Using Named Formulas or Constants

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 29, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Besides allowing you to define a name that refers to a cell or cell range, Excel allows you to define names that refer to formulas or constant values. For instance, suppose you have a constant you will be using in your worksheet quite a bit--the standard commission rate for staff sales people, which is 8.5%. To define a name for this constant, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Name option from the Insert menu and choose Define from the submenu. Excel displays the Define Name dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    2. Figure 1. The Define Name dialog box.

  2. In the Names in Workbook field, enter the name you want to use for the formula or constant.
  3. Change the Refers To field, at the bottom of the dialog box, so it contains the desired formula. In this example, you would change it to =8.5%.
  4. Click on Add. Your name is now defined.
  5. Click on OK to close the Define Name dialog box.

The constant is now available for use in your worksheet. You can then use it in formulas just as you would any other defined name.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2659) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Changing the Footnote Continuation Notice

When a footnote needs to span two printed pages, Word prints a continuation notice at the end of the footnote being ...

Discover More

Accept All Changes by a Particular Reviewer

The Track Changes feature in Word allows you and other editors to easily collaborate on the development of a document. If ...

Discover More

Getting Pictures Out of Word

If you receive a Word document from someone, you may want to get any graphics it contains into their own files. You can ...

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Using a Numeric Portion of a Cell in a Formula

If you have a mixture of numbers and letters in a cell, you may be looking for a way to access and use the numeric ...

Discover More

Excluding Values from Averaging

Calculating an average of a group of numbers is easy. What if you want to exclude a couple of the numbers from the group ...

Discover More

Pulling Initial Letters from a String

When working with names or a different series of words, you may need to pull the initial letters from each word in the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two more than 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.