Basic Calc Question

users
#1

I'm a novice at spreadsheets, and google hasn't turned up an answer.
Probably because I haven't worded the question properly. I am trying to
build a general ledger. I have my running balance in the F column and
transactions in the E column. I am trying to construct a conditional
statement that takes the running balance in F4 and adds it to the -/+
transaction in E5 and put the new balance in F5. But when the E5 is $0.00,
I want F5 to remain $0.00 as well until a new transaction is entered.

Barry

#2

I don't understand the references to a conditional statement and the
reference to 0. But, to create a running balance, you just use a sum with
the first cell anchored. For example, assume entries are in the first
column, A starting at A1, and you want the running total in column B
starting at B1. B1 would have the formula =sum($a$1:a1). Then copy this
formula into the cells below B1, and you will have a running total of the
numbers in column A. Try it and you will see how it works.

b1 has =sum($a$1:a1)
b2 has =sum($a$1:a2)
b3 has =sum($a$1:a3)

and so on.

Mark

#3

--
Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Premeaux <bpremeaux@gmail.com>
To: users@global.libreoffice.org
Sent: Mon, 13 Apr 2015 16:17
Subject: [libreoffice-users] Basic Calc Question

I'm a novice at spreadsheets, and google hasn't turned up an answer.
Probably because I haven't worded the question properly. I am trying to
build a general ledger. I have my running balance in the F column and
transactions in the E column. I am trying to construct a conditional
statement that takes the running balance in F4 and adds it to the -/+
transaction in E5 and put the new balance in F5. But when the E5 is $0.00,
I want F5 to remain $0.00 as well until a new transaction is entered.

====

Try this in F5
  =IF(E5=0,0,F4+E5)

Translated, that says

Barry

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#4

I'm a novice at spreadsheets, and google hasn't turned up an answer.
Probably because I haven't worded the question properly. I am trying to
build a general ledger. I have my running balance in the F column and
transactions in the E column. I am trying to construct a conditional
statement that takes the running balance in F4 and adds it to the -/+
transaction in E5 and put the new balance in F5. But when the E5 is $0.00,
I want F5 to remain $0.00 as well until a new transaction is entered.

Revised reply:

Try this in F5
  =IF(E5=0,0,SUM(F4,E5))
or probably better
  =IF(E5="","",SUM(F4,E5))

#5

Speaking as an accountant, I'm not sure why you would want the balance to show 0. Nevertheless, what you need is:

=IF(E5=0,0,F4+E5)

And, of course, you want to copy that to each cell in the F column.

Dave Liesse
Skingco Services, LLC

#6

Thank you. I will give this a try. I guess a better description might
have been a basic check book. The balance cell is empty until an
associated transaction is entered. Then it updates the balance to reflect
the transaction just made. If F4 is current balance, a transaction entered
in E5 updates F5 to reflect the new balance. F6, 7, 8...... are still
blank.

#7

Barry Premeaux wrote:

> Thank you. I will give this a try. I guess a better description might
> have been a basic check book. The balance cell is empty until an
> associated transaction is entered. Then it updates the balance to reflect
> the transaction just made. If F4 is current balance, a transaction entered
> in E5 updates F5 to reflect the new balance. F6, 7, 8...... are still
> blank.

OK, that makes sense. So it is not about the transaction being 0, but empty.

Here is a working formula:

=IF(ISBLANK(E4);"";SUM(E$2:E4))

I have supposed that the transactions start at row 2. If not you have to change the E$2 accordingly.

#8

I'm a novice at spreadsheets, and google hasn't turned up an answer.
Probably because I haven't worded the question properly. I am trying to
build a general ledger. I have my running balance in the F column and
transactions in the E column. I am trying to construct a conditional
statement that takes the running balance in F4 and adds it to the -/+
transaction in E5 and put the new balance in F5. But when the E5 is $0.00,
I want F5 to remain $0.00 as well until a new transaction is entered.

Reply:

Barry,

Try one of these formulas. The first does what you said you want. The second does what I think you want.

=IF(E5=0,0,F4+E5)

=IF(E5="","",F4+E5)

#9

Try this in F5
=IF(E5=0,0,F4+E5)

I tried the other formulas, but kept getting error codes. This one works
and gives me the results I was looking for. F5 remains blank until their
is an actual data entry in E5. Thank you for the help.

Barry