merged or not.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:05
Is there a workaround without using apps script?
– DaMaxContent
Nov 20 '18 at 19:10
1
No. We could count both A and B and subtract where both(see line 8), but what if there is no value in B and it is not merged, how is the formula supposed to know to skip that one. The only way is with script.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:14
add a comment |
Given this sheet, I'd like to count duplicates in column B:
[ ][ A ][ B ][ C ][ D ]
[1][ cat ][ ][ ]
[2][ ][ cat ][ ][ dog ]
[3][ cat ][ bar ]
[4][ ][ hat ][ ][ ]
[5][ ][ cat ][ red ]
[6][ cat ]
[7][ ][ mad ][ ][ ]
[8][ cat ][ cat ][ ][ cat ]
If I use =countif(B1:B7,"cat") Google Sheets only counts cells B2, B5, and B8, and it doesn't count B1, B3, and B6.
Note that I didn't want to count cells A8 and D8, as I specifically only want to count duplicates in column B.
google-sheets google-sheets-formula
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
Given this sheet, I'd like to count duplicates in column B:
[ ][ A ][ B ][ C ][ D ]
[1][ cat ][ ][ ]
[2][ ][ cat ][ ][ dog ]
[3][ cat ][ bar ]
[4][ ][ hat ][ ][ ]
[5][ ][ cat ][ red ]
[6][ cat ]
[7][ ][ mad ][ ][ ]
[8][ cat ][ cat ][ ][ cat ]
If I use =countif(B1:B7,"cat") Google Sheets only counts cells B2, B5, and B8, and it doesn't count B1, B3, and B6.
Note that I didn't want to count cells A8 and D8, as I specifically only want to count duplicates in column B.
google-sheets google-sheets-formula
google-sheets google-sheets-formula
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
edited Nov 22 '18 at 2:44
Rubén
11.3k43569
11.3k43569
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
asked Nov 20 '18 at 18:56
DaMaxContentDaMaxContent
1086
1086
2
Yes nice table, but to answer your question: the issue is that there are no values in B1,B3 and B6. The value resides in Column A and as such a formula will not work here. This is the problem with using Merged Cells on anything but the final output. Formulas cannot determine if a cell is merged or not.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:05
Is there a workaround without using apps script?
– DaMaxContent
Nov 20 '18 at 19:10
1
No. We could count both A and B and subtract where both(see line 8), but what if there is no value in B and it is not merged, how is the formula supposed to know to skip that one. The only way is with script.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:14
add a comment |
2
Yes nice table, but to answer your question: the issue is that there are no values in B1,B3 and B6. The value resides in Column A and as such a formula will not work here. This is the problem with using Merged Cells on anything but the final output. Formulas cannot determine if a cell is merged or not.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:05
Is there a workaround without using apps script?
– DaMaxContent
Nov 20 '18 at 19:10
1
No. We could count both A and B and subtract where both(see line 8), but what if there is no value in B and it is not merged, how is the formula supposed to know to skip that one. The only way is with script.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:14
2
2
Yes nice table, but to answer your question: the issue is that there are no values in B1,B3 and B6. The value resides in Column A and as such a formula will not work here. This is the problem with using Merged Cells on anything but the final output. Formulas cannot determine if a cell is merged or not.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:05
Yes nice table, but to answer your question: the issue is that there are no values in B1,B3 and B6. The value resides in Column A and as such a formula will not work here. This is the problem with using Merged Cells on anything but the final output. Formulas cannot determine if a cell is merged or not.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:05
Is there a workaround without using apps script?
– DaMaxContent
Nov 20 '18 at 19:10
Is there a workaround without using apps script?
– DaMaxContent
Nov 20 '18 at 19:10
1
1
No. We could count both A and B and subtract where both(see line 8), but what if there is no value in B and it is not merged, how is the formula supposed to know to skip that one. The only way is with script.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:14
No. We could count both A and B and subtract where both(see line 8), but what if there is no value in B and it is not merged, how is the formula supposed to know to skip that one. The only way is with script.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:14
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
Excel considers that the value in a merged cell is actually contained in the first (most left) cell of the merged cells.
