The T function in Excel is a text function that returns the text value of a cell or expression. It can be used to check if a cell or expression contains a valid number or not. In this article, we will explain the basic theory, the procedures, and a detailed example of using the T function in Excel.
The T function has the following syntax:
=T(value)
The value argument can be any cell reference, expression, or text value. The T function will return the value as text if it is text, or an empty string (“”) if it is not text.
For example, if we have the following values in cells A1 to A4:
| A |
|---|
| 10 |
| Hello |
| =2+3 |
| =TODAY() |
The T function will return the following results:
| A | B |
|---|---|
| 10 | “” |
| Hello | “Hello” |
| =2+3 | “” |
| =TODAY() | “” |
As you can see, the T function only returns the text value of the cell or expression, and returns an empty string for numbers, dates, or formulas.
Procedures
To use the T function in Excel, we can follow these steps:
- Select a cell where we want to enter the T function.
- Type
=T(and then select the cell or expression that we want to check for text. - Press Enter to complete the function and see the result.
Alternatively, we can use the Insert Function dialog box to enter the T function. To do this, we can follow these steps:
- Select a cell where we want to enter the T function.
- Click the Formulas tab on the ribbon, and then click the Insert Function button.
- In the Insert Function dialog box, select Text from the Category list, and then select T from the Function list.
- Click OK to open the Function Arguments dialog box.
- In the Function Arguments dialog box, enter the cell or expression that we want to check for text in the Value box.
- Click OK to complete the function and see the result.
Detailed Example
Let’s say we have a table of sales data that looks like this:
| Product | Price | Quantity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | $10 | 5 | $50 |
| B | $15 | 3 | $45 |
| C | $12 | 4 | $48 |
| D | $20 | 2 | $40 |
| E | $18 | 6 | $108 |
| F | $25 | 1 | $25 |
| G | $22 | 7 | $154 |
| H | $30 | 5 | $150 |
| I | $28 | 8 | $224 |
| J | $35 | 9 | $315 |
We want to use the T function to check if the values in the Price column are valid numbers or not. To do this, we can use the following formula in cell E2 and copy it down to the rest of the column:
=IF(T(B2)="","",B2*1.1)
This formula will check if the value in cell B2 is text or not using the T function. If it is text, it will return an empty string. If it is not text, it will multiply the value by 1.1 to add a 10% markup.
The result will look like this:
| Product | Price | Quantity | Total | Markup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $10 | 5 | $50 | $11 |
| B | $15 | 3 | $45 | $16.5 |
| C | $12 | 4 | $48 | $13.2 |
| D | $20 | 2 | $40 | $22 |
| E | $18 | 6 | $108 | $19.8 |
| F | $25 | 1 | $25 | $27.5 |
| G | $22 | 7 | $154 | $24.2 |
| H | $30 | 5 | $150 | $33 |
| I | $28 | 8 | $224 | $30.8 |
| J | $35 | 9 | $315 | $38.5 |
As you can see, the T function helped us to check for valid numbers in the Price column and apply a markup accordingly.
Other Approaches
There are other ways to check for valid numbers in Excel besides using the T function. Some of them are:
- Using the ISNUMBER function, which returns TRUE if the value is a number, and FALSE otherwise.
- Using the N function, which converts a value to a number if possible, and returns 0 otherwise.
- Using the VALUE function, which converts a text value to a number if possible, and returns an error otherwise.
For example, we can use the following formulas to check for valid numbers in the Price column and apply a 10% markup:
| Formula | Result |
|---|---|
=IF(ISNUMBER(B2),B2*1.1,"") |
Same as using the T function |
=N(B2)*1.1 |
Returns 0 for text values |
=VALUE(B2)*1.1 |
Returns an error for text values |
Depending on the situation, we can choose the most suitable approach to check for valid numbers in Excel.
