[Solved] Novice Needing Help with Simple Formula

[fjwag3]

..... working w 2 cells. Call 'em D5, D6. The larger # can be in either. Need to subtract the smaller from the larger, with the difference right next to the larger # in cell E5/E6.



I've been using open office for a long time for just simple stuff and you could say I sorta wing it! I can easily get around this lil problem, it's just more work.

[FJCC]

In E5 you could have

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=IF(D5>D6;D5-D6;"")

and in E6

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=IF(D6 > D5;D6-D5;"")

Why do you need the answer to be in one of two possible cells? The formula

Code: Select all

=ABS(D5-D6)

would return the desired result

[fjwag3]

=IF(D5>D6;D5-D6;"") for E5

=IF(D6 > D5;D6-D5;"") for E6

On the right trac, The number landed in the right spot, next to the larger number, but the subtraction is incorrect. Just shows 0.00

For your second solution.....yeah it has to be....I can easily do it manual, takes a lil longer and the possibility of a mistake.

=ABS(D5-D6) *Actually, can do it that way....when it is the wrong cell, I can just move it, at least the math is done.

So anybody else? What I am asking is not possible w OO?

Thanks for your response.

[RusselB]

Please double check that the cells D5 and/or D6 are not formatted as text or that there is no ' in front of the number when you are looking at the formula bar (located near the top of your spreadsheet).
If you can confirm that neither of these is a possibility, then please upload your spreadsheet with some non-confidential dummy data.

Edit: For the ABS function to work as you are wanting, simply exchange the ABS formula for the subtraction parameter in the formulas that (should) be working.
Kind of redundant in my opinion, since you want the information in different cells.

[fjwag3]

Edit: For the ABS function to work as you are wanting, simply exchange the ABS formula for the subtraction parameter in the formulas that (should) be working.
Kind of redundant in my opinion, since you want the information in different cells.

Could you write that out please?

*Never mind and thanks....I got it. That first formula is correct, has some spaces in it and or I may have had a text problem in the cells.
Got it now.

Much appreciated