For example, in the screenshot shown, the formula D5, copied down, is: Here, we use the IF function to check the value in column C5. If the value is greater than 10, the formula returns “x” as text. Otherwise, IF returns an empty string (""). When an empty string is the result of a formula, it looks like the cell is blank. So, empty strings are commonly used to return a value that looks like nothing. In other words, return a result that appears as an empty cell. One thing to note is that some functions will treat empty strings as if they do have a value. For example, the ISBLANK function will return FALSE if used on a cell that contains a formula that has returned “”. Likewise, the COUNTA function will include cells that contain formulas that have returned “”. Author
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
