Documentation/Calc Functions/FORMULA

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Calc Functions Home | List of functions | Abbreviations

Function name:

FORMULA

Category:

Information

Summary:

Displays the formula in a referenced cell as a text string.

Syntax:

FORMULA(Reference)

Returns:

Returns a text string which reflects the formula in the referenced cell. This string should be identical to that displayed in the Formula bar when the referenced cell is selected.

Arguments:

Reference is a reference to a cell containing a formula.

• If the referenced cell is empty, or does not contain a formula, then FORMULA reports a #N/A error.
• The FORMULA function does not propagate errors in the referenced cell. For example, if cell A1 contains the formula =SQRT(-4), then Calc reports an invalid argument error (Err:502) in cell A1. However, if cell A2 contains the formula =FORMULA(A1) then cell A2 will display the string "=SQRT(-4)" rather than the error value.
• FORMULA does not generate an error if given a reference to the cell that it resides in. For example, the formula =FORMULA(A7) located in cell A7 simply returns the string "=FORMULA(A7)".

Additional details:

• The FORMULA function is intended to aid understanding and debugging of spreadsheet documents by simplifying the display of formulas in other cells.
• FORMULA can be used in an array formula by using the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Enter rather than just Enter.
• FORMULA is a volatile function. This means that Calc will update the string returned by FORMULA when any cell is updated by selecting Data ▸ Calculate ▸ Recalculate or pressing F9, or on any input event.

Examples:

Formula	Description	Returns
=FORMULA(A1) where cell A1 contains the formula =1/0	Here the function returns a string representation of the formula in cell A1. It does not propagate the #DIV/0! error that is displayed in cell A1.	"=1/0"
=FORMULA(D8) where cell D8 contains the formula =SUM(1; 2; 3)	Here the function returns a string representation of the formula in cell D8.	"=SUM(1; 2; 3)"

Related LibreOffice functions:

ISFORMULA

ODF standard:

Section 6.13.12, part 2

Related (or similar) Excel functions:

FORMULATEXT since v.2013.