If not command in excel

Logical functions are useful for calculations that require multiple conditions or criteria to test. In our earlier articles, we have seen “VBA IF,” “VBA OR,” and “VBA AND” conditions. This article will discuss the “VBA IF NOT” function. Before introducing VBA IF NOT function, let me show you about VBA NOT functionThe VBA NOT function in MS Office Excel VBA is a built-in logical function. If a condition is FALSE, it yields TRUE; otherwise, it returns FALSE. It works as an inverse function.read more first.

What is NOT Function in VBA?

The “NOT” function is one of our logical functions with Excel and VBA. All the logical functions require logical tests to perform and return TRUE if the logical test is correct. If the logical test is incorrect, it will return FALSE.

But “VBA NOT” is the opposite of the other logical function. So, we would say this is the inverse function of logical functions.

The “VBA NOT” function returns “FALSE” if the logical test is correct. If the logical test is incorrect, it will return “TRUE.” Now, look at the syntax of the “VBA NOT” function.

NOT(Logical Test)

It is very simple. First, we need to provide a logical test. Then, the NOT function evaluates the test and returns the result.

Examples of NOT & IF Function in VBA?

Below are the examples of using the IF and NOT function in excelNOT Excel function is a logical function in Excel that is also known as a negation function and it negates the value returned by a function or the value returned by another logical function.read more VBA.

You can download this VBA IF NOT Excel Template here – VBA IF NOT Excel Template

Example #1

Take a look at the below code for an example.

Code:

Sub NOT_Example()

  Dim k As String

  k = Not (100 = 100)

  MsgBox k

End Sub

In the above code, we have declared the variable as a string.

Dim k As String

Then, for this variable, we have assigned the NOT function with the logical test as 100 = 100.

k = Not (100 = 100)

Then, we have written the code to show the result in the VBA message boxVBA MsgBox function is an output function which displays the generalized message provided by the developer. This statement has no arguments and the personalized messages in this function are written under the double quotes while for the values the variable reference is provided.read more. MsgBox k

Now, we will execute the code and see the result.

We got the result as “FALSE.”

Now, look back at the logical testA logical test in Excel results in an analytical output, either true or false. The equals to operator, “=,” is the most commonly used logical test.read more. We have provided the logical test as 100 = 100, which is generally TRUE; since we had given the NOT function, we got the result as FALSE. As we said in the beginning, it gives inverse results compared to other logical functions. Since 100 equals 100, it has returned the result as FALSE.

Example #2

Now, we will look at one more example with different numbers.

Code:

Sub NOT_Example()

 Dim k As String

 k = Not (85 = 148)

 MsgBox k

End Sub

The code is the same. The only thing we have changed here is We have changed the logical test from 100 = 100 to 85 = 148.

Now, we will run the code and see what the result is.

This time we got the result as TRUE. Now, examine the logical test.

k = Not (85 = 148)

We all know 85 is not equal to the number 148. Since it is not equal, the NOT function has returned the result as TRUE.

NOT with IF Condition:

In Excel or VBA, logical conditions are incomplete without the combination IF condition. Using the IF condition in excelIF function in Excel evaluates whether a given condition is met and returns a value depending on whether the result is “true” or “false”. It is a conditional function of Excel, which returns the result based on the fulfillment or non-fulfillment of the given criteria.
read more we can do many more things beyond default TRUE or FALSE. For example, we got FALSE and TRUE default results in the above examples. Instead, we can modify the result in our own words.

Look at the below code.

Code:

Sub NOT_Example2()

  Dim Number1 As String
  Dim Number2 As String

  Number1 = 100
  Number2 = 100

  If Not (Number1 = Number2) Then
   MsgBox "Number 1 is not equal to Number 2"
  Else
   MsgBox "Number 1 is equal to Number 2"
  End If

End Sub

We have declared two variables.

Dim Number1 As String & Dim Number2 As String

For these two variables, we have assigned the numbers 100 and 100, respectively.

Number1 = 100 & Number2 = 100

Then, we have attached the IF condition to alter the default TRUE or FALSE for the NOT function. If the result of the NOT function is TRUE, then my result will be as follows.

MsgBox “Number 1 is not equal to Number 2.”

If the NOT function result is FALSE, my result is as follows.

MsgBox “Number 1 is equal to Number 2.”

Now, we will run the code and see what happens.

