Formula Generator - FLATTEN function
The FLATTEN function is used to flatten values from one or more ranges into a single column. It takes multiple ranges as input and returns a single column with all the values concatenated. This function is helpful when we need to consolidate data from different ranges or extract unique values.
How to generate an FLATTEN formula using AI.
To obtain the FLATTEN formula, you can ask the AI chatbot the following question: "Is there a formula in Excel that can flatten a nested list or array?" The AI chatbot should then provide you with the FLATTEN formula, which is a user-defined formula in Excel.
FLATTEN formula syntax.
The FLATTEN function in Excel is not a built-in function. However, it can be achieved using other formulas and functions. The purpose of FLATTEN is to convert a multi-dimensional array into a single column or row. To achieve this, you can use the combination of INDEX and ROW functions. Here is an example of the syntax: =INDEX(range,ROW(range)-ROW(first_cell)+1) In this syntax, "range" refers to the range of cells you want to flatten, and "first_cell" refers to the first cell in that range. The ROW function returns the row number of a cell, and by subtracting the row number of the first cell from the row number of the current cell, we can get a sequential number for each cell in the range. The INDEX function then retrieves the value from the range based on this sequential number. By dragging this formula down for multiple rows or across for multiple columns, you can flatten the multi-dimensional array into a single column or row. Note that this syntax assumes the multi-dimensional array is in a rectangular shape. If the array is irregular or contains empty cells, additional adjustments may be needed.
Combine Multiple Ranges into a Single Column
In this use case, we use the FLATTEN function to combine multiple ranges into a single column. This is useful when we have data scattered across different ranges and we want to consolidate it into one column for further analysis.
FLATTEN(range1, [range2, ...])
Extract Unique Values from Multiple Ranges
In this use case, we use the FLATTEN function along with other functions like UNIQUE and FILTER to extract unique values from multiple ranges. This can be helpful when we have duplicate values across different ranges and we want to get a list of unique values.
UNIQUE(FLATTEN(range1, [range2, ...]))
Create a Concatenated List from Multiple Ranges
In this use case, we use the FLATTEN function along with other functions like CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN to create a concatenated list from multiple ranges. This can be useful when we want to combine text values from different ranges into a single cell.