ISEMPTY
ISEMPTY(set)
TRUE if a set has no rows, such as a task with no successors (an open end). It takes a set of rows, not a value: to ask whether a field is blank, use ISBLANK.
Arguments
| Argument | What to give it |
|---|---|
| set | A set of rows: Predecessors, Successors, Assignments, FILTER(…), Children on a WBS node. |
Examples
Formula=ISEMPTY(Successors)
TRUE for a task with no successor: an open end, unless it is the finish milestone.
Formula=ISEMPTY(Predecessors) AND [Task code] <> "A1000"
TRUE for a task with no predecessor other than the start: a guardrail for open starts.
Formula=ISEMPTY(Assignments)
TRUE for a task with no resource on it.
Formula on WBS rows=IF(ISEMPTY(Children), "Leaf", "Summary")
On a WBS row: whether the node has nodes below it.
Reach for something else when
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Whether a value is blank | ISBLANK |
| How many rows a set has | COUNT |
| Whether a particular row is in a set | INCLUDES |
| Whether any row meets a condition | ANY |
Common questions
Why does the editor say "ISEMPTY needs a set of rows here"?
It was given a column, a list of values, rather than the rows. Pass the set itself:
The editor refuses this=ISEMPTY(Predecessors[Phase])
ISEMPTY(Predecessors) asks whether there are predecessors. To ask whether all their phases are blank, use COUNT(Predecessors[Phase]) = 0: COUNT of a column skips blanks.