Wouldyouthinkoftypingsentencewithoutspaces? Well, then why are you typing formulas without spaces? ModelOff 2012 World Champion Alex Gordon suggests you should be adding spaces in your formulas to make things easier to read.
Transcript of the video:
All right, hey, welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I'm Bill Jelen. I'm here at the model of 2013 Financial modeling championships.
And I am honored to be here with Alex Gordon.
Alex was the model of champion from last year.
And you know Alex...
I don't know if you have you seen this on my podcast.
But I'm very, very clear to point this next fact there out whenever I have a chance.
So, you were the winner last year.
Alex: I was. Yes..
Bill: World champion and where did you find out about competition?
Alex: I was wondering if you'd bring that up.
I found out by a tweet that you sent out from last year.
Bill: There you go...
Alex: Yeah, so thank you very much.
Bill: That was a follow at MrExcel, and a chance to win.
Winners prizes this week?
Alex: Take you around the world and win the thirty thousand dollars.
Bill: 30,000 dollars, however...
Alex: However.
Bill: That's great. Alex were you from?
Alex: From Wellington in New Zealand...
Bill: Wellington, New Zealand.
All right and what trick do you have for us today?
Alex: I'm just using spaces and formula. Bill: Using spaces and formula.
Are you talking about the intersection operator?
Just your normal space which yeah is a function and a formula.
But you can also just use it as you would in a sentence.
Bill: Really? All right...
Alex: Let us space things out.
Let's see, let's see what you mean.
Alex: Absolutely, so here I've got just a very basic calculation.
Two quantities, two prices and we're going to calculate total revenue in one line.
Bill: Okay.
Alex: So, [ Inaudible: 1:26 ] away.
It'd just be first times second, first times second, which is fine...
Bill: Sure.
Alex: Does what you need to do.
Alex: But, as in the sentence if you don't have any spaces, isn't it makes a little harder to read?
So, we can equally put a space after each of our arguments, So, first times second spacing plus at times that.
Well, the formula itself was identical.
All we've done is put a space between we have written.
Bill: Look it down, its easy.
Alex: Anyway all it does is make it a little easier to read.
Bill: It's easier to read.
Bill: Isn't that good...
Alex: And therefore, if you're the person building at, primate, doesn't make a lot of difference.
But if you need to hand it over to someone else, and you can imagine this has only got four bucks in it.
Alex: It's not too difficult, Bill: Sure, right. Right.
Alex: but you do this with 10 arguments.
So, a few nested functions, and I can really sort it out.
Bill: Yeah, and its like...
Alex: I will caution, don't put a space before your first day course.
Because of course that will start trading like text entry and what evaluation...
From then on.
But your can put your space in Bill: That is a good tip in any...
So, I'm thinking out.
My mind is racing. Any downside here, any danger that we're going to introduce, any problems into the formula?
Alex: Not that I, not that I've come across and I've picked this up from, some model standards organizations.
And nothing that I've come across, so far.
Bill: So, let's say that you had a function where you needed to do like the average.
Just in another cell you wanted to do the average.
Do you space inside the inside the function parentheses.
Or anything like that? Which one?
Alex: So yeah, there are some places.
You've got to be careful with it So, if I was going to do an average of these two which isn't the most useful average.
Bill:All right.
Alex: I will do a space after my equals.
But I won't do a space between my function and my bracket because that will, that will kill it.
Bill: Oh yeah, right, that won't be all right.
But once you've done your bracket, I mean, it's just a personal preference.
I guess at that point if you want to make it nice and easy, Bill: Sure.
Alex: you can put a space for and most of the spaces...
It'd be like, it'd be like VLOOKUP where you have four arguments or something like that, Bill: maybe a space at the...
Alex: That's a good one.
Yeah, space after each comma makes it much easier to read.
Bill: That's cool. All right, Alex Well that is excellent.
Now, of course this will come out after the championship.
So we'll know if you are the repeat winner Alex: Fingers crossed.
It's so, it's funny watching the other that there were 16 finals last year.
Four of those finalists are back, including Alex.
And so the ones who know Alex, are very upset that you're back.
Bill: Yes. Yeah, that's right.
Alex: It's quite assertable.
