We can use the NA function to generate the #N/A error value. #N/A stands for “Not available”. The NA function is used to identify empty cells or any problem that arises in our calculation. The steps below will walk through its use.
Figure 1: How to Use the NA function
Syntax
=NA()
Formula
=IF(A4="",NA(),A4*B4)
Setting up the Data
- We will set up the data by inputting the WEIGHT into Column A
- We will input the cost per kg into Column B
- Column C is where we want the formula to return the result with the #N/A error if there is an issue with our parameters
Figure 2: Setting up the Data
Using the NA function
- We will click on Cell C4
- We will insert the formula below into the cell
=IF(A4="",NA(),A4*B4) - We will press the enter key
Figure 3: Output for Cell C4
- We will click on Cell C4 again
- We will double-click on the fill handle (the small plus sign at the bottom right of Cell C4) and drag down to copy the formula into the other cells
Figure 4: Output of the Formula in Column C
Explanation
=IF(A4="",NA(),A4*B4)
In this formula, the argument A4*B4 will return a number only if Cell A4 has a numeric value. If Cell A4 is empty, the #N/A error is returned as the result.
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