Conditional formatting and selecting top 3 values

Gordow · Mar 27th, 2002, 05:24 PM

Hi,

I've got a spreadsheet with a series of rows and columns that have numbers between 1 and 20 contained within the various cells. I am trying to use conditional formatting to highlight the top 3 values for each row but have thus been unsuccessful in it's execution. I've tried using a variety functions to achieve my desired result but none seem to work (functions such as MAX/MAXA, LARGE and RANK) as all each seem to do is change the formatting for all numbers contained within the row instead of the select 3 I wish to single out. Sorting or filtering the data is not possible for the type of output I am seeking.

Any advice on how to achieve my desired result?

Thanks in advance!
Gordow

Mark W. · Mar 27th, 2002, 05:34 PM

Suppose A1:D6 contains...

{8,14,5,18
;4,5,8,16
;20,5,19,3
;2,1,12,8
;17,16,9,6
;3,2,6,8}

After applying a "Formula Is" condition to the selection, A1:D6 (with A1 as the active cell) using...

=OR(A1=LARGE(1:1,1),A1=LARGE(1:1,2),A1=LARGE(1:1,3))

...the values...

{5
;4
;3
;1
;6
;2}

...will remain unformatted.

[ This Message was edited by: Mark W. on 2002-03-27 16:49 ]

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Mar 27th, 2002, 05:24 PM	#1
Gordow New Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5	Hi, I've got a spreadsheet with a series of rows and columns that have numbers between 1 and 20 contained within the various cells. I am trying to use conditional formatting to highlight the top 3 values for each row but have thus been unsuccessful in it's execution. I've tried using a variety functions to achieve my desired result but none seem to work (functions such as MAX/MAXA, LARGE and RANK) as all each seem to do is change the formatting for all numbers contained within the row instead of the select 3 I wish to single out. Sorting or filtering the data is not possible for the type of output I am seeking. Any advice on how to achieve my desired result? Thanks in advance! Gordow

Mar 27th, 2002, 05:34 PM	#2
Mark W. MrExcel MVP Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Austin, Texas USA Posts: 11,654	Suppose A1:D6 contains... {8,14,5,18 ;4,5,8,16 ;20,5,19,3 ;2,1,12,8 ;17,16,9,6 ;3,2,6,8} After applying a "Formula Is" condition to the selection, A1:D6 (with A1 as the active cell) using... =OR(A1=LARGE(1:1,1),A1=LARGE(1:1,2),A1=LARGE(1:1,3)) ...the values... {5 ;4 ;3 ;1 ;6 ;2} ...will remain unformatted. [ This Message was edited by: Mark W. on 2002-03-27 16:49 ]