Basic numbers formula and end up with a red triangle.

I remove the number in the cell by pressing the space bar but I have used double clicking and backspace, both produce the same result.

Checking ISBLANK(C3) produces FALSE.

If you remove the number using the spacebar, you are replacing the number with a space character, which is a string. That would most definitely cause this problem you are seeing. Double clicking then backspacing over all the numbers should work, though, so I remain confused.

ISBLANK being FALSE means there is something in the cell, it is not blank. That something is the problem. Assuming it is a single character, try this formula to figure out which one it is:

=CODE(C3)

If the result is 32, it is a space.

Have you tried clicking the cell once (to select the cell) then hitting the Delete/backspace key once to delete the contents? That should clear out whatever is in the cell.

Hi Bob,

Without seeing the actual formulas as entered in the formula Editor, the content of the cells references by the formula, and the actual error messages in each case, it's difficult to make a guess on the cause (or cure).

That said, the 'expects a number but cell A3 contains a string' is pretty straightforward:

If there is any character (including if there is a space) in cell A3, the subtraction operator ( - ) will choke on it.

Two screen shots, please:

Click twice on the cell containing the first formula to open the editor. Click on the dot to the left of fx on the editor and drag it to a place where it is not obscuring any of the cells referenced in the formula.

Place the pointer above and to the left of the circle marking the intersection of the column and row reference tabs. Press shift-command 4, then drag down and right to enclose the highlighted cells and the formula editor. Release the mouse button to take the shot. It will be saved to a file on your desktop, with the name screenshot, followed by the date and time that the shot was taken.

Click either button at the right end of the editor to close it.

Then click the Error triangle than appear in the cell to show the error message, copy the message, and paste it into your reply.

Repeat the same process to take a screen shot of the same area with the second formula showing in the Formula Editor, and copy and paste that error message into your reply as well.

The two screenshots will have been saved to your Desktop folder. To put them in your reply:

Place the insertion point at the beginning of the first error message.

Press return twise to inset a pair of empty lines above the error message.

Press the up arrow once to move the insertion point to the empty row above the error mesage.

Click the two montains button below your message to open your Desktop folder, then find and double click the earlier of the two screen shots.

After a brief pause, the first screenshot will appear in your message.

Repeat these steps with the second error message and screenshot.

Regards,

Barry

I still find it extremely strange that G3 is the one and only cell having a problem in all of column G. And the same thing happens in a brand new table created specifically to test the problem. Extremely strange.

I have to ask a very basic question: How you are "removing the values" in C3 and E3? Can you list the method you are using, step by step? What do you click on, how many clicks, what keys do you press, listed step by step.

Another diagnostic test would be to put the following formula in a cell somewhere:

=ISBLANK(C3)

Is the result true or false?

Have you tried this in a brand new document. Not a new table in the same document, a brand new document. This would be a test to see if it is some kind of corruption in your document causing this bizarre result.

For the first second one, the problem is cell G3, not your formula. You cannot SUM an error triangle. The result will be an error triangle. The error message is not very helpful but that's what is going on.

For the first one, cell G3, the error message is telling you the problem. Obviously C3 is not "blank" like it looks in the screenshot. It has a character or a string in it. My guess is C3 has a formula in it, probably an IF formula that results in either a number or a space character. E3 might be the same way but it is choking on C3 first. It is common to do this if you want it to look "blank" until some other cell(s) are filled in (A3 and/or B3 for example). If this is the case, you can modify the formula in G3. I do not know what it should be exactly but probably something like this (like what is in C3 and E3):

G3 =IF(A3="", "" ,C3-E3)

If it does not have a formula in it, it has an actual character or string in it, select C3 and hit delete. You may have to do it to E3 also.

Hi Bob,

We see the file names for four screen shots, but not the images.

Did you, perhaps, try to paste them into your post? If so, you'll have noticed that does not work.

As said in my post and repeated in Badunit's post (both above), for each image, you need to

• Click the Mountains image (middle image in this group of three) in the bar at the bottom of the composition window (where you are typing a reply). That should take you to your Desktop folder.
• In the desktop folder, take one of these two actions:
  • Click on the name of the screenshot file you want to insert to select that file, then
  • Click Choose.
• OR
  • Double click the file name of the image you want to insert.

After either of those actions, you will be returned to your message, and after a short pause, the image will appear.

Repeat the same set of actions for the second image. Etc.

Regards,

Barry

It is interesting it is just that one cell. The rest of the column appears to be working fine, assuming they are all similar formulas. I overlooked that earlier.

In this other table you made from scratch, all you did was create/insert a new blank table and put in cell G3 of that table the formula =C3-E3 ? You did nothing other than that and it fails with the same error? Strange.

What Badunit said.

In your first pair of images, I'm assuming the cell with highlighting matching the C3 lozenge in the formula is cell C3.

Click the green checkmark on the formula editor to close the editor, then click twice on cell C3 to open it. With the insertion point in the cell, press command-A to select all, then command-X to cut any content (including content that does not show itself) from that cell.

Does this action have any effect on the error triangle (and message) shown in your first image (and re-pasted here:

Regards,

Barry

Bob writes: "Confused.com..."

Not the only one…

Try these tests: Enter a text value ( aaa or Bob or any other text) in C3. what result to you see in D3?

Click on C3, click a second time to place the insertion point in the cell, press command-A to Select All. What do you see?

With select all still active in C3, press delete to remove the current content.

What changes do you see in D3?

Enter a number in C3. What changes do you see?

Is E3 an entered value or a value calcularted by a formula in the cell?

Regards,

Barry

Use the "mountains" image-insertion icon on the toolbar below where you type to post your images.