The meaning of "+".
 

Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

The meaning of "+".
 

There is no difference: the + sign is redundant (throw-back to older
spreadsheet packages).

Hope this helps.

Pete

On Apr 15, 11:28*am, Cooz wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

The meaning of "+".
 

The "+" is extraneous. Harmless, but not necessary.
Believe it's just a legacy habit by ex-Lotus users.
--
Max
Singapore
http://savefile.com/projects/236895
xdemechanik
---
"Cooz" wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

The meaning of "+".
 

Thank you Max.
That is one clear answer.

Cooz

"Max" wrote:

The "+" is extraneous. Harmless, but not necessary.
Believe it's just a legacy habit by ex-Lotus users.
--
Max
Singapore
http://savefile.com/projects/236895
xdemechanik
---
"Cooz" wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

The meaning of "+".
 

It sure does.
Many thanks.

Cooz



"Pete_UK" wrote:

There is no difference: the + sign is redundant (throw-back to older
spreadsheet packages).

Hope this helps.

Pete

On Apr 15, 11:28 am, Cooz wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

The meaning of "+".
 

You're welcome.

Pete

On Apr 15, 11:56*am, Cooz wrote:
It sure does.
Many thanks.

Cooz



"Pete_UK" wrote:
There is no difference: the + sign is redundant (throw-back to older
spreadsheet packages).

Hope this helps.

Pete

On Apr 15, 11:28 am, Cooz wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The meaning of "+".
 

hi
not to seem argumentative, but me and lotus go back to pre-windows days and
i don't remember ever having to put plus signs in front of numbers in
formulas.
i had to put minus signs to denote negative numbers but you have to do that
in excel also.

regards
FSt1

"Max" wrote:

The "+" is extraneous. Harmless, but not necessary.
Believe it's just a legacy habit by ex-Lotus users.
--
Max
Singapore
http://savefile.com/projects/236895
xdemechanik
---
"Cooz" wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

The meaning of "+".
 

But I bet you wrote many formulas like:
+a1+b1

There are lots of old(!) Lotus 123 users who would do:
=+a1+b1
thinking that they need both.

It wasn't required in 123 and it's not required in xl.

FSt1 wrote:

hi
not to seem argumentative, but me and lotus go back to pre-windows days and
i don't remember ever having to put plus signs in front of numbers in
formulas.
i had to put minus signs to denote negative numbers but you have to do that
in excel also.

regards
FSt1

"Max" wrote:

The "+" is extraneous. Harmless, but not necessary.
Believe it's just a legacy habit by ex-Lotus users.
--
Max
Singapore
http://savefile.com/projects/236895
xdemechanik
---
"Cooz" wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

--

Dave Peterson

The meaning of "+".
 

Welcome, Cooz
--
Max
Singapore
http://savefile.com/projects/236895
xdemechanik
---
"Cooz" wrote in message
...
Thank you Max.
That is one clear answer.

Cooz

The meaning of "+".
 

Excel is inconsistent on this. Put XYZ in A1, then =LEN(A1) in B1.
Then put @LEN(A1) in B2, and +LEN(A1) in B3 - why does it leave the +
sign in the formula in B3?

Pete

On Apr 15, 2:20*pm, Dave Peterson wrote:
But I bet you wrote many formulas like:
+a1+b1

There are lots of old(!) Lotus 123 users who would do:
=+a1+b1
thinking that they need both.

It wasn't required in 123 and it's not required in xl.





FSt1 wrote:

hi
not to seem argumentative, but me and lotus go back to pre-windows days and
i don't remember ever having to put plus signs in front of numbers in
formulas.
i had to put minus signs to denote negative numbers but you have to do that
in excel also.

regards
FSt1

"Max" wrote:

The "+" is extraneous. Harmless, but not necessary.
Believe it's just a legacy habit by ex-Lotus users.
--
Max
Singapore
http://savefile.com/projects/236895
xdemechanik
---
"Cooz" wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

--

Dave Peterson- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The meaning of "+".
 

I don't know why it does, but it does.

But I forgive excel for trying to keep the user's formula as-is.

I don't forgive the user for starting with a + <vbg.

Pete_UK wrote:

Excel is inconsistent on this. Put XYZ in A1, then =LEN(A1) in B1.
Then put @LEN(A1) in B2, and +LEN(A1) in B3 - why does it leave the +
sign in the formula in B3?

