use IF to return a truly blank cell

I often use if statements to return empty cells, for example:

=IF(a1=0,"ERROR","")

The trailing "" returns an empty cell. The problem is, it is not TRULY empty. If I fill that formula down, I cannot, for example, jump from one "ERROR" cell to the next by hitting Ctrl arrow-down because it seems to think that these empty cells have contents.

Is there a way to designate, in such a formula as above, to return a TRULY empty cell?

Thanks

Yes but... I forgot to mention a key step I do. After running this IF formula I always copy and paste special the cells as values. So the formulas no longer exist. The "" is turned into nothingness that is not, truly, nothingness. The Find technique is great if you want to find and replace something within a given cell, but I want to find and merely TAG something (in an adjacent cell; hence using the formula)

Nope.

If you don't need the formula, you could use this:

=if(a1=0,"Error","deletethis")
Drag down the column
convert to values (edit|copy, edit|paste special|Values)

Then edit|replace
what: deletethis
with: (leave blank)
replace all.



cwinters wrote:
>
> I often use if statements to return empty cells, for example:
>
> =IF(a1=0,"ERROR","")
>
> The trailing "" returns an empty cell. The problem is, it is not TRULY
> empty. If I fill that formula down, I cannot, for example, jump from
> one "ERROR" cell to the next by hitting Ctrl arrow-down because it
> seems to think that these empty cells have contents.
>
> Is there a way to designate, in such a formula as above, to return a
> TRULY empty cell?
>
> Thanks
>
> --
> cwinters
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> cwinters's Profile: http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=18386
> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=393270

--

Dave Peterson

Use an event macro.

If cell A1 changes and is zero then set the result cell to "ERROR"
if cell A1 changes and is not zero then set the result cell to ""
--
Gary's Student


"cwinters" wrote:

>
> I often use if statements to return empty cells, for example:
>
> =IF(a1=0,"ERROR","")
>
> The trailing "" returns an empty cell. The problem is, it is not TRULY
> empty. If I fill that formula down, I cannot, for example, jump from
> one "ERROR" cell to the next by hitting Ctrl arrow-down because it
> seems to think that these empty cells have contents.
>
> Is there a way to designate, in such a formula as above, to return a
> TRULY empty cell?
>
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> cwinters
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> cwinters's Profile: http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=18386
> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=393270
>
>

After you convert to values, you can see that those "empty" cells aren't really
empty.

Tools|Options|Transition tab|check Transition navigation keys
(remember to toggle it off later!)

Now look at the formula bar for one of those empty cells--you'll see a single
quote.

I usually use a formula like:

=if(a1=0,"ok",na())

convert to values and then do that Edit|replace on the #n/a! string.

(Kind of the same response as the deletethis message, huh?)

cwinters wrote:
>
> Yes but... I forgot to mention a key step I do. After running this IF
> formula I always copy and paste special the cells as values. So the
> formulas no longer exist. The "" is turned into nothingness that is
> not, truly, nothingness. The Find technique is great if you want to
> find and replace something within a given cell, but I want to find and
> merely TAG something (in an adjacent cell; hence using the formula)
>
> --
> cwinters
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> cwinters's Profile: http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=18386
> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=393270

--

Dave Peterson