I feel that SWITCH is a cleaner option than a series of IF statements that I have been using.
Tag: Ben Collins
In this article, weβll see how to make checkboxes in Google Sheets behave like radio buttons. In other words, weβll ensure that only one can be checked at a time.
With checkboxes as radio buttons, Ben Collins presents another example of the affordances of Google Sheets.
Thanks Ben for the tip. Another interesting trick to use with custom number formats.
Now that would be a course worth paying for.
I used REPT as a part of my timetable solution, however after reading this Ben, it makes a bit more sense how it all works.
The SPLIT function in Google Sheets is used to divide a text string (or value) around a given delimiter, and output the separate pieces into their own cells.
I love when you take a formula and dig in further Ben. I have used this three different times in my work this week. For example, I used multiple INDEX formulas to clean uo data where there were multiple points of data in the same cell =INDEX(SPLIT(A1,” “),1,1)&” “&INDEX(SPLIT(A1,” “),1,2). I was hoping that I could select multiple items using the INDEX formula in the same manner as the VLOOKUP formula, but it does not seem to be possible.
Ben, this guide to the new editor is a useful introduction (alongside your course) to Google Apps Script itself.
I agree Ben, I often use Sheets to quickly add various tags when compiling links for my newsletter. I documented this in the past when I used to compile my own regular Google update.
Iβm using the new ο£Ώ Apple Mac Mini with the M1 chip, powering 2 monitors: an ultrawide Dell U3419W (supported by a Fully Jarvis monitor arm) and an Acer R240HY.
The microphone is a Blue Yeti on a Blue Compass arm, and the light is an Elgato Key light.
Everything sits on Fullyβs Jarvis standing desk, which Iβve had for years and love.
Google Sheets custom number format rules are used to specify special formatting rules for numbers.
These custom rules control how numbers are displayed in your Sheet, without changing the number itself. Theyβre a visual layer added on top of the number. Itβs a powerful technique to use because you can combine visual effects without altering your data.
Ben, this is a fantastic breakdown of the custom number formats in Google Sheets.
In a data set I created, I have used it to add an ‘E’ and the word ‘Group’. This allows me to sort numerically, as well as display the text visually.
Ben, what is the detail like inside of the model?
Your challenge is to create a single formula in cell B1 (shown in yellow below) that sorts this list alphabetically by the last name.
Ben Collins breaks down four responses to his formula challenge:
=SORT(A1:A10,INDEX(SPLIT(A1:A10," "),,2),1)
=ArrayFormula(QUERY({A1:A10,SPLIT(A1:A10," ")},"select Col1 order by Col3"))
=INDEX(SORT(REGEXEXTRACT(A1:A10,"((.*)( .*))"),3,1),,1)
=SORT(A1:A10,REGEXEXTRACT(A1:A10,"(?: )(\w*)"),1)
I love how a problem can have so many approaches.
One thing that I picked up is the ability to split a column and create an array on the fly. This is something that I really need to work on as too often I create hidden tabs which such fields and formulas.
Thank you Ben for the podcast recommendation about online learning. Not sure exactly what a ‘Type 2’ Ben Collins course would look like. Maybe it is about bringing your own problem or something. Look forward to what you come up with.
You might be interested in Jon Dron and Terry Anderson’s book Teaching Crowds. I discussed it here.
Ben, this reminds me of the challenge of having a manager who is also a growth coach. Assume it is not impossible, but also probably not ideal.
Google Sheets is great for quickly spinning up dashboards and analysis, but getting raw data into Sheets from databases can be tedious.
In this post we cover a few ways to get data from your SQL database into Google Sheets.
I usually drag in data from my blog via RSS, however I wonder if this might be a cleaner method.