We got the result as “Number 1 is equal to Number 2”, so the NOT function has returned the FALSE result to the IF condition. So, the IF condition returned this result.

Like this, we can use the IF condition to do the inverse test.

Recommended Articles

This article has been a guide to VBA IF NOT. Here, we discuss using the IF and NOT function in Excel VBA, examples, and downloadable Excel templates. Below are some useful articles related to VBA: –

• VBA Replace String
• VBA If Else Statement
• VBA AND Function
• IF OR in VBA

VBA IF Not

In any programming language, we have logical operators AND OR and NOT. Every operator has a specific function to do. AND combines two or more statements and return values true if every one of the statements is true where is in OR operator if any one of the statements is true the value is true. The NOT operator is a different thing. NOT operator negates the given statement. We use these logical operators with IF statements in our day to day data analysis. If we use IF NOT statement in VBA consider this as an inverse function.

We have discussed above that we use the logical operators with if statements. In this article, we will use NOT operator with the if statement. I said earlier that IF NOT statement in VBA is also considered as an inverse function. Why is that because if the condition is true it returns false and if the condition is false it returns true. Have a look below,

IF A>B equals to IF NOT B>A

Both the if statements above are identical how? In the first statement if A is greater than B then the next statement is executed and in the next, if not statement means if B is not greater than A which in itself means A is greater than B.

The most simple way to understand IF NOT statement should be as follows:

If True Then
If NOT false Then

Or we can say that

If False then
IF NOT True then

Both the statements in Comparison 1 and Comparison 2 are identical to each other.

Let’s use IF NOT function in few examples which will make it more clearly for us.

Note: We need to keep in mind that in order to use VBA in excel we first have to enable our developer’s tab from the files tab and then from the options section.

How to Use Excel VBA IF Not?

We will learn how to use a VBA IF Not with few examples in excel.

You can download this VBA IF NOT Excel Template here – VBA IF NOT Excel Template

Example #1 – VBA IF Not

Follow the below steps to use IF NOT in Excel VBA.

For example, I have two values in sheet 1 in cell A1 and B1. Have a look at them below,

What I want to do is compare these two values which one is greater using IF NOT statement in VBA.

Step 1: Go to the developer’s tab and then click on Visual Basic to open the VB Editor.

Step 2: Insert a module from the insert tab in the VB Editor. Double click on the module we just inserted to open another window where we are going to write our code.

Step 3: Every VBA code starts with a sub-function as below,

Code:

Sub Sample()

End Sub

Step 4: Declare two variables as integers which will store our values from cell A1 and B1.

Code:

Sub Sample()

Dim A, B As Integer

End Sub

Step 5: To assign values to these variables we need to activate the worksheet first by the following code.

Code:

Sub Sample()

Dim A, B As Integer
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate

End Sub

Step 6: Now we will assign these variables the values of A1 and B1.

Code:

Sub Sample()

Dim A, B As Integer
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate
A = Range("A1")
B = Range("B1")

End Sub

Step 7: Let us compare both the variables using IF NOT statement by the following code,

Code:

Sub Sample()

Dim A, B As Integer
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate
A = Range("A1")
B = Range("B1")
If Not A > B Then
MsgBox "B is greater than A"
Else
MsgBox "A is greater than B"
End If

End Sub

Step 8: Run the above code from the run button in VBA or we can press the F5 button to do the same. We will get the following result.

Step 9: Let us inverse the values of A and B and again run the code to see the following result.

In the first execution, A was greater than B but we compared IF NOT A>B, Initially, the condition was true so it displayed the result for False statement i.e. A is greater than B and vice versa for execution second.

Example #2 – VBA IF Not

In the first example we compared integers, let us compare strings in this example with IF NOT statement in VBA. In the same sheet1, we have two strings in cell A3 and B3 as follows,

Let us compare both the strings using IF NOT Statement.

Step 1: To open VB Editor first click on Developer’s Tab and then click on Visual Basic.

Step 2: In the same module, we inserted above double click on it to start writing the second code.

Step 3: Declare a sub-function below the code we wrote first.

Code:

Sub Sample1()

End Sub

Step 4: Declare two variables as a string that will store our values from cell A3 and B3.

Code:

Sub Sample1()

Dim A, B As String

End Sub

Step 5: To assign values to these variables we need to activate the worksheet first by the following code to use its properties.

Code:

Sub Sample1()

Dim A, B As String
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate

End Sub

Step 6: Now we will assign these variables the values of A3 and B3.

