Formula Forensics. 009 – Pradhishnair’s Chainage Problem

Share

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

A common Forum question and one that Chandoo has written about a few times is, Does my data overlap with another range?

Last week, Pradhishnair, asked in the Chandoo.org Forums I need to find if the values between range D2:E2 are overlapping in any of the following rages, if yes then where? (may be row number)”

I answered with an array formula:

{=”Overlap Row S.no. = ” &MIN(IF((D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, (A3:$A$41)))}

Which returns ether:

Overlap Row S.no. = x (If there is an overlap)

or

Overlap Row S.no. = 0 (If there is no overlap)

So today in Formula Forensics we will take a look at how the above formula works with a worked example.

 

Chainage

As always you can follow along with a worked example. This is a subset of Pradhishnair’s Data to simplify the length of the equations, but otherwise is the same as the original post: Download Here

Pradhishnair’s data consists of a list of chainages. Chainages are measurements of distances from a fixed point and relate to a segment of something. Chainage From is to the closest end of the segment and and Chainage To is to the furthest end of the segment and by default these are in order, that is To is always greater than From.

Using this we can check for overlapping data by simply checking if the From is less than the remaining To’s or the To value is greater than the remaining From’s

This is done for each row compared to the remaining rows of data by the array formula

=”Overlap Row S.no.: ” & MIN(IF((D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, (A3:$A$41))) Ctrl Shift enter

We can see that the above equation simply joins

“Overlap Row S.no.: “

To the result of

MIN(IF((D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, (A3:$A$41)))

Using the & operator

It will return:

Overlap Row S.no. = 0 if there is no overlap

Or

Overlap Row S.no. = x If there is an overlap.

So the function

MIN(IF((D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, (A3:$A$41)))

Is used to return the minimum value of an If() formula which is its only component

The If() statement usually has three components:

=If( Condition, Value if True, Value if False)

In our case, I will evaluate Row 2, Particularly Cell G2, against the remaining entries in the two lists.

=If((D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, (A3:$A$41))

Condition:  (D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0

Value if True:  (A3:$A$41), This is just the S.No. in Column A

Value if False:  Note that the If statement has no Value if it is False, I could put any value there eg: -1 or 0, but Excel evaluates it to 0 anyway so it hasn’t been used.

 

The If Statement says If (D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, then return (A3:$A$41)

What the condition is saying is If the To Data in the Current Row, Row 2, is Greater than or equal to the other From Values or the From Data in the Current Row, Row 2, is Less than the other To Value, Then this is True

To check this, in Cell I2, enter  =(D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) and evaluate it with F9 instead of Enter

Excel returns ={1;1;0;0;0;0;0;0;0}

Excel is showing us that the first and second entries have overlapping data.

Which we can see if we look at the data

The >0 at the end of the (D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, transforms the array of 0’s and 1’s to an array of Falses and Trues

To check this, in I3, enter  =(D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2)>0 and evaluate it with F9 instead of Enter

Excel returns ={TRUE;TRUE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE}

Now the If Statement will be True for the first two entries in the array and so will evaluate the Value if True component of the If Formula:  (A3:$A$41)

We can check this

In cell I4 enter

=IF((D3:$D$41<=E2) *(E3:$E$41>=D2) >0, (A3:$A$41)) and press F9 instead of Enter

Excel returns

={2;3;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE}

Which is the array of S.No’s which match our criteria

Now Min comes in

=MIN({2;3;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE})

Min returns the Minimum of these which is 2.

And that is appended to “Overlap Row S.No. = “

To return the answer:  Overlap Row S.No. = 2

Which is the first overlapping row with Row 1

 

Custom Number Formats

You may have noticed that the numbers in Pradhishnair’s worksheet look a bit odd with a + in the middle: eg: D3 displays 142+000

Pradhishnair is using a Custom Number Format of #+000

Select a Cell, eg D2, Press Ctrl 1, Select the Number Tab

If you select these cells and Press F2 Excel will show that the cells value is 142000

But Excel is using the custom Number format of #+000 to display the number with 3 digits after the +

 

Links to Overlapping Data Posts

http://chandoo.org/wp/2010/06/01/date-overlap-formulas/

http://chandoo.org/wp/2011/03/09/ec1-machine-scheduling-in-excel/

 

Download

You can download a copy of the above file and follow along, Download Here.

 

Other Formula Forensics Posts

You can learn more about how to pull Excel Formulas apart in the following posts

Formula Forensic Series:

 

We Need Your Help

I received 3 ideas over the Xmas break from readers, and these will feature in coming weeks.

However I do need more ideas for the rest of 2012 and so I need your help.

 

If you have a neat formula that you would like to share and explain, try putting pen to paper and draft up a Post as Luke did in Formula Forensics 003. or like above.

