Auto sum?

[The Wolf]

If I want the mileage for a month it would subtract the smaller from the
larger number, opposite of sum.

Is there a way to do this automatically? I am putting a formula in a cell
manually. But there will be more entries for the month. Can this be updated
automatically?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

If I want the mileage for a month it would subtract the smaller from the
larger number, opposite of sum.

Is there a way to do this automatically? I am putting a formula in a cell
manually. But there will be more entries for the month. Can this be updated
automatically?

It certainly can, in a variety of ways, but it's not clear from your
description what the layout of your data is.

Post back with a detailed description and we can help you. Thing to
include:

are your mileages entered in rows? columns? is each row/column a
complete record, or is data grouped in some other way? Do you want the
mileage to be calculated for each row/column or in one cell only?

 

[The Wolf]

It certainly can, in a variety of ways, but it's not clear from your
description what the layout of your data is.

Post back with a detailed description and we can help you. Thing to
include:

are your mileages entered in rows? columns?

Columns, imported from Palm application Highway Manager

is each row/column a

complete record, or is data grouped in some other way? Do you want the
mileage to be calculated for each row/column

For a column b1,b2,b3, etc.

Here's the rub, The data is imported into the main sheet. I made separate
sheets for Jan, Feb, March, etc. So there will be more entries in the April
sheet as the month progresses, that's why I want it done automatically.

Sorry if this is not clear, I don't have a great deal of experience.

or in one cell only?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

are your mileages entered in rows? columns?

Columns, imported from Palm application Highway Manager

is each row/column a

complete record, or is data grouped in some other way? Do you want the
mileage to be calculated for each row/column

For a column b1,b2,b3, etc.

Here's the rub, The data is imported into the main sheet. I made separate
sheets for Jan, Feb, March, etc. So there will be more entries in the April
sheet as the month progresses, that's why I want it done automatically.

Sorry if this is not clear, I don't have a great deal of experience.

or in one cell only?[/QUOTE]

One way:

=IF(B1<>"", INDEX(B:B,COUNT(B:B))-B1, "")

 

[The Wolf]

Columns, imported from Palm application Highway Manager

is each row/column a


For a column b1,b2,b3, etc.

Here's the rub, The data is imported into the main sheet. I made separate
sheets for Jan, Feb, March, etc. So there will be more entries in the April
sheet as the month progresses, that's why I want it done automatically.

Sorry if this is not clear, I don't have a great deal of experience.

or in one cell only?

One way:

=IF(B1<>"", INDEX(B:B,COUNT(B:B))-B1, "")[/QUOTE]

Was I suppose to literally cut and paste this? Or due something with the B:B
part?

It didn't work, is there another way?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Was I suppose to literally cut and paste this? Or due something with the B:B
part?

Yes, cutting and pasting should work.

It didn't work, is there another way?

Unfortunately, "It didn't work" is a singularly unhelpful statement.
What does that mean to you? Did you get an error? did you get the wrong
result? did XL crash?

based on your description, it *should* work, but there are several
things that could cause problems. Without knowing more about what
"doesn't work", it's impossible to diagnose.

 

[The Wolf]

Yes, cutting and pasting should work.


Unfortunately, "It didn't work" is a singularly unhelpful statement.
What does that mean to you? Did you get an error? did you get the wrong
result? did XL crash?

based on your description, it *should* work, but there are several
things that could cause problems. Without knowing more about what
"doesn't work", it's impossible to diagnose.

I created a new sheet.

In cell b1 I typed 1000, b2 1100, b3 1200, b4 1300, b5 1400

In b10 I pasted =IF(B1<>"", INDEX(B:B,COUNT(B:B))-B1, "")

B10 displays 0, it should display 400

Surely it's on my end, any ideas?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

I created a new sheet.

In cell b1 I typed 1000, b2 1100, b3 1200, b4 1300, b5 1400

In b10 I pasted =IF(B1<>"", INDEX(B:B,COUNT(B:B))-B1, "")

B10 displays 0, it should display 400

Surely it's on my end, any ideas?

If you put the formula in B10, then you should have received a Circular
Reference error (unless you have the Iterations checkbox checked in
Preferences/Calculation). This is because the formula references all of
column B, which includes the cell with the formula.

Two workarounds:

- put the total in another column.
- change the formula so that it doesn't include itself:

=IF(B1<>"", INDEX(B1:B9,COUNT(B1:B9))-B1, "")

 

[The Wolf]

If you put the formula in B10, then you should have received a Circular
Reference error (unless you have the Iterations checkbox checked in
Preferences/Calculation). This is because the formula references all of
column B, which includes the cell with the formula.

Two workarounds:

- put the total in another column.
- change the formula so that it doesn't include itself:

=IF(B1<>"", INDEX(B1:B9,COUNT(B1:B9))-B1, "")

I figured it out myself. You're =IF(B1<>"", INDEX(B:B,COUNT(B:B))-B1, "")
didn't tell me to change everywhere B:B to B1:B9. I'm sure you assumed I
knew to do that but I didn't. I foraged around the help and tried different
things.

I have very little experience, but it is working now.

 

[Edward F. Henninger]

Hoping to get some help myself. An Excel idiot.

Trying to get my Excel to auto-calculate sums at the right end of
columns. I have managed to set this up across a few columns (B through
W), but if I add another column it doesn't work—and I need to be able
to add columns as the year goes by.

I don't seem to have this problem with another file: no matter how
many columns I add it continues to automatically give me the sum of
the columns in the rightmost column. I know this is probably a simple
thing to do but I can't seem to figure it out. I've tried the help
file but I think I may be looking in the wrong place.

Thanks to all for help.