Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Patterns of Numbers with a Formula.

Patterns of Numbers with a Formula

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 21, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Helen has used a macro to generate a simple pattern of numbers. The pattern, which is contained in a single column, looks like this:

1,1,0,2,2,0,3,3,0,4,4,0,...

Helen was wondering if there is a way to generate the same pattern using a formula instead of a macro.

Actually, there are several different formulas you can use to achieve the desired pattern. One way is to start with your seed sequence (1, 1, 0) in cells A1 through A3. Then, enter the formula =A1+1 into cell A4, the formula =A4 into cell A5, and the formula =A3 into cell A6. Now you can select the cells in A4:A6 and use the fill handle to drag and fill however many rows you need.

A different formulaic approach is to still put your seed sequence (1, 1, 0) in cells A1 through A3, and then enter the following formula into cell A4:

=IF(A1<>0,A1+1,0)

You can copy this formula down as many cells as necessary to repeat the desired pattern.

If you don't want to use a seed sequence (for instance, the sequence will always start with 1, 1, 0), then can use a straight formula starting with cell A1. Either of the following formulas will produce the same results:

=IF(MOD(ROW(),3)=0,0,INT(ROW()/3)+1)
=(INT(ROW()/3)+1)*(MOD(ROW(),3)<>0)

The formulas (and many variations of these formulas) examine the row in which the formula is positioned, and then figure out whether it is in the first, second, or third row of each set. Based on this position, the formula figures out whether it should show the "set number" (1, 2, 3, etc.) or a zero value.

If your pattern doesn't start in the first row of a worksheet, you need to adjust the formula to account for an offset from the first row. For instance, if the pattern is going to start in the second row (you may have a header in the first row), then the formulas can be adjusted in this manner:

=IF(MOD(ROW()-1,3)=0,0,INT((ROW()-1)/3)+1)
=(INT((ROW()-1)/3)+1)*(MOD(ROW()-1,3)<>0)

Simply put the formula into the second row and copy it down, as required. To adjust the offset for any other row, just change the -1 values (two of them in each formula) to the number of rows you have pushed down the formula from the first row.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2889) 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: Patterns of Numbers with a Formula.

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

Showing Text when a Cell is Empty

Wouldn't it be great if you could have Excel display some text in a cell only when that cell is empty? Unfortuantely, ...

Discover More

Shortcuts for Basic Style Formatting

Want to get your text away from the explicit formatting you applied, back to the underlying formatting? Here are a couple ...

Discover More

Adding Captions

Need to add a caption after a document element such as a figure or table? You can add and format one manually, or you can ...

Discover More

Save Time and Supercharge Excel! Automate virtually any routine task and save yourself hours, days, maybe even weeks. Then, learn how to make Excel do things you thought were simply impossible! Mastering advanced Excel macros has never been easier. Check out Excel 2010 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Placing Formula Results in a Comment

Excel won't allow you to directly or automatically insert the results of a formula into a cell's comment. You can, ...

Discover More

Separating Names into Individual Columns

If you have a list of names in a column, and you want to separate those names into individual cells, there are several ...

Discover More

Viewing Formulas versus Results

Sometimes it is helpful to see the actual formulas in a cell, rather than the results of those formulas. Here's how to ...

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.

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 5 + 5?

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.