This article explains how cells are addressed in the Formula tab, how to write references in your formulas, and how the values from your input blocks reach the sheet.
Cells use A1 notation
Every cell has an address built from its column letter and row number: A1, B2, D10, and so on. Columns run A, B, C, … Z, then AA, AB, and beyond. References are case-insensitive — b1 and B1 mean the same cell.
To use a value in a formula, reference its cell. For example, if D1 holds the number of users and E1 holds the price per user:
=D1 * E1
Ranges
A colon defines a rectangular range between two corners — D1:D10 is a column of ten cells, D1:F3 is a 3×3 block. Ranges are what functions like SUM and VLOOKUP operate on:
=SUM(D1:D10)
=VLOOKUP(D1, G1:H20, 2, FALSE)
Absolute and mixed references
A $ locks part of a reference so it doesn't change relative to other cells:
$D$1— column and row both locked (absolute)$D1— column locked, row free (mixed)D$1— row locked, column free (mixed)D1— both free (relative)
The dollar signs are honored when formulas are evaluated, so an Excel sheet that uses absolute references behaves the same way after import.
Cross-sheet references
If your project has more than one tab, you can read a cell on another tab by prefixing it with the sheet name and an exclamation mark:
=Rates!B2
='Tax Table'!B3
Wrap the sheet name in single quotes when it contains spaces. Only the first tab is wired to your blocks; other tabs are static reference data. See Working with multiple sheets / reference data.
Which cells your inputs use
Input blocks don't claim a fixed row. Each block is assigned to a cell of your choice, and the cell reference is stored on the block itself.
An assigned cell holds a sample value that you type — it is not a live copy of the block. When the calculator runs, the visitor's entry is substituted for that cell. See Formula tab overview for the model, and Assigning input blocks to cells for the mechanics.
Where to go next
- Formula tab overview — how blocks and cells relate
- Assigning cells to result blocks — point a result block at a calculated cell
- Formula functions reference — the math you can write in a cell