Code:

Sub Sample1()

Dim A, B As String
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate
A = Range("A3")
B = Range("B3")

End Sub

Step 7: Let us compare both the variables using IF NOT statement by the starting the if statement as follows,

Code:

Sub Sample1()

Dim A, B As String
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate
A = Range("A3")
B = Range("B3")
If Not A = B Then

End Sub

Step 8: If A = B condition is true then the above statement will negate it and return the value as false.

Code:

Sub Sample1()

Dim A, B As String
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate
A = Range("A3")
B = Range("B3")
If Not A = B Then
MsgBox "Both the strings are not same"

End Sub

Step 9: If both the strings are same i.e. if the result is returned as true display the following message,

Code:

Sub Sample1()

Dim A, B As String
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate
A = Range("A3")
B = Range("B3")
If Not A = B Then
MsgBox "Both the strings are not same"
Else
MsgBox "Both the Strings are same"
End If

End Sub

Step 10: Now let us run the above code by pressing the F5 button or from the run button given. Once we run the code we get the following result.

Step 11: Now let us make both the stings in A3 and B3 cell same to see the different result when we run the same code.

In the first execution A was not similar to B but we compared IF NOT A=B, Initially the condition was true so it displayed the result for false statement i.e. both the strings are not same and when both of the strings were same we get the different message as both the strings are same.

Things to Remember

• IF NOT is a comparison statement.
• IF NOT negates the value of the condition i.e. if a condition is true it returns false and vice versa.
• IF NOT statement is basically an inverse function.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to VBA If Not. Here we have discussed how to use Excel VBA If Not along with practical examples and downloadable excel template. You can also go through our other suggested articles –

1. VBA Active Cell
2. VBA RGB
3. VBA Transpose
4. VBA Not

Using IF with AND, OR and NOT functions

The IF function allows you to make a logical comparison between a value and what you expect by testing for a condition and returning a result if that condition is True or False.

=IF(Something is True, then do something, otherwise do something else)

But what if you need to test multiple conditions, where let’s say all conditions need to be True or False ( AND), or only one condition needs to be True or False ( OR), or if you want to check if a condition does NOT meet your criteria? All 3 functions can be used on their own, but it’s much more common to see them paired with IF functions.

Use the IF function along with AND, OR and NOT to perform multiple evaluations if conditions are True or False.

IF(AND()) — IF(AND(logical1, [logical2], . ), value_if_true, [value_if_false]))

IF(OR()) — IF(OR(logical1, [logical2], . ), value_if_true, [value_if_false]))

IF(NOT()) — IF(NOT(logical1), value_if_true, [value_if_false]))

The condition you want to test.

The value that you want returned if the result of logical_test is TRUE.

The value that you want returned if the result of logical_test is FALSE.

Here are overviews of how to structure AND, OR and NOT functions individually. When you combine each one of them with an IF statement, they read like this:

AND – =IF(AND(Something is True, Something else is True), Value if True, Value if False)

OR – =IF(OR(Something is True, Something else is True), Value if True, Value if False)

NOT – =IF(NOT(Something is True), Value if True, Value if False)

Examples

Following are examples of some common nested IF(AND()), IF(OR()) and IF(NOT()) statements. The AND and OR functions can support up to 255 individual conditions, but it’s not good practice to use more than a few because complex, nested formulas can get very difficult to build, test and maintain. The NOT function only takes one condition.

Here are the formulas spelled out according to their logic:

=IF(AND(A2>0,B2 0,B4 50),TRUE,FALSE)

IF A6 (25) is NOT greater than 50, then return TRUE, otherwise return FALSE. In this case 25 is not greater than 50, so the formula returns TRUE.

IF A7 (“Blue”) is NOT equal to “Red”, then return TRUE, otherwise return FALSE.

Note that all of the examples have a closing parenthesis after their respective conditions are entered. The remaining True/False arguments are then left as part of the outer IF statement. You can also substitute Text or Numeric values for the TRUE/FALSE values to be returned in the examples.

Here are some examples of using AND, OR and NOT to evaluate dates.

Here are the formulas spelled out according to their logic:

IF A2 is greater than B2, return TRUE, otherwise return FALSE. 03/12/14 is greater than 01/01/14, so the formula returns TRUE.

