Can checkbox format contain a formula yet?

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Level 1

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Can checkbox format contain a formula yet?

Hello,

I have the same question as this thread from a couple years ago. I'm hoping that my version of Numbers (v. 10.3.5) can finally do this. If it's possible, would someone please help me understand how to make it work? I have a table on one sheet, and the second sheet has a table that sort of summarizes part of the first one. So, when a cell on the first sheet is formatted as a checkbox, I can tick or not tick it, to be True or False. When I enter my formula in the summary table to reference the first cell, the result returns True or False. If I change my summary cell's format to checkbox, I lose the formula. Has Numbers been given the capability yet to contain a formula in a cell that's formatted as checkbox?

The workaround I've been using up until now is: IF(Table Name::B16,"✓","") where B16 is formatted as a checkbox. It works just fine, but if I can get all my checkboxes just copied into the summary table as I update them, I'd prefer that. This isn't any kind of major issue, but I'd really like to know.

TL; DR: Can a result of True or False be formatted as a checkbox?

Thanks!

Jess

Posted on Jan 15, 2021 11:28 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Barry

Level 9

59,957 points

Jan 16, 2021 3:15 AM in response to jess_brat

Hi Jess,

"Checkbox" is a data format applied only to a 'manual input cell' whose only acceptable input is a click, which toggles the cell's content between two boolean values—true, and false.

You can find a few 'ballot box' characters in the Character Viewer, aka Emoji and Symbols. Unfortunately, these are not available as a matched pair, with the only difference between them the presence or absence of a checkmark in the square frame. The 'blank' and 'filled' characters have different sized boxes, making them unsuitable for representing checkboxes.

That said, a 'checked cell' can be shown as the 'true' result of a formula, and an 'empty' cell, or one containing an x can be produced to show a 'false' result using the IF formula shown in your post above.

You might try a pair of screen shots—one of a checked checkbox cell, another of an unchecked checkbox—then use a conditional highlighting rule to control which of these was set as Image Fill to a cell, depending on the contents of that cell.

You would need a means of making the text in that cell 'invisible' against the inage fill behind it in the cell.

Regards,

Barry

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Answer 2

SGIII

Level 8

36,164 points

Jan 16, 2021 12:01 AM in response to jess_brat

jess_brat wrote:

TL; DR: Can a result of True or False be formatted as a checkbox?

Why not try it? Type true in a cell. Then format that cell as Checkbox and see what happens.

However, you cannot have a formula in a cell formatted as Checkbox. If you have a formula that returns TRUE then you can format that cell as Checkbox and the checkbox will display as checked. But the formula will be gone.

SG

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Can checkbox format contain a formula yet?

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