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Copy values from two different columns into one?

I have two columns of unique text values. I’d like to create a third column that automatically copies over any value added to the first two columns. So if I have 10 values in column A and 12 values in column B, then column C would have 22 values (and rows), and a new item added to either A or B would then add a twenty-third value (and row) to column C. Is this possible?

Posted on Jul 12, 2022 11:09 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 13, 2022 9:07 PM

Khoi Vinh wrote:

that automatically copies over any value added to the first two columns.


For me sometimes "total" automation is possible but more work than a simply copy-pasting and taking advantage of powerful built-in features of Numbers.


Consider the following approach, simple and fast:


Copy-paste into one column:




Apply an 'Is Distinct' filter with a few clicks:





Sort (if you want) and copy-paste the visible cells in the filtered result wherever you want in an existing table.


SG

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5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 13, 2022 9:07 PM in response to Khoi Vinh

Khoi Vinh wrote:

that automatically copies over any value added to the first two columns.


For me sometimes "total" automation is possible but more work than a simply copy-pasting and taking advantage of powerful built-in features of Numbers.


Consider the following approach, simple and fast:


Copy-paste into one column:




Apply an 'Is Distinct' filter with a few clicks:





Sort (if you want) and copy-paste the visible cells in the filtered result wherever you want in an existing table.


SG

Jul 13, 2022 10:51 AM in response to Khoi Vinh

If the lists are contiguous in each column (no empty rows between entries), I can do it using three columns. I am sure better formulas can be designed than the ones I used here.



Columns A and B are entered by hand

Column C gets them all into one column

Formula in cells in column C =INDIRECT(IF(ROW()>COUNTA(A)+1,"B"&ROW()−COUNTA(A),"A"&ROW()))&""

Column D gives the row numbers of the unique values in column C

Formula in D2=IF(COUNTIF(C$2:C2,C2)=1,ROW(),999999)

Fill down to end of column

Note that the formula in D makes the table unsortable until Apple decides to fix a bug in their app.

Column E is the final answer

Formula in cells in column E =IFERROR(INDEX(C,SMALL(D,ROW()−1)),"")

Hide columns C and D

Jul 13, 2022 5:54 AM in response to SGIII

Sure. I want to generate a list of unique values from the first two columns. (I should not have said in my original post that cols A and B were unique; some values may be repeated.) So if col A has these values:


Avocados

Pineapples

Bananas

Pineapples


And col B has these values:


Oranges

Bananas

Grapes

Oranges


Then I want to col to display only unique values from both A and B, like so:


Avocados

Pineapples

Bananas

Oranges

Grapes


(The sorting is not important.)


As new values get entered into A and B, I would like the unique values to show up in C automatically, so that the user does not need to scan both cols A and B to check for duplicates.


Any help would be appreciated.

Copy values from two different columns into one?

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