Redundant functions in Numbers '08

[wildwobby]

Hi,

I have a spread sheet and its the sort of thing where there are a list of prices, of which I plan to add one entry per day and I want it to have a running total next to each entry. How can I do this without placing a new function with each entry. There has got to be an automatic way, right?

 

[Darsh]

A slightly complicated way is the following (the actual functions might be wrong, I dont use Numbers, but the idea should be the same)

Lets say you want to start your values from A1, and your totals from B1.

In B1, put the following:

=A1

In B2 (your total after two days) put the following:

=if(A2="" ; "" ; B1 + A2)

Then fill that down really far (way beyond your current bottom).

What that does, is check to see if there's a value for that date... if there isn't, it displays nothing.

If there is, it adds the days value to the previous day's running total.


If Numbers works significantly different than Office/OpenOffice/NeoOffice this may not work,but I assume it does.

 

[wildwobby]

A slightly complicated way is the following (the actual functions might be wrong, I dont use Numbers, but the idea should be the same)

Lets say you want to start your values from A1, and your totals from B1.

In B1, put the following:

=A1

In B2 (your total after two days) put the following:

=if(A2="" ; "" ; B1 + A2)

Then fill that down really far (way beyond your current bottom).

What that does, is check to see if there's a value for that date... if there isn't, it displays nothing.

If there is, it adds the days value to the previous day's running total.


If Numbers works significantly different than Office/OpenOffice/NeoOffice this may not work,but I assume it does.

Right, thats just what I don't want to do though.

 

[Macjames]

reply

Hi,

Try putting this formula in your running total column and dragging all the way down to the very end of your sheet

column B is where your entering your daily information and c is your running total

=IF(B20=0,"",C19+B20)
=IF(Entry Cell = blank,put zero,else put in a function)

Hope that helps until you find a fully auto solution

 

[Darsh]

Right, thats just what I don't want to do though.

Can you explain better what you want? My solution doesn't require you to re-enter the formula every day as you specified. Do it once, and its done forever, and you'll never know it was that way.

 

[wildwobby]

Right, but that do-it once option you said is really a do it a hundred times in advanced. Its not as flexible as I'd like. I was looking for something like where you can select a whole column and have it dynamically multiply the A and B columns of the proper row, thereby only physically typing one function, and not one per row.

 

[Darsh]

You are only typing one formula. If you enter a formula, then select that cell, you will see a black square in the bottom right corner of the selection window. If you click that and drag it down, it will do exactly what you want - fill in multiple formulas automatically.

lets say you have:
A B C
1 2
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9

if you enter =A1 + B1 in cell C1, then drag it down all the way, C2 will have =A2 + B2, C3 will have =A3 + B3, etc etc

You don't type in every one of those formulas, it will automatically fill those in.