IF statement is broken in Numbers version 10.0 (6748)

Question

IF statement is broken in Numbers version 10.0 (6748)

New Numbers version 10.0 (6748).

Cell A1 Enter a number (eg 5)

Cell B1 IF(A1=5; "It's five" ; "Not 5")

Returns a "red triangle of death".

A perfectly functional spreadsheet I've been using for years was covered in these red triangles when opened in the new version when I (mistakenly) "upgraded".

It took me ages to work out that a core problem was one of the oldest and most basic of functions in the Land of Spreadsheets. The IF statement. And what *else* is faulty?

Before I convert everything to Excel (an appalling product but at least its FUNCTIONS work) does anyone have any ideas?

MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.14

Posted on May 5, 2020 4:53 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Slartibartfast_Rules Author

Level 1

8 points

May 5, 2020 6:21 PM in response to Wayne Contello

So Numbers now requires a comma delimiter (no more semi-colon) and FileMaker requires a semicolon (it automatically converts commas).

Good one. It seems the concept of basic standards of syntax has gone. I'd prefer a coding error actually as that could be fixed. But cultural problems are even worse. But of course... Numbers people and FileMaker people wouldn't even know where the others are located let alone *talk* to them. And I find it hard to remember that Apple is a phone company and computers are a legacy thing. 2020 is full of disappointments, eh?

OK. So I've got a big editing job to do.

Not your doing. Truly thanks for your help Wayne.

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Answer 2

May 5, 2020 5:59 PM in response to Slartibartfast_Rules

the field delimiter is a comma not a semicolon.

use the formula:

IF(A1=5, "It's five" , "Not 5")

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Answer 3

Barry

Level 9

60,029 points

May 5, 2020 6:15 PM in response to Slartibartfast_Rules

Well, my first idea would be 'Maybe we should read the error message."

My second would be similar to Wayne's "Have I accidentally changed the language and region setting to a region that uses the full stop ( . ) as the decimal separator?" If you usually use semi colons ( ; ) as the separator in formulas, your region should be set to one that uses a comma as the decimal separator.

So what was 'faulty' about the IF statement? And what did you do to fix it?

Beyond that, there are several ideas, but they'd all be guesswork, as you haven't provided much information on which to base a 'reasoned' idea.

Regards,

Barry

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Answer 4

May 5, 2020 7:42 PM in response to Slartibartfast_Rules

Not trying to rub salt in an open wound... but...

Numbers has never used a semicolon as the delimiter for regions where the period is the decimal separator. It only uses the semicolon when a region uses the comma is the decimal seprator.

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IF statement is broken in Numbers version 10.0 (6748)

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