double negatives

[Wishmaster89]

Hi

Just curious about using -- on text values. I know this converts a value to a number but i can't find anything on google about how this works. All i can find is that it turns the values into true/false.

Anyone know what -- does in order to convert to number please?

 

[MARK858]

Excel automatically coerces TRUE/FALSE to 1/0 with any math operation (you'll see +0 and *1 used as well as --).
As far as Double Negation (Double Unary) goes the first negative changes TRUE values to -1 and FALSE values to 0.
The second negative simply changes the -1 to 1

 

[Wishmaster89]

Excel automatically coerces TRUE/FALSE to 1/0 with any math operation (you'll see +0 and *1 used as well as --).
As far as Double Negation (Double Unary) goes the first negative changes TRUE values to -1 and FALSE values to 0.
The second negative simply changes the -1 to 1

Ok thanks, would you reccomend this method for converting text values into numbers or is there a better method?

 

[MARK858]

Ok thanks, would you reccomend this method for converting text values into numbers or is there a better method?

I don't understand what you mean by "converting text values into numbers", Negation in itself just converts TRUE and FALSE to 1 and 0.
Sometimes a math operation will convert a number stored as text to real number and some Excel functions automatically treat a number stored as text as a real number.
If you do mean converting a number stored as text, then I personally prefer using Text to Columns to correct the original data in place

 

[Wishmaster89]

I don't understand what you mean by "converting text values into numbers", Negation in itself just converts TRUE and FALSE to 1 and 0.
Sometimes a math operation will convert a number stored as text to real number and some Excel functions automatically treat a number stored as text as a real number.
If you do mean converting a number stored as text, then I personally prefer using Text to Columns to correct the original data in place

Yea i mean converting to a number stored as text. For example i needed to remove the / from “20/21” so i found something on google that said use =- - substitute. I’ve tested this and isnumber returns true after using that formula( before using that formula it was false)