Multiple terms in same cell?

You can enter =3*A + 2*B, and define A and B as constants both equal to 1: Insert > Name > Define, A Refers to: =1

What are you trying to do and why?

I'm trying to avoid putting too many columns in a file I'm working on. By the way, I should have mentioned that I'm using 2007.

Your suggestion worked (although, in Excel 2007, the "Define Name" command is in the "Formulas" tab), but I would also like to be able to sum only the terms that I choose; i.e., only the number of "A"s, "B"s or other terms. Is there any way to use the sum function (or another function) to do this?

Thanks

Originally Posted by shg

I've lost the bubble on what you're trying to do and why.

I am collecting data for certain categories of services. Many of these categories can be divided up into smaller subcategories, but I would like to avoid having to make separate columns for each subcategory. Instead, I want to assign the subcategories values of "A", "B" etc., and enter them into a single cell for each service date (thus: 5*A + 6*B + ... for any given date). You have shown me how to do this, but now I would like to know how to track the sum of the categories and subcategories as needed.

For example, given 5*A + 6*B in one cell and 6*A + 7*B in another cell, I want to be able to sum only the terms with A (giving 11) or only those with B (giving 12). The regular sum function recognizes only the total in each cell, as far as I can see.

Does that help to clarify?

Originally Posted by shg

So back to my prior suggestion: Create named cells, A, B, C, ...

Set the values of the cells you want to count to 1, and those you don't to zero.

BTW, I'd recommend against doing what you're doing.

Sorry, I'm having trouble understanding. If the cells A, B, C, ... are equivalent to my subcategories, then, there is no cell I don't want to count; what I want is to count different cells in different cases. Please let me know if I'm missing something.

Also, out of curiosity, why don't you recommend what I'm trying to do?

... why don't you recommend what I'm trying to do?

Because Excel has enormous capabilities to process data, most of which are oriented to the existence of atomic data in cells. You're trying to implement a custom parsing method that extracts multiple data from a single cell, for reasons that are not at all clear. It's not impossible, but neither is it simple, and there are almost certainly easier and straightforward alternatives.