Datasheet

30
Part I: Putting the Fun in Functions
Function Comment
=NOW()
Takes no arguments.
=AVERAGE(A6,A11,B7)
Can take up to 255 arguments.
Here, three cell references are
included as arguments. The argu-
ments are separated by commas.
=AVERAGE(A6:A10,A13:A19,A23:A29)
In this example, the arguments are
range references instead of cell
references. The arguments are
separated by commas.
=IPMT(B5, B6, B7, B8)
Requires four arguments. Commas
separate the arguments.
Some functions have required arguments and optional arguments. You must
provide the required ones. The optional ones are well, optional. But you may
want to include them if their presence helps the function return the value
you need.
The IPMT function is a good example. Four arguments are required, and two
more are optional. You can read more about the IPMT function in Chapter 5.
You can read more about function arguments in Chapter 2.
Arguing with a function
Memorizing the arguments that every function takes would be a daunting
task. We can only think that if you could pull that off you could be on televi-
sion. But back to reality, you don’t have to memorize them because Excel
helps you select what function to use, and then tells you which arguments
are needed.
Figure 1-21 shows the Insert Function dialog box. This great helper is
accessed by clicking the Insert Function button on the Formulas Ribbon. The
dialog box is where you select a function to use.
The dialog box contains a listing of all available functions — and there are
a lot of them! So to make matters easier, the dialog box gives you a way to
search for a function by a keyword, or you can filter the list of functions by
category.
If you know which category a function belongs in, you can click the function
category button in the Formulas Ribbon and select the function from the list.
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