returning blank cell in criteria o
 

Currently I am struckling with advanced filtering. In my criteria range
one cell contains an IF formula and the false condition it returns an
empty cell "". Problem is now that advanced filter does not treat this
as a true blank cell; it now only matches with strings. So if I have
figure in this column of my database, it is not selected. I would like
to return a true blank from my IF formula, so that everything is
matched both strings and figures. Is this possible?

Bye
Joop

One way is with a criteria of:

="<?*"

And that cell with the formula isn't really empty. It may look empty, but it
contains a formula.



Joop wrote:

Currently I am struckling with advanced filtering. In my criteria range
one cell contains an IF formula and the false condition it returns an
empty cell "". Problem is now that advanced filter does not treat this
as a true blank cell; it now only matches with strings. So if I have
figure in this column of my database, it is not selected. I would like
to return a true blank from my IF formula, so that everything is
matched both strings and figures. Is this possible?

Bye
Joop

--

Dave Peterson

Dave thank you for your answer!

I tried it but despite that the excel help states that "*" matches any
character or number, it does not match numbers, only strings.

I also tried without using the IF formula, just direct typing the "*".
Same result: only matching of strings.

So no solution yet.

Joop

I only tested against strings.

I put my data in A6:G17 (headers in row 6).
I put my criteria in I2:I3
I left I2 empty
I put this formula in I3:
=LEN(C7)=0

When I ran data|filter|advanced filter, I specified I2:I3 as my criteria range.

I saw just the cells that looked blank (either were blank or had formulas that
evaluated to "").

If I wanted the non-blank looking cells, I'd use this in I3:
=len(c7)0

==

(I'm not sure which way you're doing the filter--hiding or showing these blank
looking cells.)

Joop wrote:

Currently I am struckling with advanced filtering. In my criteria range
one cell contains an IF formula and the false condition it returns an
empty cell "". Problem is now that advanced filter does not treat this
as a true blank cell; it now only matches with strings. So if I have
figure in this column of my database, it is not selected. I would like
to return a true blank from my IF formula, so that everything is
matched both strings and figures. Is this possible?

Bye
Joop

--

Dave Peterson