Can you embed an IF function within an IF fuction?

Hello forum subscribers,

I have a value in B3, that when multiplied by a fixed rate, I want it to do 1 of 3 things. If less than 25, I want the cell to read 25. If above 485, I want the cell to list 485, and for everything between 25-485, I want it to list the product.

This is what I have so far:

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Excel errors out, so my question is, can you embed and IF function within an IF function? If so, can someone help pinpoint where my error is?

P.S. the error prompt highlights the parenthesis of the latter embedded IF function, if that helps with the solution. I also tried surrounding the first [value_if_false] (aka the second/embedded IF function in this case) with "[]" and with "{}", neither of which solved the problem.

Thank you for your time,

Sincerely,

S

Originally Posted by s0o0y

Hello forum subscribers,

I have a value in B3, that when multiplied by a fixed rate, I want it to do 1 of 3 things. If less than 25, I want the cell to read 25. If above 485, I want the cell to list 485, and for everything between 25-485, I want it to list the product.

This is what I have so far:

Please Login or Register  to view this content.

Excel errors out, so my question is, can you embed and IF function within an IF function? If so, can someone help pinpoint where my error is?

P.S. the error prompt highlights the parenthesis of the latter embedded IF function, if that helps with the solution. I also tried surrounding the first [value_if_false] (aka the second/embedded IF function in this case) with "[]" and with "{}", neither of which solved the problem.

Thank you for your time,

Sincerely,

S

Just remove the second equal sign on your formula...

Thank you, guys. Looks like my error was including the second "=".

I am new to excel outside of basic use, seems I keep excluding/including just ONE extra character when I try these things on my own, =x. Soon, I will be an intermediate user! Lol...

Thanks again,

-S

In Excel formulas, the equals sign can be used two ways:

If the first character in a cell is the equals sign, it indicates that the cell contains a formula and will attempt to evaluate the rest of the cell contents.
Any subsequent equals signs are comparison operators, meaning they return either TRUE or FALSE depending on the values surrounding the equals sign in the formula.

Here is an example of a formula that could use two equals signs:

=IF(A1=B1,"EQUAL","UNEQUAL")

This formula tests if A1 is equal to B1 and returns the word EQUAL or UNEQUAL. Usually Excel formulas contain only "=" so unless you intend to do a comparison as illustrated above, you would only use the = at the beginning of the formula.

Thank you, yay_excel.

I have a strong background in mathematics, and have been known to be called an analytical thinker. So instead of just providing me an answer, the explanation you also provided onto why the second equal sign was causing the said issue means I can now use this knowledge in all future endeavors with excel formulas. This marks my 4th question to the excelforum community, and I appreciate all the help you guys provide, esp. the explanations like this that have helped me solve many additional tasks without needing a consultation!

Thanks again for being thorough ,

-S

I understand exactly where you're coming from and greatly appreciated the detailed explanations I received while learning to program (and continue to receive when I'm stumped) so I am happy to spread the knowledge.

Originally Posted by yay_excel

I understand exactly where you're coming from and greatly appreciated the detailed explanations I received while learning to program (and continue to receive when I'm stumped) so I am happy to spread the knowledge.

^ Exactly! Hopefully I can help someone out soon myself, =).

Originally Posted by oeldere

@s0o0Y

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Please don't forget the girls

Oh, I mean "guys" in the colloquial sense as a catch all for everyone. Since not everyone who uses this forum is a native English speaker, I will try to use a more neutral word in the future, I mean no offense. .

That would be a nice method to reduce the clutter in my formula, and provide more utility, but in this example the decimal is a fixed value to determine a (possible) extra fee that will not change.

With the help you all provided, I was able to complete the ultimate goal of my function, which is actually TWO IF formulas imbedded in another. In case you were curious:

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Yay for being able to reduce a process that checks for 1 factor with two outcomes, and again into 3 more possible outcomes, all into one line/function that runs automatically as I fill in B3 with the value of my product! Yay for formulas, excel, and help from people like you all on this forum!

Hope you all have a good day/evening,

-S