Microsoft Office

Part II
Working with Formulas and Functions
FIGURE 17.5
Creating a named array constant.
FIGURE 17.6
Using a named array in an array formula.
Because commas separate the array elements, the array has a horizontal orientation. Use semicolons to create
a vertical array. Or you can use the Excel TRANSPOSE function to insert a horizontal array into a vertical
range of cells (see “Transposing an array,” later in this chapter). The following array formula, which is
entered into a seven-cell vertical range, uses the TRANSPOSE function:
{=TRANSPOSE(DayNames)}
You also can access individual elements from the array by using the Excel INDEX function. The following
formula, for example, returns Wed, the fourth item in the DayNames array:
=INDEX(DayNames,4)
Working with Array Formulas
This section deals with the mechanics of selecting cells that contain arrays and entering and editing array
formulas. These procedures differ a bit from working with ordinary ranges and formulas.
Entering an array formula
When you enter an array formula into a cell or range, you must follow a special procedure so that Excel
knows that you want an array formula rather than a normal formula. You enter a normal formula into a cell
by pressing Enter. You enter an array formula into one or more cells by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
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