Similar formulas, one gives blank cell other gives 0 (added attachment)

[Rob44]

I can't see any differences in the two formulas but the top formula gives a blank cell and the other gives a zero. It should be blank on both.
I've tried swapping cells but the second formula still gives a zero.
Driving me nuts, please tell me what may be wrong.

Cell "A" is a formula to get text from another sheet. Sometimes this produces a blank cell.
Cell "C" is a formula to get a number from another sheet. If cell "A" is blank then so is this one.

IF($C18>0,LEFT($A18,3),MID($A18,5,3))

IF($C18>0,MID($A18,5,3),LEFT($A18,3))

It's no big deal but I would like to find out what is wrong.

Thanks in advance........

P.S. Maybe I should have explained that I do have both working formulas (without zeros) but didn't understand why swapping left and mid produced the zero.
Rob

[Jonmo1]

It's really hard to say without seeing your sheet.

What exactly is in C18 and A18 ?

Can you post a sample book?

Attach a sample workbook. Make sure there is just enough data to demonstrate your need. Include a BEFORE sheet and an AFTER sheet in the workbook if needed to show the process you're trying to complete or automate. Make sure your desired results are shown, mock them up manually if necessary.

Remember to desensitize the data.

Click on GO ADVANCED and use the paperclip icon to open the upload window.

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[Richard Buttrey]

Hi,

We can probably only answer this if we can see the formulae in context. Can you upload the workbook or at least the relevant part of it?