Very good, all right Well hey, And thanks for appearing in the podcast.
Alex: Thanks for having me.
Bill: Alright.
I'm Bill Jelen. I'm here at the model of 2013 Financial modeling championships.
And I am honored to be here with Alex Gordon.
Alex was the model of champion from last year.
And you know Alex...
I don't know if you have you seen this on my podcast.
But I'm very, very clear to point this next fact there out whenever I have a chance.
So, you were the winner last year.
Alex: I was. Yes..
Bill: World champion and where did you find out about competition?
Alex: I was wondering if you'd bring that up.
I found out by a tweet that you sent out from last year.
Bill: There you go...
Alex: Yeah, so thank you very much.
Bill: That was a follow at MrExcel, and a chance to win.
Winners prizes this week?
Alex: Take you around the world and win the thirty thousand dollars.
Bill: 30,000 dollars, however...
Alex: However.
Bill: That's great. Alex were you from?
Alex: From Wellington in New Zealand...
Bill: Wellington, New Zealand.
All right and what trick do you have for us today?
Alex: I'm just using spaces and formula. Bill: Using spaces and formula.
Are you talking about the intersection operator?
Just your normal space which yeah is a function and a formula.
But you can also just use it as you would in a sentence.
Bill: Really? All right...
Alex: Let us space things out.
Let's see, let's see what you mean.
Alex: Absolutely, so here I've got just a very basic calculation.
Two quantities, two prices and we're going to calculate total revenue in one line.
Bill: Okay.
Alex: So, [ Inaudible: 1:26 ] away.
It'd just be first times second, first times second, which is fine...
Bill: Sure.
Alex: Does what you need to do.
Alex: But, as in the sentence if you don't have any spaces, isn't it makes a little harder to read?
So, we can equally put a space after each of our arguments, So, first times second spacing plus at times that.
Well, the formula itself was identical.
All we've done is put a space between we have written.
Bill: Look it down, its easy.
Alex: Anyway all it does is make it a little easier to read.
Bill: It's easier to read.
Bill: Isn't that good...
Alex: And therefore, if you're the person building at, primate, doesn't make a lot of difference.
But if you need to hand it over to someone else, and you can imagine this has only got four bucks in it.
Alex: It's not too difficult, Bill: Sure, right. Right.
Alex: but you do this with 10 arguments.
So, a few nested functions, and I can really sort it out.
Bill: Yeah, and its like...
Alex: I will caution, don't put a space before your first day course.
Because of course that will start trading like text entry and what evaluation...
From then on.
But your can put your space in Bill: That is a good tip in any...
So, I'm thinking out.
My mind is racing. Any downside here, any danger that we're going to introduce, any problems into the formula?
Alex: Not that I, not that I've come across and I've picked this up from, some model standards organizations.
And nothing that I've come across, so far.
Bill: So, let's say that you had a function where you needed to do like the average.
Just in another cell you wanted to do the average.
Do you space inside the inside the function parentheses.
Or anything like that? Which one?
Alex: So yeah, there are some places.
You've got to be careful with it So, if I was going to do an average of these two which isn't the most useful average.
Bill:All right.
Alex: I will do a space after my equals.
But I won't do a space between my function and my bracket because that will, that will kill it.
Bill: Oh yeah, right, that won't be all right.
But once you've done your bracket, I mean, it's just a personal preference.
I guess at that point if you want to make it nice and easy, Bill: Sure.
Alex: you can put a space for and most of the spaces...
It'd be like, it'd be like VLOOKUP where you have four arguments or something like that, Bill: maybe a space at the...
Alex: That's a good one.
Yeah, space after each comma makes it much easier to read.
Bill: That's cool. All right, Alex Well that is excellent.
Now, of course this will come out after the championship.
So we'll know if you are the repeat winner Alex: Fingers crossed.
It's so, it's funny watching the other that there were 16 finals last year.
Four of those finalists are back, including Alex.
And so the ones who know Alex, are very upset that you're back.
Bill: Yes. Yeah, that's right.
Alex: It's quite assertable.
Very good, all right Well hey, And thanks for appearing in the podcast.
Alex: Thanks for having me.
Bill: Alright.
