two step reference

[wolfpok]

Hi,

I have multiple named columns in a worksheet(a, b,c). I want to use data from either of these columns to create new data. Is there anyway I can put the name of the column I want to use in a cell and refer to the cell's content to identify the column i want to use? e.g i want to use data from column a, so I put some cell $C1 = a. And in a formula, I want to be able to get max(column name referred to in $C1).

i tried CELL, defined cells etc. Didnt work!

anybody know how to do this?

thx

dpk

[Steve Hartman]

=MAX(indirect($C1))

[Asala42]

G'day,

INDIRECT will do it (if I understand you correctly). So say you have "a" typed into C1:

=MAX(INDIRECT(C1&":"&C1))

Hope that helps,
Adam

[Asala42]

ahh,

didn't catch that you defined a range in column A with "a".

Evidently I need more caffeine.
Adam

[Aladin Akyurek]

On 2002-05-01 10:37, Steve Hartman wrote:
=MAX(indirect($C1))

Steve,

That won't work when C1 just houses "A".

Better:

=MAX(INDIRECT(C1&":"&C1))

I admit the purpose such an indirect reference could possibly serve escapes me.

Aladin

[Steve Hartman]

Aladin,
It should work since he said he had "named columns". I took that to mean a named range. If that assumption is incorrect, then you are quite right.

[wolfpok]

indirect worked.

the purpose is to use data from a particular column, if i had best/worst/typical case parameters, i wanted to be able to decide based on a value in a cell (= bc/wc/tc), the parameter type i wanted to use.

thx.

dpk