=IF(AND(A3>B2,A3 B2,A4 B2),TRUE,FALSE)

IF A5 is not greater than B2, then return TRUE, otherwise return FALSE. In this case, A5 is greater than B2, so the formula returns FALSE.

Using AND, OR and NOT with Conditional Formatting

You can also use AND, OR and NOT to set Conditional Formatting criteria with the formula option. When you do this you can omit the IF function and use AND, OR and NOT on their own.

From the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting > New Rule. Next, select the “ Use a formula to determine which cells to format” option, enter your formula and apply the format of your choice.

Edit Rule dialog showing the Formula method» loading=»lazy»>

Using the earlier Dates example, here is what the formulas would be.

If A2 is greater than B2, format the cell, otherwise do nothing.

=AND(A3>B2,A3 B2,A4 B2)

If A5 is NOT greater than B2, format the cell, otherwise do nothing. In this case A5 is greater than B2, so the result will return FALSE. If you were to change the formula to =NOT(B2>A5) it would return TRUE and the cell would be formatted.

Note: A common error is to enter your formula into Conditional Formatting without the equals sign (=). If you do this you’ll see that the Conditional Formatting dialog will add the equals sign and quotes to the formula — =»OR(A4>B2,A4

Need more help?

​​​​​​​

See also

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

Источник

Function IF in Excel with a few examples of conditions

The logical IF statement in Excel is used for the recording of certain conditions. It compares the number and / or text, function, etc. of the formula when the values correspond to the set parameters, and then there is one record, when do not respond — another.

Logic functions — it is a very simple and effective tool that is often used in practice. Let us consider it in details by examples.

The syntax of the function «IF» with one condition

The operation syntax in Excel is the structure of the functions necessary for its operation data.

Let us consider the function syntax:

• Boolean – what the operator checks (text or numeric data cell).
• Value_if_TRUE – what will appear in the cell when the text or numbers correspond to a predetermined condition (true).
• Value_if_FALSE – what appears in the box when the text or the number does not meet the predetermined condition (false).

Logical IF functions.

The operator checks the A1 cell and compares it to 20. This is a «Boolean». When the contents of the column is more than 20, there is a true legend «greater 20». In the other case it’s «less or equal 20».

Attention! The words in the formula need to be quoted. For Excel to understand that you want to display text values.

Here is one more example. To gain admission to the exam, a group of students must successfully pass a test. The results are listed in a table with columns: a list of students, a credit, an exam.

The statement IF should check not the digital data type but the text. Therefore, we prescribed in the formula В2= «done» We take the quotes for the program to recognize the text correctly.

The function IF in Excel with multiple conditions

Usually one condition for the logic function is not enough. If you need to consider several options for decision-making, spread operators’ IF into each other. Thus, we get several functions IF in Excel.

The syntax is as follows:

Here the operator checks the two parameters. If the first condition is true, the formula returns the first argument is the truth. False — the operator checks the second condition.

Examples of a few conditions of the function IF in Excel:

It’s a table for the analysis of the progress. The student received 5 points:

• А – excellent;
• В – above average or superior work;
• C – satisfactory;
• D – a passing grade;
• E – completely unsatisfactory.

IF statement checks two conditions: the equality of value in the cells.

In this example, we have added a third condition, which implies the presence of another report card and «twos». The principle of the operator is the same.

Enhanced functionality with the help of the operators «AND» and «OR»

When you need to check out a few of the true conditions you use the function И. The point is: IF A = 1 AND A = 2 THEN meaning в ELSE meaning с.

OR function checks the condition 1 or condition 2. As soon as at least one condition is true, the result is true. The point is: IF A = 1 OR A = 2 THEN value B ELSE value C.

Functions AND & OR can check up to 30 conditions.

An example of using the operator AND:

It’s the example of using the logical operator OR.

How to compare data in two tables

Users often need to compare the two spreadsheets in an Excel to match. Examples of the «life»: compare the prices of goods in different bringing, to compare balances (accounting reports) in a few months, the progress of pupils (students) of different classes, in different quarters, etc.

To compare the two tables in Excel, you can use the COUNTIFS statement. Consider the order of application functions.

For example, consider the two tables with the specifications of various food processors. We planned allocation of color differences. This problem in Excel solves the conditional formatting.

Baseline data (tables, which will work with):

Select the first table. Conditional Formatting — create a rule — use a formula to determine the formatted cells:

In the formula bar write: = COUNTIFS (comparable range; first cell of first table)=0. Comparing range is in the second table.

