Help with the "," (comma's) in this formula...

Commas are just separators that divide up the various arguments within the function. In some locales (not the UK!) semi-colons are used instead because a comma is a decimal separator.

Hi LindseyJBat,
Welcome to ExcelForum
It sounds like you are at a fairly early stage.

This might help.

I am not giving specific codes or formulas or functions.
I am just trying to give you the general idea of what is going on.

Let’s say we have two people.
_ You
and
_ a Microsoft Excel Computer Engineer that has developed a thing for you to use to add two numbers.

The Computer Engineer wrote a code. This is what it looks like ( “Pseudo” code ):

_.......________________
Function AddTwoNumbers(Take As Number_One, Take As Number_Two) Giveback As Number

10 Let SumOfNumbers = Number_One + Number_Two
20 Let AddTwoNumbers = SumOfNumbers

End of Function
_.........________________

Here again, the same code, in the Forum Code # Tags Window which we use at ExcelForum to make the Thread look a bit more tidy:
_........___

Please Login or Register  to view this content.

_........____


Now let’s say, you want to add two numbers, 5 and 6, using Excel

What you do in order to do that, is to write something like this:

= AddTwoNumbers(5, 6)

After you do that, the code ( Function ( or Formula if you prefer ) ) springs into action. It recognises those two numbers you gave. One says that those two numbers are valid “arguments” required for that Function to work.


This is what actually happens:

The Function ( Formula if you prefer ) code, named AddTwoNumbers starts “running” at, if you like, the start of the full “Formula String” which you wrote, - it starts reading across from the left:
..= AddTw----...............

It then, as it goes across from left to right in “reading” what you wrote, it recognises the two numbers that you “gave”, 5 and 6. We say it recognises the two numbers as valid ( or “syntaxly correct” ) “arguments” for it to consider.

So Excel “reads” across that _ AddTwoNumbers(5, 6)_ . It recognises that it has a valid couple of numbers necessary for it to then go and do what it is has been created to do. So Excel then will go and do that. ( That is just the way Excel has been designed to do ) . It effectively “goes off to” that Function code , ( Formula if you prefer ) , named AddTwoNumbers, and follows first the code instruction, 10, which makes
10 SumOfNumbers = 5 + 6 = 11 ( 10 and 20 are just code line numbers for convenience. You can use them or not , as you choose. Code line numbers are not used much these days. These days the codes usually just go from top to bottom and ignore most line numbers. I just personally like to use them when explaining things ;-) )

The next code instruction,
20 , is to make AddTwoNumbers = SumOfNumbers = 11 . This last statement might sound a bit weird initially, but the following should help make that make more sense:
When a code ( Function ) of the sort I am discussing Ends, then we say something like “control is passed back” to where the Function was Called from. What that means in plain English is that you go back to the ( right ) end of what you wrote,
= ......---ers(5, 6)

But now, at this point in time, that _ = AddTwoNumbers(5, 6) _ has been changed into a number, 11 , by the “running” through of that code.

_......

So if you type that Formula including the two arguments of (5, 6) , then you will actually see afterwards 11 in the place where you typed in _ = AddTwoNumbers(5, 6)

( Technically , the code actually starts after you hit Enter )

_...

Coming back to your initial question
ipmt is a Function written by some Microsoft person. As Ali said, the comma’s are just there to separate your arguments.


The nice thing about Excel, is that you can yourself write a Function to do anything you want to do. It is not too difficult. You could write a Function called, say, LindseyAddNumbers.

You could write it such that it looked similar to the code I showed.
Then if you wrote in any cell , like_..
= LindseyAddNumbers(1,1)
_.. then, after you hit Enter, you would get 2 displayed in that cell

Of course, with Excel you could write a Function to do almost anything you want.

Hope that helps

Alan

P.s. If you are finished with this forum Thread which you started, then could you have a go at marking it as SOLVED please. See here for how to do that:
https://www.excelforum.com/developme...ml#post4605543

P.P.s. If you think you may ask for help here again, in this, or in another Thread, then if you have not done so already, we ask if you could please have a quick read of the Forum Rules and posting technique suggestions. It is usually worth it in the long run.
See here:
https://www.excelforum.com/forum-rul...rum-rules.html
http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...42#post4519006

Thanks