SOLVED

LAMBDA bug

Copper Contributor

In this sheet (it won't calculate properly in google drive) I created a LAMBDA function to add up the numbers in a string such as "5-62-85-6-2-5-259-58" and return 482. This LAMBDA function works in cell B2, and when entered in the name manager as "CALCULATOR" works as a named function in cell C2. However, when the same function is called "PARSE" in the name manager and used in cell B4, it doesn't allow it and gives a "that function isn't valid" error. I later realized that it would be more efficient to use a combination of REDUCE and TEXTSPLIT to get the results wanted, but the bug will probably creep in in other places.

6 Replies
best response confirmed by Eppes_A_Yungeman (Copper Contributor)
Solution

@Eppes_A_Yungeman 

We can't use for naming Excel 4.0 Macro Functions names, they are reserved. PARSE is one of them. You may try with BEEP, OVERLAY,... - lot of them. Same result.

@Eppes_A_Yungeman 

In addition, you may find complete list of such functions here Excel 4.0 Macro Functions • My Online Training Hub

Thanks.
Any way to get that list without giving an email address?

@Eppes_A_Yungeman , you are welcome.

 

Sorry, that's not my intellectual property. Not necessary to provide your main address, you may create any new one.

Shouldn't the name manager prevent you from using a name that is reserved? This would only be an issue with LAMBDA which works as a formula once it's named and not with other types of names.

@Eppes_A_Yungeman 

Name Manager was done in previous century, it has many things to be updated. Perhaps one day we will have new modern one. Afraid these are global changes.

That is not only for lambdas, for any function we generate (e.g. with VBA). Perhaps Advanced Formula Environment add-in will work with reserved names when in production. Not now.

Plus cross-platforming. We may use reserved names in Excel for web, but it gives an error if we open such file in desktop version.

Hope Microsoft will solve that one day, but that's not easy task from my point of view.

1 best response

Accepted Solutions
best response confirmed by Eppes_A_Yungeman (Copper Contributor)
Solution

@Eppes_A_Yungeman 

We can't use for naming Excel 4.0 Macro Functions names, they are reserved. PARSE is one of them. You may try with BEEP, OVERLAY,... - lot of them. Same result.

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