To drive the formula into the range, just select it first cell and the last. «= 0» means the search for the exact command (not approximate) values.

Choose the format and establish what changes in the cell formula in compliance. It’s better to do a color fill.

Select the second table. Conditional Formatting — create a rule — use the formula. Use the same operator (COUNTIFS). For the second table formula:

Now it is easy to compare the characteristics of the data in the table.

Источник

Excel Commands

List of Top 10 Commands in Excel

Whether in engineering, medicine, chemistry, or any field, an Excel spreadsheet is the common tool for data maintenance. Some of them use it to maintain their database and others use this tool as a weapon to turn fortune for the respective companies they are working on. So, you, too, can turn things around for yourself by learning some of the most useful Excel commands.

Table of contents

#1 VLOOKUP Function to Fetch Data

The data in multiple sheets are common in many offices, but fetching the data from one worksheet to another and from one workbook to another is a challenge for beginners in Excel.

In table 1, we have the subject list and their respective scores, and in table 2, we have some subject names, but we do not have scores for them. So, using these subject names in table 2, we need to fetch the data from table 1.

First, let us open the VLOOKUP function in the E2 cell.

Then, select the LOOKUP value as a D3 cell.

Next, we must select the table array as A3 to B8 and press the F4 key to make them an absolute reference.

Column Index Number is from the selected table array from which column you need to fetch the data. So, in this case, from the second column, we need to bring the data.

For the last argument range, LOOKUP, we must select FALSE as the option, or else we can enter.

Close the bracket and press the Enter key to get the score of Sub 4. Also, copy the formula and paste it to the below cell.

You have learned a formula to fetch values from different tables based on a LOOKUP value.

#2 IF Condition to Do Logical Test

The Excel IF condition can be your friend in many situations because of its ability to conduct logical tests. For example, assume you want to test the scores of students and give the result. Below is the data for your reference.

In the above table, we have students’ scores from the examination. So we need to arrive at the result as either “PASS” or “FAIL” based on these scores. So to reach these results criteria, if the score is >=35, the result should be “PASS” or else “FAIL.”

• We must first open the IF condition in the C2 cell.

• The first argument is logical to test.So, in this example, we need to do the logical test of whether the score is >=35, select the score cell B2, and apply the logical test as B2 >= 35.

• The next argument is value if true. If the applied logical test is “TRUE,” what is the value we need? If the logical test is “TRUE,” we need the result as “Pass.”

• So, the final part is value if false.If the applied logical test is “FALSE,” then we need the result as “Fail.”

• Now, close the bracket, and we also need to fill the formula to the remaining cells.

So, students A and F scored less than 35. Therefore, the result has arrived as “FAIL.”

#3 CONCATENATE Function to Combine Two or More Values

• First, we need to open the CONCATENATE function in the C2 cell.

• For the first argument, “Text 1,“ select the “First Name” cell, and for “Text 2,” choose the “Last Name” cell.

• Then, we need to apply the formula to all the cells to get the full name.

• If you want space as the “First Name” and “Last Name” separator, we can use the space character in double-quotes after selecting the first name.

#4 Count Only Numerical Values

If we want to count only numerical values from the range, you need to use the COUNT function in Excel. Take a look at the below data.

From the above table, we need to count only numerical values. For this, we can use the COUNT function.

The result of the COUNT function is 6. The total count of cells is 8, but we have got the count of numerical values as 6. In cells A4 and A6, we have text values, but in cell A8, we have date values. The Excel COUNT function treats the date also as a numerical value only.

Note: “Date” and “Time” values are numerical values if the formatting is correct. Otherwise, they will be treated as “text” values.

#5 Count All Values

We got the count as 8 because the COUNTA function has counted all the cell values.

Note: Both the COUNT and COUNTA functions ignore blank cells.

#6 Count Based on Condition

From this “City List,” if we want to count how many times “Bangalore” city is mentioned, we must open the COUNTIF function.

The first argument is “RANGE,” so we need to select the range of values from A2 to B9.

The second argument is “Criteria,” i.e., what you want to count, i.e., “Bangalore.

Bangalore has appeared three times in the range A2 to B9, so the COUNTIF function returns 3 as the count.

#7 Count Number of Characters in the Cell

“Excel” has 5 characters, so the result is 5.

Note: Space is also considered as one character.

