Nesting Address function in Offset without Quotes???

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Aaron - 31 Jan 2008 21:24 GMT

For the reference syntax of my offset formula I am using the Address
function. What I need is A1 but of course the Addres function returns "A1"
which means nothing to the offset function. how do I get the address formula
to just return A1? I suppose I could use MID, but is that the only way?

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Aaron - 31 Jan 2008 21:35 GMT

Actually, I can't use mid, since that also returns text I still get quotes.
I'm really stuck, how do I nest the result without the quotes??? Please help!

> For the reference syntax of my offset formula I am using the Address
> function. What I need is A1 but of course the Addres function returns "A1"
> which means nothing to the offset function. how do I get the address formula
> to just return A1? I suppose I could use MID, but is that the only way?

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Niek Otten - 31 Jan 2008 21:42 GMT

What are you trying to achieve?
What formula did you try (with what input values)?
What result did you expect and what did you get instead?

Signature

Kind regards,

Niek Otten
Microsoft MVP - Excel

| Actually, I can't use mid, since that also returns text I still get quotes.
| I'm really stuck, how do I nest the result without the quotes??? Please help!
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
| > which means nothing to the offset function. how do I get the address formula
| > to just return A1? I suppose I could use MID, but is that the only way?

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Aaron - 31 Jan 2008 21:58 GMT

Hi Niek, thanks for writing back. The first arguement of an offset function
is a cell reference. I am trying to fill that arguement with the Address
function (because my cell reference is not always the same, I need a function
to describe it). Address does the trick except that the offset function
thinks of the result of the address functiona as "A1" (literally with the
quotes). But for offset to work properly and recognize the cell it has to be
A1 (no quotes). =offset(A1,...... not =offset("A1",....

If you want to see for yourself, nest Address in the first arguement of
offset then highlight the nested address function in the formula bar and hit
F9, you will see what I'm saying. Any help is appreciated!

> What are you trying to achieve?
> What formula did you try (with what input values)?
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> | > which means nothing to the offset function. how do I get the address formula
> | > to just return A1? I suppose I could use MID, but is that the only way?

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David Biddulph - 31 Jan 2008 22:24 GMT

The INDIRECT function will convert your text string "A1" into a cell
reference.

I can't see, however, why you are using ADDRESS and then trying to feed that
into an OFFSET formula.

If you have ADDRESS(row_add,column_add) and then trying to do
OFFSET(INDIRECT(ADDRESS,row_add,column_add),row_offset,column_offset), then
I can't see why you don't just use
OFFSET(A1,row_add+row_offset-1,column_add+col_offset-1)

Signature

David Biddulph

> Hi Niek, thanks for writing back. The first arguement of an offset
> function
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
>> | > to just return A1? I suppose I could use MID, but is that the only
>> way?

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Aaron - 31 Jan 2008 22:33 GMT

Thanks so much David, if that works it is exactly what I'm asking for. To
answer your question, I can't use A1 as the first arguement because that ref
is a variable. Might be B15 sometimes. The address function has Match
function nested in it so I get may different refs for the first offset
arguement depending on what has happened on the spreadsheet. Does that make
sense or am I making life more difficult for myself?

> The INDIRECT function will convert your text string "A1" into a cell
> reference.
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
> >> | > to just return A1? I suppose I could use MID, but is that the only
> >> way?

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David Biddulph - 31 Jan 2008 22:45 GMT

Yes, you are making life difficult for yourself.

If your ADDRESS function is using ADDRESS(15,2) [perhaps using calculations
to get the 15 and 2 parameters] to return the address B15, and you then have
OFFSET(B15,3,4) to get to reference F18, then you could just add 15-1 and
2-1 respectively to the 2nd and 3rd parameters (3 and 4 respectively) of
OFFSET to show how far you are offset from A1, and OFFSET(A1,15+3-1,2+4-1)
will equally well get you to F18.

Signature

David Biddulph

> Thanks so much David, if that works it is exactly what I'm asking for. To
> answer your question, I can't use A1 as the first arguement because that
[quoted text clipped - 57 lines]
>> >> only
>> >> way?

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Aaron - 31 Jan 2008 23:24 GMT

Ah, I see. That is the same thing and I appreciate you showing it to me.

> Yes, you are making life difficult for yourself.
>
[quoted text clipped - 65 lines]
> >> >> only
> >> >> way?

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Harlan Grove - 31 Jan 2008 23:06 GMT

"David Biddulph" <groups [at] biddulph.org.uk> wrote...
...

>I can't see, however, why you are using ADDRESS and then trying to
>feed that into an OFFSET formula.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
>OFFSET(A1,row_add+row_offset-1,column_add+col_offset-1)

...

or even

INDEX($1:$65536,row_add+row_offset,column_add+col_offset)

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