adding Text with a value

[gpdesigner]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forms so bare with me.
I just opened Excel for the first time today and started learning . . . I figured out some of the basics and did some tutorials found on line.
There is one function that I am trying to learn but I can't seem to find a tute for it or figure it out.
Here is what I am trying to do:
I have a spread sheet that I need to enter values in, but instead of always putting in number the items I have all have names
So if I write coffee mug in cell B2 I want the price of the coffee mug to show up in cell B5 and that figure added in cell M1

Is this a crazy request or is it as simple as one would think, as a newbee this is all Greek to me . .
Thanks in advance
gp

[alansidman]

Look at the vlookup function. Here is a tutorial.

http://www.techonthenet.com/excel/formulas/vlookup.php

[Palmetto]

So if I write coffee mug in cell B2 I want the price of the coffee mug to show up in cell B5 and that figure added in cell M1

This necessitates a look up and Alan has pointed the way.
The requirement is to relate the content of B2 to a table of values the correlate the cost to the item.

So, say we have a two-column table in the range of X1:Y10, where column-X values are the descriptions and column-Y values are the costs.

B5 formula: = VLOOKUP(B2,X1:Y10,2,FALSE)

This formula means "Look for value of cell B2 in the range of X1:Y10 and return the corresponding value from the second column in the table and B2 must have an exact match.
See the Excel Help on the syntax and arguments of VLOOKUP.

You might also want to visit YouTube - - there are many tutorials/demos on many Excel topics: Search on Excel 2007 Look Up

As for adding the result to cell M1, this depends on the formula in M1 and your specific requirements.

[gpdesigner]

Look at the vlookup function. Here is a tutorial.

http://www.techonthenet.com/excel/formulas/vlookup.php

Thanks for that link alansidman, this is going to be an interesting read. I can actually use this formula for a lot of functions
needed throughout my spreadsheet.

This necessitates a look up and Alan has pointed the way.
The requirement is to relate the content of B2 to a table of values the correlate the cost to the item.

So, say we have a two-column table in the range of X1:Y10, where column-X values are the descriptions and column-Y values are the costs.

B5 formula: = VLOOKUP(B2,X1:Y10,2,FALSE)

This formula means "Look for value of cell B2 in the range of X1:Y10 and return the corresponding value from the second column in the table and B2 must have an exact match.
See the Excel Help on the syntax and arguments of VLOOKUP.

You might also want to visit YouTube - - there are many tutorials/demos on many Excel topics: Search on Excel 2007 Look Up

As for adding the result to cell M1, this depends on the formula in M1 and your specific requirements.

Thanks for the youtube info Palmetto, I sort of figured the formula I needed had to reference something, infact I made the "reference table" already but I figured I would just have to write the values in by hand.
Now I realize that the lookup method will keep pace if I need to change the values in the "reference table" then this will filter through the entire document . . . awesome stuff here.
I am so late to the Excel party it's a shame . . . lol
Thanks for the help gentlemen.
gp