BLANK
BLANK()
A blank value, for a row that should have no value at all, such as a finish date shown only on critical tasks. It takes the kind of whatever it stands in for, a date, a number or text, and it carries through: any calculation with a blank in it is blank, so BLANK() + 1 is blank, not 1.
Examples
Formula=IF([Critical], [Finish date], BLANK())
The finish date of critical tasks, and nothing on the others. Leaving out IF's else does the same.
Formula=IF([Total float] < 0d, [Total float], BLANK())
Negative float only. Tasks with float to spare stay empty, so they sort last and don't count in an AVERAGE.
Formula=SWITCH([Phase], "Civil", 1, "MEP", 2, BLANK())
A number for two phases and a blank for every other.
Reach for something else when
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| To test whether a value is blank | ISBLANK |
| A value in place of a blank | COALESCE |
| Empty text, which is text and not blank | "" |
Common questions
Why does [Actual finish] = BLANK() give a blank on every row?
Comparing with a blank gives a blank, never TRUE. To find blank values, use ISBLANK: ISBLANK([Actual finish]).
Is a blank the same as 0 or ""?
No. A blank is no value: it is skipped by SUM and AVERAGE, sorts last, and matches no filter. 0 and "" are values. To turn a blank into 0, use COALESCE.