Cell reference autofilling

rorycampbell11 

Absolutely! There are two ways you can achieve the desired autofill behavior in your Excel spreadsheet:

1. Using Relative Cell References:

• The key lies in understanding relative and absolute cell references. By default, Excel uses relative references, meaning it changes the reference based on its position. In your case, you want to keep the cell number ("B3") constant but change the tab name.
• Modify your initial formula: Instead of starting with "='Week 1'!B3", enter "='[Week 1]'!B3". Notice the square brackets around "Week 1". This instructs Excel to treat "Week 1" as a text string, not a cell reference.
• Autofill: Now, when you drag the fill handle down, Excel will increment the number within the square brackets, resulting in formulas like "='[Week 2]'!B3", "='[Week 3]'!B3", and so on.

2. Using the INDIRECT Function:

• This method involves the INDIRECT function, which converts a text string into a cell reference.
• Enter the following formula in your first cell: =INDIRECT("'" & A1 & "'!B3")
• Replace "A1" with the cell containing the week number/tab name (e.g., "Week 1").
• Autofill: Drag the fill handle down. The INDIRECT function will automatically adjust the week number in the text string based on the values in column A.

Bonus Tip: If your tab names follow a consistent pattern (e.g., "Week" followed by a number), you can use the ROW() function in combination with the CELL("address") function to automatically generate the tab names in column A.

Here are some additional details:

• Using relative references is generally preferred when dealing with consistent patterns.
• The INDIRECT function offers more flexibility but can be slower for large datasets.
• Both methods achieve the desired autofill behavior with different approaches.

Choose the method that best suits your needs and spreadsheet structure.