Using ISTEXT Function to Create Custom Rules in Conditional Formatting
Conditional Formatting in Excel becomes truly powerful when
you use formulas to create custom rules. Instead of relying on preset
options, formulas give you full control over how formatting is applied based on
dynamic conditions.
With a formula-based rule, you can apply formatting to any
cell or range by evaluating a logical expression — if the formula
returns TRUE, the formatting is triggered.
Breakdown of the Formula:
- ISTEXT():
This is an Excel Information Function that checks whether the value
you refer to is text.
- B4:
This is the cell being evaluated by the ISTEXT function.
What the formula does:
- It
checks if cell B4 contains a text value.
- If B4
contains text, the formula returns TRUE.
- If B4
contains a number, blank, or other non-text data, it returns FALSE.
In This Image:
- Cell
B4 contains the word "User" (highlighted with a
yellow fill), which is text.
- Therefore,
=ISTEXT(B4) will return TRUE.
The ISTEXT function in Excel is part of the Information functions category, used to determine the data type of a given cell's content. Specifically, it checks whether the value in a specified cell is text and returns a logical value — either TRUE or FALSE
This function is simple but powerful in maintaining data
integrity and ensuring your spreadsheets are clean, structured, and ready
for analysis.
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