Formulas and Functions

Chapter 2 Overview of the iWork Functions 39
Value Type Description
reference This is a reference to a single cell or a range
of cells. If the range is more than one cell, the
starting and ending cell are separated by a single
colon. For example, =COUNT(A3:D7).
Unless the cell name is unique within all tables,
the reference must contain the name of the table
if the reference is to a cell on another table. For
example, =Table 2::B2. Note that the table name
and cell reference are separated by a double
colon (::).
If the table is on another sheet, the sheet name
must also be included, unless the cell name is
unique within all the the sheets. For example,
=SUM(Sheet 2::Table 1::C2:G2). The sheet name,
table name and cell reference are separated by
double colons.
Some functions that accept ranges can operate
on ranges that span multiple tables. Assume
that you have a le open that has one sheet
containing three tables (Table 1, Table 2, Table
3). Assume further that cell C2 in each table
contains the number 1. The table-spanning
formula =SUM(Table 1:Table 2 :: C2) would sum
cell C2 in all tables between Table 1 and Table 2.
So the result would be 2. If you drag Table 3 so
that it appears between Table 1 and Table 2 in
the sidebar, the function will return 3, since it is
now summing cell C2 in all three tables (Table 3
is between Table 1 and Table 2).
string A string is zero or more characters, or a reference
to a cell containing one or more characters. The
characters can consist of any printable characters,
including numbers. If a string value is typed into
the formula, it must be enclosed in quotation
marks. If the string value is somehow limited (for
example, the string must represent a date), this is
included within the argument description.