If you have a formula that you would like explained but don’t want to write a post also send it in to Chandoo or Hui.

 

ps: I’m traveling to Esperance; Western Australia for a short holiday with the family but have left a neat Formula Forensic for you for next week.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Share this tip with your colleagues

Excel and Power BI tips - Chandoo.org Newsletter

Get FREE Excel + Power BI Tips

Simple, fun and useful emails, once per week.

Learn & be awesome.

Welcome to Chandoo.org

Thank you so much for visiting. My aim is to make you awesome in Excel & Power BI. I do this by sharing videos, tips, examples and downloads on this website. There are more than 1,000 pages with all things Excel, Power BI, Dashboards & VBA here. Go ahead and spend few minutes to be AWESOME.

Read my storyFREE Excel tips book

Overall I learned a lot and I thought you did a great job of explaining how to do things. This will definitely elevate my reporting in the future.
Rebekah S
Reporting Analyst
Excel formula list - 100+ examples and howto guide for you

From simple to complex, there is a formula for every occasion. Check out the list now.

Calendars, invoices, trackers and much more. All free, fun and fantastic.

Advanced Pivot Table tricks

Power Query, Data model, DAX, Filters, Slicers, Conditional formats and beautiful charts. It's all here.

Still on fence about Power BI? In this getting started guide, learn what is Power BI, how to get it and how to create your first report from scratch.

26 Responses to “Get busy this weekend, with OR XOR AND [Excel Homework]”

  1. Stef@n says:

    first solution for AND
    The two numbers are in A1 and B1
    = SUBSTITUTE (SUBSTITUTE (A1+B1*9*9, 9, 1), 8, 0)
    regards
    Stef@n

  2. Stef@n says:

    next solution for OR
    =1*SUBSTITUTE (A1+A2;2;1)

    regards
    Stef@n

  3. Stef@n says:

    last solution for XOR
    =1*SUBSTITUTE (A1+A2;2;0)

    regards
    Stef@n

  4. Irvine says:

    Or you could make use of the VBA logical operators!

    Define the following as custom functions
    Public Function BITXOR(x As Long, y As Long)
    BITXOR = x Xor y
    End Function

    Public Function BITAND(x As Long, y As Long)
    BITAND = x And y
    End Function

    Public Function BITOR(x As Long, y As Long)
    BITOR = x Or y
    End Function

    and then use them such:
    A B =BITOR(A,B) =BITAND(A,B) =BITXOR(A,B)
    0101 0100 0101 0100 0001

  5. Stef@n says:

    an another solution for AND
    =1*SUBSTITUTE (SUBSTITUTE (A1+A2;1;0);2;1)

    note:
    the binary numbers are in A1 and A2 !
    regards
    Stef@n

  6. Shair says:

    I was obviously playing hooky at the beach during the bit-wise math lesson – you lost me at “Understanding bit-wise operations” 🙂

  7. Anup Agarwal says:

    After looking at the above solutions, I find my solution silly, but still:

    For the following formulae,
    Row 1: headers,
    Row 2: OR
    Row 3: AND
    Row 4: XOR

    Column 1: Input 1
    Column 2: Input 2
    Column 3: Result

    OR
    {=SUM(IF(MID(A2,ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(A2),1)),1)+MID(B2,ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(B2),1)),1)>0,1,0)*10^(LEN(A2)-ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(B2),1))))}

    AND
    {=SUM(IF(MID(A3,ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(A3),1)),1)+MID(B3,ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(B3),1)),1)=2,1,0)*10^(LEN(A3)-ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(B3),1))))}

    XOR
    {=SUM(IF(MID(A4,ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(A4),1)),1)+MID(B4,ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(B4),1)),1)=1,1,0)*10^(LEN(A4)-ROW(OFFSET($A$1,0,0,LEN(B4),1))))}

  8. Hui... says:

    @Anup
    Please don't consider your solution silly
    Firstly, You are the 3rd person to submit an answer
    Secondly, The best formula/function is the one that you know and understand.

  9. Michael Azer says:

    I think I have a very tedious solution, which people won't have the patience to do except in small numbers.

