Microsoft KB Archive/27123

Mac Works: ISERROR Function Not Trapping Divide by Zero

PSS ID Number: Q27123 Article last modified on 10-22-1998

1.0 1.1 2.0 3.0 4.0

MACINTOSH

=
=========================================================

= SUMMARY =

When the ISERROR function is used on a Microsoft Works spreadsheet to suppress the display of the “Error” message in cells containing division equations that reference blank cells, the function does not work properly. For example, the following equation returns “Error” if both references are zero or blank:

=IF(ISERROR(ref1/ref2),0,ref1/ref2)

It seems that the ISERROR function does not flag zero divided by zero as an error. If the following equation is typed in a cell, it returns “0”, which means false:

=ISERROR(0/0)

If the numerator is any number other than zero, the equation will return “1”, which means true. An alternative method for suppressing the “Error” message when dividing blank cells is to use the following formula:

=IF(ref2,ref1/ref2,0)

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here as it becomes available.

KBCategory: kbusage kbprb KBSubcategory: macworkskb

Additional reference words: 1.00 1.10 2.00 3.00 4.00 mwksss mwksprb macworks calculate mwkswp ====================================================================== Version : 1.0 1.1 2.0 3.0 4.0 Platform : MACINTOSH Issue type : kbprb ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1998.