#8 Convert Negative Value to Positive Value

#9 Convert All Characters to UPPERCASE Values

And if we want to convert all the text values to LOWERCASE values, then use the LOWER formula.

#10 Find Maximum and Minimum Values

Things to Remember

• These are some of the important formulas/commands in excel which are used regularly.
• We can also use these functions at the advanced level.
• There are more advanced formulas in Excel which come under advanced level courses.
• Space is considered one character.

Recommended Articles

This article is a guide to Excel Commands. Here, we discuss the top 10 commands in Excel, examples, and a downloadable template. You may learn more about Excel from the following articles: –

Источник

Logical functions are some of the most popular and useful in Excel. They can test values in other cells and perform actions dependent upon the result of the test. This helps us to automate tasks in our spreadsheets.

How to Use the IF Function

The IF function is the main logical function in Excel and is, therefore, the one to understand first. It will appear numerous times throughout this article.

Let’s have a look at the structure of the IF function, and then see some examples of its use.

The IF function accepts 3 bits of information:

=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])

• logical_test: This is the condition for the function to check.
• value_if_true: The action to perform if the condition is met, or is true.
• value_if_false: The action to perform if the condition is not met, or is false.

Comparison Operators to Use with Logical Functions

When performing the logical test with cell values, you need to be familiar with the comparison operators. You can see a breakdown of these in the table below.

Now let’s look at some examples of it in action.

IF Function Example 1: Text Values

In this example, we want to test if a cell is equal to a specific phrase. The IF function is not case-sensitive so does not take upper and lower case letters into account.

The following formula is used in column C to display “No” if column B contains the text “Completed” and “Yes” if it contains anything else.

=IF(B2="Completed","No","Yes")

Although the IF function is not case sensitive, the text must be an exact match.

IF Function Example 2: Numeric Values

The IF function is also great for comparing numeric values.

In the formula below we test if cell B2 contains a number greater than or equal to 75. If it does, then we display the word “Pass,” and if not the word “Fail.”

=IF(B2>=75,"Pass","Fail")

The IF function is a lot more than just displaying different text on the result of a test. We can also use it to run different calculations.

In this example, we want to give a 10% discount if the customer spends a certain amount of money. We will use £3,000 as an example.

=IF(B2>=3000,B2*90%,B2)

The B2*90% part of the formula is a way that you can subtract 10% from the value in cell B2. There are many ways of doing this.

What’s important is that you can use any formula in the value_if_true or value_if_false sections. And running different formulas dependent upon the values of other cells is a very powerful skill to have.

IF Function Example 3: Date Values

In this third example, we use the IF function to track a list of due dates. We want to display the word “Overdue” if the date in column B is in the past. But if the date is in the future, calculate the number of days until the due date.

The formula below is used in column C. We check if the due date in cell B2 is less than today’s date (The TODAY function returns today’s date from the computer’s clock).

=IF(B2<TODAY(),"Overdue",B2-TODAY())

What are Nested IF Formulas?

You may have heard of the term nested IFs before. This means that we can write an IF function within another IF function. We may want to do this if we have more than two actions to perform.

One IF function is capable of performing two actions (the value_if_true and value_if_false ). But if we embed (or nest) another IF function in the value_if_false section, then we can perform another action.

Take this example where we want to display the word “Excellent” if the value in cell B2 is greater than or equal to 90, display “Good” if the value is greater than or equal to 75, and display “Poor” if anything else.

=IF(B2>=90,"Excellent",IF(B2>=75,"Good","Poor"))

We have now extended our formula to beyond what just one IF function can do. And you can nest more IF functions if necessary.

Notice the two closing brackets on the end of the formula—one for each IF function.

There are alternative formulas that can be cleaner than this nested IF approach. One very useful alternative is the SWITCH function in Excel.

The AND and OR functions are used when you want to perform more than one comparison in your formula. The IF function alone can only handle one condition, or comparison.

Take an example where we discount a value by 10% dependent upon the amount a customer spends and how many years they have been a customer.

On their own, the AND and OR functions will return the value of TRUE or FALSE.

The AND function returns TRUE only if every condition is met, and otherwise returns FALSE. The OR function returns TRUE if one or all of the conditions are met, and returns FALSE only if no conditions are met.

These functions can test up to 255 conditions, so are certainly not limited to just two conditions like is demonstrated here.

Below is the structure of the AND and OR functions. They are written the same. Just substitute the name AND for OR. It is just their logic which is different.