    I used the same problem setup as "Anup Agarwal"

    AND =IF(AND(MID(B2,1,1)="1",MID(C2,1,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(AND(MID(B2,2,1)="1",MID(C2,2,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(AND(MID(B2,3,1)="1",MID(C2,3,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(AND(MID(B2,4,1)="1",MID(C2,4,1)="1"),1,0)

    OR =IF(OR(MID(B3,1,1)="1",MID(C3,1,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(OR(MID(B3,2,1)="1",MID(C3,2,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(OR(MID(B3,3,1)="1",MID(C3,3,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(OR(MID(B3,4,1)="1",MID(C3,4,1)="1"),1,0)

    =IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,1,1)="1",MID(C4,1,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,1,1)="0",MID(C4,1,1)="1")),1,0)&IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,2,1)="1",MID(C4,2,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,2,1)="0",MID(C4,2,1)="1")),1,0)&IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,3,1)="1",MID(C4,3,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,3,1)="0",MID(C4,3,1)="1")),1,0)&IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,4,1)="1",MID(C4,4,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,4,1)="0",MID(C4,4,1)="1")),1,0)

  10. Michael Azer says:

    Sorry my last post was totally messed up

    AND
    =IF(AND(MID(B2,1,1)="1",MID(C2,1,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(AND(MID(B2,2,1)="1",MID(C2,2,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(AND(MID(B2,3,1)="1",MID(C2,3,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(AND(MID(B2,4,1)="1",MID(C2,4,1)="1"),1,0)
    OR
    =IF(OR(MID(B3,1,1)="1",MID(C3,1,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(OR(MID(B3,2,1)="1",MID(C3,2,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(OR(MID(B3,3,1)="1",MID(C3,3,1)="1"),1,0)&IF(OR(MID(B3,4,1)="1",MID(C3,4,1)="1"),1,0)
    XOR
    =IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,1,1)="1",MID(C4,1,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,1,1)="0",MID(C4,1,1)="1")),1,0)&IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,2,1)="1",MID(C4,2,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,2,1)="0",MID(C4,2,1)="1")),1,0)&IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,3,1)="1",MID(C4,3,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,3,1)="0",MID(C4,3,1)="1")),1,0)&IF(OR(AND(MID(B4,4,1)="1",MID(C4,4,1)="0"),AND(MID(B4,4,1)="0",MID(C4,4,1)="1")),1,0)

  11. Stephen says:

    @stefan,
    I just couldn't get your solutions to work.
    01010101010 + 01010101110 = 02020210120
    what am i doing wrong?

  12. Stephen says:

    @anup
    ...I got yours to work!

  13. Rich says:

    @Stephen - I get the same, but Stef@an's second solution for AND does work (at least for the test cases I used)

  14. Stef@n says:

    @ Stephen / Rich
    yes , you are right ! - only this works:

    OR
    =1*SUBSTITUTE (A1+A2;2;1)
    XOR
    =1*SUBSTITUTE (A1+A2;2;0)
    AND
    =1*SUBSTITUTE (SUBSTITUTE (A1+A2;1;0);2;1)

  15. Michael Azer says:

    @Stef@n - You're answer is really smart, I never knew about the substitute function before. Great Work!

  16. Stef@n says:

    Thx Michael 🙂
    yes - it is simply easy 😉
    if you add 1 and 1 - excel calculate 2
    and then you have to substitute the 2 - new = 0 respectively 1

  17. Rob says:

    Here is a good resource for people wanting to learn binary and hexadecimal.
    http://justwebware.com/bitwise/bitwise.html

  18. Kyle McGhee says:

    Three that weren't asked for:
    NOT
    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1+A2,0,3),1,0),3,1)

    EQV
    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1+A2,0,3),2,3),1,0),3,1)

    IMP
    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1+SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,0,3),1,0),3,1),0,1),2,0)

    (was using Daniel Ferry's bitwise file to verify against)

  19. Q says:

    @ Kyle

    Not only takes one parameter and inverts 0 -1 and 1-0

    Took out the +A2
    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1,0,3),1,0),3,1)

  20. Great solutions!

    I'll add two:

    NAND =1*SUBSTITUTE (A1+A2,2,0)

    NOR=1*SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE (SUBSTITUTE(A1+A2,0,2),1,0),2,1)

  21. John Fuller says:

    This will work for binary numbers of any size (although the text format mask will have to have as many zeroes as there are digits in the longest addend)

    Assume binary #s are in C35 & C36, then add and format as text in C37:
    =TEXT(C36+C35,"000000000000")
    -sum- = 101112211112

    AND - SUBSTITUTE 0s for 1s in -sum-, then sub 1s for 2s
    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(C37,"1","0"),"2","1")

    OR - sub 1s for 2s in -sum-
    =SUBSTITUTE(C37,"2","1")

    XOR - sub 0s for 2s in -sum-
    =SUBSTITUTE(C37,"2","0")

  22. Shane says:

    Just wandered by:

    AND:

    =SUBSTITUTE(A1+A2,1,0)/2

  23. Ronald Vonk says:

    Hi Chandoo,

    I am not (yet) really into bitwise calculation, but I am looking for a way to speed up my vba calculation with very big numbers. Would is ben convenient to use bitwise notation for this?

    Best regards,

    Ronald (the Netherlands)
    p.s. love your country!

Leave a Reply