Question

I have two tables side by side (equal dimensions), and I want to highlight the cells that are equal. (The two tables are side-by-side because Excel 2007 doesn’t allow Conditional Formatting across sheets).

Supposing that table B is offset from table A by 16 rows, I thought my formula would be:

=INDIRECT(CELL("address"))=OFFSET(INDIRECT(CELL("address")),0,16)

(For the “Format values where this formula is true” box).

But I’m in error. What would be the correct formula to enter?

Answer 1

To use the Cell function, you have to specify the 2nd, optional, “Reference” argument. From Excel 2010 help:

“If [the reference argument is] omitted, the information specified in the info_type argument is returned for the last cell that was changed. If the reference argument is a range of cells, the CELL function returns the information for only the upper left cell of the range.”

Better yet, don’t use the calculation-intensive Indirect function. Assuming you’ve highlighted the left-hand table data rows and the active cell is A2, enter this in your Conditional Formatting, making sure that it uses relative referencing (no “$” symbols):

=A2=OFFSET(A2,0,16)

EDIT – Even better yet, as commented by @chris neilsen, eliminate the also calculation-intensive Offset function for the equally effective:

=A2=Q2