Finding the Smallest Even Value

Emin has a range of cells in which there can be either text or numbers. He needs a way to determine the smallest even number in the range. Emin wonders if this can be done with a formula, or if he needs a user-defined function.

There are a couple of ways you can approach this problem. One method you can try is to use the DMIN function. All that you need is to make sure that you have a header on your data column (such as "MyData") and then create a small criteria field in some out-of-the-way place. For instance, you might want to create the criteria field by placing a header (such as "Min Even") in cell F1 and place the formula =ISEVEN(MyData) in cell F2. Cell F2 evaluates to an #VALUE! error, but that is fine in this case. You can then use the following formula in a different cell:

=DMIN(A1:A100, 1, F1:F2)

If you prefer, you can use an array formula to figure out the lowest even value. Because your data range can contain text as well as numbers, not all array formulas will work, however. For instance, the following will generate an error if there is anything but numbers in the data range:

=MIN(IF(MOD(A1:A100,2)=0,A1:A100))

To make sure you don't get the errors, you need to do some checking in the formula:

=MIN(IF(ISNUMBER(A1:A100),IF(NOT(MOD(A1:A100,2)=0),"",A1:A100)))

Again, remember that this is an array formula, so you need to enter it using Shift+Ctrl+Enter.

If you prefer, you can create a user-defined function that will return the desired value:

Function MinEven(rng As Range)
    Dim rCell As Range
    Dim bNotFound As Boolean

    Application.Volatile
    MinEven = 9.99 * 10 ^ 307
    bNotFound = True
    For Each rCell In rng
        If Application.WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rCell) Then
            If rCell Mod 2 = 0 Then
                If rCell < MinEven Then
                    MinEven = rCell
                    bNotFound = False
                End If
            End If
        End If
    Next
    If bNotFound Then MinEven = CVErr(xlErrNum)
End Function

To use this macro, simply use the following with a cell of your worksheet:

=MinEven(A1:A100)

If there are no even numbers in the range, the function will return a #Num error.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (119) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Finding the Smallest Even Value.