Forum Discussion
Today Function circular reference
I am using a simple =TODAY() in a cell that does nothing else but display today's date. I do use this (today's date) on other date calculations. Excel is giving me a CIRCULAR REFERENCE error identifying the cell the function is in. When I do error checking, I get the sheet is clear of errors.
I have other errors, in other worksheets in the book, but I have set them all to be ignored. Still an issue whenever I open the form. Any ideas on what I am not seeing?
11 Replies
Follow the conclusion in the discussion at https://www.mrexcel.com/board/threads/circular-reference-with-now-entry.444298 , to wit:
``I had circular references in other cells but the =NOW() cells were identified first as having the reference, once I deleted the =NOW() cells the other cells were identifed, fixed those so I can now enter the function without the circular reference.``
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LeeL365 wrote: ``When I do error checking, I get the sheet is clear of errors. ``
In my version of Excel, "error checking" is different from checking for "circular references".
But Excel might not identify the truly offending circ refs unless and until you delete the cell(s) that reference TODAY (and other "volatile" functions), just for troubleshooting purposes.
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LeeL365 wrote: ``I have other errors, in other worksheets in the book, but I have set them all to be ignored.``
"Errors" that you can ignore are actually warnings, despite MSFT's misrepresentation.
I presume you are talking about the warnings identified by a triangle in the upper corner of a cell.
Those are differences among surrounding cells. Often, we choose those differences on purposes.
If you want to avoid those distracting warnings, (in my version of Excel) click File > Options > Formulas, deselect (uncheckmark) "Enable background error checking", and click Reset Ignored Errors.
JoeUser2004 Thank you. I have done all of that. to no avail. The error checking says no circular references, however, I get a warning display each time I open the sheets and also in the lower left where the error seems never to go away. I will try just recreating the sheet and going from formula to formula. This sheet was created under an older version of excel and I thought it had been updated, but I was wrong.
Thanks anyway
LeeL365 JoeUser2004
Same problem here, and just started recently (Ibelieve after the last update) in all workbooks I open. Even starting from scratch with a brand new workbook, a simple =TODAY() in A1 causes a circular reference. Likely an update bug?
LeeL365 Circular references are not errors, but they will trigger a warning as they are often unintended and may lead to incorrect calculations. Somewhere in your sheet, one or more cells contain formulae that are referencing, directly or indirectly, back to itself. Find those, and correct them.
Riny_van_Eekelen Thank you. I went through the trouble shooter for all the sheets in the work book and yet none were found. Going through each cell is not something anyone should have to go through. obviously something is amiss in the Microsoft coding. it is not the first thing I have found as they have acknowledged.
