[Solved] Why would an "_" Underscore be in a Formula?

**sdingman** · 12-08-2011, 11:19 AM

Please help me understand. I was watching this video on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOmiS...feature=relmfu

At 5:04 into the video they show the formula bar with underscores in the formula. Can anyone tell me anything about why or how this fellow at bionic turtle is using this. I'm trying to reproduce what he is doing, in order to understand this application, so that I can apply it to my situation.

Thanks,
Steve

**alansidman** · 12-08-2011, 12:08 PM

misposting

**ChemistB** · 12-08-2011, 12:23 PM

He uses the underscores to create his variable names (Defined names). For example, you can't define a name as "a2" since Excel uses that as a cell reference, so he names the variable "a2" as "_a2". Does that help?

**sdingman** · 12-08-2011, 04:51 PM

Thanks ChemistB, that's exactly what the guy did. He highlighted a cell, then in the upper left corner is the 'Name Box', where he named a cell _a1, and another _b1 an another _c1. Then in the formula bar, he used the 'name' in a formula instead of a cell reference.

**ChemistB** · 12-08-2011, 05:05 PM

Right, he couldn't name them "a1", "b1" and "c1" so he named them _a1, _b1 and _c1. When you type in the name box, that "name" goes into the defined name list (in Excel 2007, check Formulas>name manager). Hope that helps.