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How do I learn formula syntax?

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 I need to understand how to count cells where multiple values are counted. For example I need to count all cells in a column where the cell contains either "Limited" or "Yes". I can't seem to get the arguments to work correctly. Is there a syntax guide anywhere?
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  • Mike
    Hi Rebecca!

    In terms of how to create a function to count cells with multiple values, I believe I can help with that for sure.

    To achieve a combo of the COUNTIF and OR, you'll need to actually create two formulas added together. For example, you create one count formula for the "Limited" and another for "Yes" and then add those together. Here's one that I created:



    Is this what you are looking for, or are the values "Limited" and "Yes"  found within a string of text? If that is the case, your approach would be similar, but you'd want to sub in this formula syntax:

    =COUNTIF(A:A,"*"&"Limited"&"*")+COUNTIF(A:A,"*"&"Yes"&"*")

    Regarding your question about a syntax guide, the answer is both yes and no. When you are creating formulas in Wdesk, there is a formula builder that assists you in getting the formula written correctly, though it can lack in actually telling you what you need to do. Often times I've actually consulted outside tutorials to assist in getting the right syntax needed for the formula I want.

    Here are two sites I'm familiar with using:

    https://exceljet.net/formulas
    https://support.office.com/en-us/article/overview-of-formulas-in-excel-ecfdc708-9162-49e8-b993-c311f...

    Hope that helps some. Do you let me know if you have any questions for me on the above formulas, or need anything else. Thanks for the question and have a great day in the meantime. Cheers!
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