Forum Discussion
Need Formula help
You've given us, I suspect, only a part of the actual big picture. Your end goal surely is not to simply have an Excel spreadsheet that somehow lists every seat one-by-one. THAT description is one part of a process to accomplish something else, surely.
So why don't we begin with describing that "something else":
- What is the long-term purpose or need you are wanting Excel to help you meet?
- What will be the information you need to organize in order to meet that need?
- The array of seats you've asked about is one (and only one) component there. What else?
- Clients/customers who purchase seats, season tickets (?)
- multiple seats needing to be assigned contiguously (?)
- etc
The long term purpose is to create a seat manifest that will go to another company with every seat one by one in a stadium. That's it there's nothing else. We aren't assigning seats or anything right now. This is step 1. I have 378 rows that look just like the one above and I just need to be able for each row to show just 1 seat in it. So the first row would be A 3 6 20 15 and the next row would be A 2 7 20 15
I have 378 rows that look just like the one above and I just need to be able for each row to show just 1 seat in it. So the first row would be A 3 6 20 15 and the next row would be A 2 7 20 15
And the third row would be?
A 1 8 20 15 (?)
Somehow I doubt it. Since that would mean the fourth row would be A 0 9 20 15
In other words, the sequence/pattern ain't clear in what you've told us.
The long term purpose is to create a seat manifest that will go to another company with every seat one by one in a stadium. That's it there's nothing else. We aren't assigning seats or anything right now.
You may not have any longer term purpose, but that other company surely is doing something with this other than framing it as a work of art to hang on the wall. To know the ultimate purpose, even if it's the purpose of that other company, would still be helpful. Or have they asked for it to be in the format you've described? If so, please make more clear what that format is, what the sequence of numbers is going to look like. You know it, it may seem obvious to you, but I've not been able to discern the pattern from the two rows you've given.
- @mathethes Sorry typo. The second row would be A 3 7 20 15, Third row would be A 3 8 20 15; fourth row would be A 3 8 20 15 fifth row would be A 3 9 20 15 and so on until I hit A 3 20 20 15. Then it'll start with A 4 6 18 13, then go A 4 7 18 13 and so on. They are making a seat by seat manifest. The long term purpose has nothing to do with excel they'll important it into another site and create a model. But again the first step getting 1 seat in each row. The rest they'll worry about.
Not to be too nit-picky, but I think there's another typo in there.
The second row would be A 3 7 20 15, Third row would be A 3 8 20 15; fourth row would be A 3 8 20 15 fifth row would be A 3 9 20 15 and so on...until I hit A 3 20 20 15.
That typo aside, I get that pattern. You just increment the second number by 1 in each successive row.
Then it'll start with A 4 6 18 13, then go A 4 7 18 13 and so on
Where do these numbers come from??!! The A 4 part I get. We hit the end of the A 3 set, so go to A 4. Even the 6 makes sense; it's just starting the 6-20 sequence from the first set.
BUT why in heaven's name is the third number in the sequence 18, the fourth number 13? Why aren't they 20 and 15 as they were in the first set? What is the relationship there? What happens when we get to the next set?
Again, you know your pattern of your seat numbering. But you aren't explaining the underlying heuristic here, the rule(s). You're taking them for granted, I suspect. This may even be common knowledge to people who frequent stadiums or venues with 3,000 seats. I don't do that often enough for it to be common knowledge with me. Yet you're asking for help in programming and programming requires clear heuristics.
I've created a starter spreadsheet, attached. Assuming you know a bit about Excel formulas, you can see how I've taken the rules that have made sense and written them in. There are two cells with light yellow backgrounds in them for you to write in the IF functions that will go to 18 and 13 in their respective cells.