I can think only of one method to accomplish this with formulas, but it requires manual formatting of the merged cells, and a helper column.
You can format the merged cells as numbers with colored negative numbers. As there is text in the cells, this will have no impact on how the text is formatted, but you can still extract with CELL("color", A1) the formatting (1 if formatted to be red for negative numbers, and 0 otherwise).
In the helper column you copy the value from column B if the cell is not "colored", or from column A if "colored". Probably you also could accomplish this with an array formula and without using a helper column.
Anyway, it does require you to first (manually) format the merged cells (using format painter this obviously is very fast and easy if the number of rows is a reasonable number.
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
add a comment |
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votes
Excel considers that the value in a merged cell is actually contained in the first (most left) cell of the merged cells.
I can think only of one method to accomplish this with formulas, but it requires manual formatting of the merged cells, and a helper column.
You can format the merged cells as numbers with colored negative numbers. As there is text in the cells, this will have no impact on how the text is formatted, but you can still extract with CELL("color", A1) the formatting (1 if formatted to be red for negative numbers, and 0 otherwise).
In the helper column you copy the value from column B if the cell is not "colored", or from column A if "colored". Probably you also could accomplish this with an array formula and without using a helper column.
Anyway, it does require you to first (manually) format the merged cells (using format painter this obviously is very fast and easy if the number of rows is a reasonable number.
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
add a comment |
Excel considers that the value in a merged cell is actually contained in the first (most left) cell of the merged cells.
I can think only of one method to accomplish this with formulas, but it requires manual formatting of the merged cells, and a helper column.
You can format the merged cells as numbers with colored negative numbers. As there is text in the cells, this will have no impact on how the text is formatted, but you can still extract with CELL("color", A1) the formatting (1 if formatted to be red for negative numbers, and 0 otherwise).
In the helper column you copy the value from column B if the cell is not "colored", or from column A if "colored". Probably you also could accomplish this with an array formula and without using a helper column.
Anyway, it does require you to first (manually) format the merged cells (using format painter this obviously is very fast and easy if the number of rows is a reasonable number.
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
add a comment |
Excel considers that the value in a merged cell is actually contained in the first (most left) cell of the merged cells.
I can think only of one method to accomplish this with formulas, but it requires manual formatting of the merged cells, and a helper column.
You can format the merged cells as numbers with colored negative numbers. As there is text in the cells, this will have no impact on how the text is formatted, but you can still extract with CELL("color", A1) the formatting (1 if formatted to be red for negative numbers, and 0 otherwise).
In the helper column you copy the value from column B if the cell is not "colored", or from column A if "colored". Probably you also could accomplish this with an array formula and without using a helper column.
Anyway, it does require you to first (manually) format the merged cells (using format painter this obviously is very fast and easy if the number of rows is a reasonable number.
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
Excel considers that the value in a merged cell is actually contained in the first (most left) cell of the merged cells.
I can think only of one method to accomplish this with formulas, but it requires manual formatting of the merged cells, and a helper column.
You can format the merged cells as numbers with colored negative numbers. As there is text in the cells, this will have no impact on how the text is formatted, but you can still extract with CELL("color", A1) the formatting (1 if formatted to be red for negative numbers, and 0 otherwise).
In the helper column you copy the value from column B if the cell is not "colored", or from column A if "colored". Probably you also could accomplish this with an array formula and without using a helper column.
Anyway, it does require you to first (manually) format the merged cells (using format painter this obviously is very fast and easy if the number of rows is a reasonable number.
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
answered Nov 20 '18 at 21:31
Peter K.Peter K.
763212
763212
add a comment |
add a comment |
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2
Yes nice table, but to answer your question: the issue is that there are no values in B1,B3 and B6. The value resides in Column A and as such a formula will not work here. This is the problem with using Merged Cells on anything but the final output. Formulas cannot determine if a cell is merged or not.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:05
Is there a workaround without using apps script?
– DaMaxContent
Nov 20 '18 at 19:10
1
No. We could count both A and B and subtract where both(see line 8), but what if there is no value in B and it is not merged, how is the formula supposed to know to skip that one. The only way is with script.
– Scott Craner
Nov 20 '18 at 19:14