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INDIRECT with a table row

Greetings,

I am creating a conditional formatting formula in VBA. I have the following formula working just fine:

=INDIRECT(""D""&ROW())=""Employee""

In this case, the entire row is shaded when column D and the current row is equal to Employee.

I now want to make this work on a bunch of different data tables where the Status Column = Mapped. I am struggling on how to make this formula dynamic enough to reference the row in the data table where the value of Status = Mapped. I am at a loss at the moment on how to do that most efficient.

I see the formula looking something like =indirect( <the Status column> & ROW()) = "Mapped". I do not know how to properly address <the Status column>

Any tips would be appreciated.

Ingeborg Hawighorst (Microsoft MVP / EE MVE)

Hello,

why are you using Indirect at all?

If you want to format a cell in the same row, then just enter the relative reference for the row, for example, if the selected cell is in row 2 when you define the conditional format, use

=$D2="Employee"

As for the Status column: does the position of the status column differ in the sheets? Do you need to identify which column holds the status values?

This would be a lot easier to understand if you could post a sample file. Make sure to replace confidential data with dummy text.

cheers, teylyn

ckelsoe

ASKER

I am need to do this as conditional formatting as the tables are imported data with unknown size and column locations. conditional formatting is a vba free way of achieving the required results.

Ingeborg Hawighorst (Microsoft MVP / EE MVE)

Yes, but why the Indirect?

See the attached file. Sheet1 has two conditional formatting rules.

blue for "employee" in column D
=$D2="employee"

gold for "mapped" in the column that has "Status" as the column header
=INDEX($A2:$F2,MATCH("Status",$A$1:$F$1,0))="mapped"

Sheet2 has some data as well, but the Status column is not in column F. Copy Sheet1, cell A2, then select the table in Sheet2 and use Paste Special > Formats to paste only the formatting.

The correct rows will be highlighted.

Is that something you could work with?

cheers, teylyn
Book6.xlsx

ckelsoe

ASKER

That should work. I will play around with it.

I went with Indirect because of this information: http://www.asap-utilities.com/blog/index.php/2005/11/07/conditional-row-color-based-on-a-cell-value/

I just need to get the resulting condition applied from a VBA module that is able to work no matter what size the table is and no matter what column the column Status is located at.

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ckelsoe

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ckelsoe

ASKER

This solution achieved the desired results

Ingeborg Hawighorst (Microsoft MVP / EE MVE)

I know this question is closed.

For posterity:

Indirect is not required to address a cell in the same row

=INDIRECT("D"&ROW())="Employee"

This formula is overly complicated. Depending on my mood, I'd call it anywhere between "amateur" and "rubbish". It works. That's indisputable. But a much cleaner way of achieving the same result is

=$D2="Employee"

when the formula is applied in row 2. When using conditional formats, relative addresses are relative (surprise!) to the current cell. Copied to another row, that formula will adjust to the relevant row, without the overhead of an overly complicated INDIRECT() with a nested ROW(). Two additional calculations that Excel has to perform per row.

If you want fast performing worksheets, keep the overhead to a minimum.

cheers, teylyn