=AND(logical1, [logical2] ...)

Let’s see an example of both of them evaluating two conditions.

AND Function example

The AND function is used below to test if the customer spends at least £3,000 and has been a customer for at least three years.

=AND(B2>=3000,C2>=3)

You can see that it returns FALSE for Matt and Terry because although they both meet one of the criteria, they need to meet both with the AND function.

OR Function Example

The OR function is used below to test if the customer spends at least £3,000 or has been a customer for at least three years.

=OR(B2>=3000,C2>=3)

In this example, the formula returns TRUE for Matt and Terry. Only Julie and Gillian fail both conditions and return the value of FALSE.

Using AND and OR with the IF Function

Because the AND and OR functions return the value of TRUE or FALSE when used alone, it’s rare to use them by themselves.

Instead, you’ll typically use them with the IF function, or within an Excel feature such as Conditional Formatting or Data Validation to perform some retrospective action if the formula evaluates to TRUE.

In the formula below, the AND function is nested inside the IF function’s logical test. If the AND function returns TRUE then 10% is discounted from the amount in column B; otherwise, no discount is given and the value in column B is repeated in column D.

=IF(AND(B2>=3000,C2>=3),B2*90%,B2)

The XOR Function

In addition to the OR function, there is also an exclusive OR function. This is called the XOR function. The XOR function was introduced with the Excel 2013 version.

This function can take some effort to understand, so a practical example is shown.

The structure of the XOR function is the same as the OR function.

=XOR(logical1, [logical2] ...)

When evaluating just two conditions the XOR function returns:

• TRUE if either condition evaluates to TRUE.
• FALSE if both conditions are TRUE, or neither condition is TRUE.

This differs from the OR function because that would return TRUE if both conditions were TRUE.

This function gets a little more confusing when more conditions are added. Then the XOR function returns:

• TRUE if an odd number of conditions return TRUE.
• FALSE if an even number of conditions result in TRUE, or if all conditions are FALSE.

Let’s look at a simple example of the XOR function.

In this example, sales are split over two halves of the year. If a salesperson sells £3,000 or more in both halves then they are assigned Gold standard. This is achieved with an AND function with IF like earlier in the article.

But if they sell £3,000 or more in either half then we want to assign them Silver status. If they don’t sell £3,000 or more in both then nothing.

The XOR function is perfect for this logic. The formula below is entered into column E and shows the XOR function with IF to display  “Yes” or “No” only if either condition is met.

=IF(XOR(B2>=3000,C2>=3000),"Yes","No")

The NOT Function

The final logical function to discuss in this article is the NOT function, and we have left the simplest for last. Although sometimes it can be hard to see the ‘real world’ uses of the function at first.

The NOT function reverses the value of its argument. So if the logical value is TRUE, then it returns FALSE. And if the logical value is FALSE, it will return TRUE.

This will be easier to explain with some examples.

The structure of the NOT function is;

=NOT(logical)

NOT Function Example 1

In this example, imagine we have a head office in London and then many other regional sites. We want to display the word “Yes” if the site is anything except London, and “No” if it is London.

The NOT function has been nested in the logical test of the IF function below to reverse the TRUE result.

=IF(NOT(B2="London"),"Yes","No")

This can also be achieved by using the NOT logical operator of <>. Below is an example.

=IF(B2<>"London","Yes","No")

NOT Function Example 2

The NOT function is useful when working with information functions in Excel. These are a group of functions in Excel that check something, and return TRUE if the check is a success, and FALSE if it is not.

For example, the ISTEXT function will check if a cell contains text and return TRUE if it does and FALSE if it does not. The NOT function is helpful because it can reverse the result of these functions.

In the example below, we want to pay a salesperson 5% of the amount they upsell. But if they did not upsell anything, the word “None” is in the cell and this will produce an error in the formula.

The ISTEXT function is used to check for the presence of text. This returns TRUE if there is text, so the NOT function reverses this to FALSE. And the IF performs its calculation.

=IF(NOT(ISTEXT(B2)),B2*5%,0)

Mastering logical functions will give you a big advantage as an Excel user. To be able to test and compare values in cells and perform different actions based on those results is very useful.

---

This article has covered the best logical functions used today. Recent versions of Excel have seen the introduction of more functions added to this library, such as the XOR function mentioned in this article. Keeping up to date with these new additions will keep you ahead of the crowd.