Sep 08 2020 02:31 AM
Dear all,
I am trying to set a reminder as shown in the picture for people making absences. For example, for that absent in cells D6-K6, I want a reminder in cell AO 6 that would give the sum of cell D2+15. Thus I say that if D6-K6 is greater than 0, then AO=D2+15.
Ideally, D2 should contain date and AO should sum that date plus 15, but it is not an issue right now. However, no matter what I do, i get a value issue. Only when I say that if D6>0, does it work.
Please, I need some guidance.
Thank you in advance.
Sep 08 2020 04:38 AM
Unfortunately an image alone doesn't really help much in the diagnosis.
A guess, however, based on your verbal description: it sounds as if some of the dates in column D may actually contain text rather than numbers formatted as dates. They would look alike to the human eye, but Excel treats them differently.
If that's not it, may I suggest you post a copy of the actual workbook, just blocking out or altering any confidential or private information.
Sep 08 2020 05:57 AM
Dear Mathetes,
attached is a copy of the workbook. What I am trying to do is if any of the cells D6-K6 or all of them have the number 1 inside, then in cell AO to make it automatically either to show number 15 or to sum the date in D2 + 15.
I am not sure if that helps. Thannks for your help anyway.
Sep 08 2020 06:44 AM - edited Sep 08 2020 08:54 AM
Well, I'm sorry to be difficult (or dense, whichever it is), but a blank spreadsheet isn't a lot more helpful than an image.
I've entered a formula in cell AO6, but it's a feeble attempt to read your mind on what you want.
What would be helpful is if you'd
Otherwise, you're kind of asking the folks here to read your mind as to the underlying thought processes. Your preliminary description is OK, but in person, I (and I suspect others) would be still asking a lot of questions. Anticipate those questions..
Sep 09 2020 01:13 AM
Dear Mathetes,
to begin with, thank you for your time and efforts.
I have attached a spreadsheet trying to describe what is the situation and what I need to do.
I hope it helps
Sep 09 2020 08:01 AM
OK. Thanks for that explanation.
Still have a few questions, however. If I were in your place, I would be approaching this in an altogether different manner.
What you've done here (and I've seen this kind of thing many times before) is to take a paper process, as you basically acknowledge, and transfer it to Excel. Yet using Excel's clear rows and columns (a visual that looks like paper ledger sheets) solely as an automated ledger sheet is a classic mistake. Instead, it often makes sense to re-think what you're doing:
In this case, therefore:
There may be more questions I haven't thought of, but this is why I said earlier that you should anticipate questions and try to answer them in advance. You know this situation intimately and may be taking things for granted. But if you want to use Excel to its fullest advantages, it helps to really describe the full process.