Forum Discussion
Cell Reference
Backstory:
I work in the financial industry and I'm in excel for about 6 hours a day doing a variety of tasks, mostly balance sheets for clients. Typically I am able to locate an answer after a few google searches, but I am having upmost difficulty finding a solution to this specific problem, maybe because it is so niche.
The Problem:
I often reference a cell in a separate "Balance Sheet" tab within the same excel file with no issues. The cell on the balance sheet has a note identifying what the value represents (i.e. the cell will have $10.00 value and the note will say "Cash in Pocket"). When going to reference the cell, lets say 'H11' is the cell I want to reference, sometimes I will have to click on cell 'H10' and use my keyboard arrows to shift down to H11. (when the note is displayed on the cell, sometimes it prevents a simple click on the cell). With all this being said, sometimes when I click the cell it will read "$H$10" instead of "H10". (I know the '$' means that this cell reference is locked). The $ prevents me from using the arrows on the keyboard to move down to the correct cell.
The Question:
What setting could I adjust to ensure that the '$' doesn't automatically appear when I click the cell?
- mathetesSilver Contributor
Two thoughts.
- The $ should not be preventing you from using the arrow keys to move up or down. There must be something else going on. That's not at all what is "locked" in the cell reference,
- I would not recommend eliminating the $ from the cell reference anyway without first knowing why it was put there in the first place.
Here is a link where you can educate yourself on the appropriate use of absolute references. Then read up on relative references. If after doing that it still makes sense to change the absolute reference in your sheet to a relative, it might be a good change. But be aware of the different usages before doing so, because there could be unintended and undesired consequences.