Pete

On Apr 15, 2:20 pm, Dave Peterson wrote:
But I bet you wrote many formulas like:
+a1+b1

There are lots of old(!) Lotus 123 users who would do:
=+a1+b1
thinking that they need both.

It wasn't required in 123 and it's not required in xl.





FSt1 wrote:

hi
not to seem argumentative, but me and lotus go back to pre-windows days and
i don't remember ever having to put plus signs in front of numbers in
formulas.
i had to put minus signs to denote negative numbers but you have to do that
in excel also.

regards
FSt1

"Max" wrote:

The "+" is extraneous. Harmless, but not necessary.
Believe it's just a legacy habit by ex-Lotus users.
--
Max
Singapore
http://savefile.com/projects/236895
xdemechanik
---
"Cooz" wrote:
Hi everyone,

Someone wrote this function in a workbook that I am asked to describe:
=IF(+I4991="","",+I4991)

Can anyone explain why it should contain these + characters? What is the
difference compared to: =IF(I4991="","",I4991)?

Thank you,
Cooz

--

Dave Peterson- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

--

Dave Peterson

The meaning of "+".
 

I used to do it all the time, Dave, when I first started with Excel
(having come from Quattro Pro), and I still do it occasionally now.
<ebg

It would be quite easy for the Excel expression parser to replace =+
with just = when you have pressed the <Enter key.

Pete

On Apr 15, 4:52*pm, Dave Peterson wrote:
I don't know why it does, but it does.

But I forgive excel for trying to keep the user's formula as-is. *

I don't forgive the user for starting with a + <vbg.





Pete_UK wrote:

Excel is inconsistent on this. Put XYZ in A1, then =LEN(A1) in B1.
Then put @LEN(A1) in B2, and +LEN(A1) in B3 - why does it leave the +
sign in the formula in B3?

Pete

The meaning of "+".
 

Easy to request. Maybe not so easy to implement. Who knows for sure? Well, MS
does. But they never shared anything with me about this!



Pete_UK wrote:

I used to do it all the time, Dave, when I first started with Excel
(having come from Quattro Pro), and I still do it occasionally now.
<ebg

It would be quite easy for the Excel expression parser to replace =+
with just = when you have pressed the <Enter key.

Pete

On Apr 15, 4:52 pm, Dave Peterson wrote:
I don't know why it does, but it does.

But I forgive excel for trying to keep the user's formula as-is.

I don't forgive the user for starting with a + <vbg.





Pete_UK wrote:

Excel is inconsistent on this. Put XYZ in A1, then =LEN(A1) in B1.
Then put @LEN(A1) in B2, and +LEN(A1) in B3 - why does it leave the +
sign in the formula in B3?

Pete

--

Dave Peterson

The meaning of "+".
 

On Apr 15, 11:02 am, Pete_UK wrote:
I used to do it all the time, Dave, when I first started with Excel
(having come from Quattro Pro), and I still do it occasionally now.
<ebg

It would be quite easy for the Excel expression parser to replace =+
with just = when you have pressed the <Enter key.

Pete

On Apr 15, 4:52 pm, Dave Peterson wrote:

I don't know why it does, but it does.

But I forgive excel for trying to keep the user's formula as-is.

I don't forgive the user for starting with a + <vbg.

Pete_UK wrote:

Excel is inconsistent on this. Put XYZ in A1, then =LEN(A1) in B1.
Then put @LEN(A1) in B2, and +LEN(A1) in B3 - why does it leave the +
sign in the formula in B3?

Pete

Sometimes it does. Bad form to quote yourself? I posted the following
a week ago....


Actually, it's a Windows thing. This doesn't (or at least didn't,
haven't used every Mac version) occur on a Mac, strangely enough.

You can start typing a formula or function with an =, +, or -. It
automatically adds the necessary = at the beginning if you start
typing with a + or -.

If you type a + to start typing in a formula, Win Excel leaves the
plus in there for no apparent reason. Interestingly, if you type a +
followed by numerals, like, "+100+A4", then it does work properly and
the final result is "=100+A4". But if you follow with a reference or a
function, it leaves the extraneous +. So entering "+A4+100" becomes "=
+A4+100".

I think many people use the + because it is on the 10-key portion of
the keyboard, easier to reach than =.

Sometimes I don't care since it is harmless. Sometimes it annoys me
and I do a Replace "=+" with "=".