What Is ISTEXT Function in Google Sheets?
The ISTEXT in Google Sheets checks whether a value is a text. The function returns TRUE if it is a text value, else it returns FALSE. It is a part of the “IS” functions like ISNUMBER, ISBLANK and so on in Google Sheets. It is useful if you have to check the contents of a cell for text values.
You use ISTEXT if you must perform actions based on the text entries alone. In the example below, we have entered “Tuesday” in cell A1. Enter the following formula in B1 to check if it is a text value. =ISTEXT(A1). You get the result as shown below. The function returns TRUE as the cell A1 contains a text.
Key Takeaways
- The ISTEXT function in Google Sheets checks whether a given value is a text. It returns TRUE if it is a text, and FALSE if not.
- The syntax of the ISTEXT function is as follows: =ISTEXT(value). It takes a single argument and finds whether the value entered is a text.
- You can combine ISTEXT with other logical functions like IF, AND, OR to create more advanced checks.
- If a number is entered as a string, it will return TRUE.
- ISTEXT in Google Sheets belongs to the IS functions group like the ISNUMBER, ISBLANK and ISERROR.
Syntax
Let us proceed and look at the syntax of the ISTEXT function in Google Sheets. And it’s pretty straightforward!
The formula of ISTEXT in Google Sheets is as follows:
=ISTEXT(value)
Value: (mandatory) It is the value that you want to check for text. It can be a text, a reference value, a blank value or a number.
How To Use ISTEXT Function in Google Sheets?
We can use the ISTEXT in Google Sheets in the following ways:
It can be entered manually in a cell. We can also use it through the Google Sheets menu bar. Let us look at each of these methods.
Entering ISTEXT in Google Sheets Manually
The steps to enter the function manually in a cell are as follows
Step 1: Let us take an example where we have a few values entered in Google Sheets from cells A2 to A4. We must check if the values entered are text values.
Step 2: Enter the following formula in cell B2.
First, enter the function name and open the parentheses.
=ISTEXT(.
Next, enter the cell reference, which contains the value to be tested. Here, it is A2. Now, close the parentheses.
Step 3: Press Enter to obtain the result in cell B2.
Step 4: Drag the formula to cell B4 to get the results for the other values.
The output is TRUE whenever there is a text and FALSE in all other scenarios.
USING ISTEXT Through the Menu Bar
Another method of using the ISTEXT is through the menu bar. Go to Insert > Functions > Info. Scroll down to ISTEXT and click on it. Enter the required arguments and press Enter.
Examples
Example #1
Let us check if the values entered for students’ grades are text. Below we have the data entered in a table. We have to find out if the grades have been entered correctly.
Step 1: Enter the following function in cell C2.
=ISTEXT(B2). Press Enter.
Step 3: Press Enter. Drag the formula all the way to cell C11. Check the results.
You observe that all the text values are shown as TRUE. The blank cell is shown as FALSE as there is no text. However, even the cell values B+ and C+ are considered text values and shown as TRUE. Thus, the ISTEXT function is a useful function that helps perform evaluation more efficiently with the data in Google Sheets by determining text values.
EXAMPLE #2 – USING ISTEXT With IF Function
We can use ISTEXT in Google Sheets along with the IF function to check if a value entered is a text value or not and display an output accordingly. For instance, we have some details in the table below. It contains some items in a supermarket from cells A2 to A7.
In Column B, we enter the status of each item whether in Stock or not. It should be either In Stock or No.
In Column C, we check the validity of the entries and take appropriate action if the status is “No.”
Let us proceed with the steps as shown below.
Step 1: We must check if the entry made in Column B is valid. Based on this, the output in Column C would be “Valid Entry” or “Enter In Stock or No.”
Check for text validity using the following formula in cell C2.
=IF(ISTEXT(B2), “Valid Entry”, “Enter in Stock or No”)
Here, we use the outer IF function to check if the entry is a text that is a valid entry. If it isn’t, we print “Enter in Stock or No” based on the result of the ISTEXT function.
Step 2: Now, press “Enter.” You get the result “Valid Entry” because the first entry is a text entry.
Step 3: Finally, drag the formula from cell C2 to C9 to check for the validity of all the entries.
Thus, the ISTEXT function is used with the Google Sheets IF function to check whether a value is a text and print appropriate results.
Example #3 – ISTEXT with Conditional Formatting
ISTEXT can be used in conditional formatting based on whether an entry is text. Let us look at the ISTEXT in Google Sheets example below. We have some entries in a sheet. We want all the text entries in the BOLD format and a different color. Let us look at the steps on how to implement the same.
Step 1: Below is the list of values we entered in a spreadsheet.
To apply conditional formatting, go to Format and choose “Conditional Formatting.” You get a Conditional Format rules pane on the right.
Step 2: Here, as we have already selected the range, it appears in the pane. Go to the option “Format cells if.” Here, choose “Custom Formula Is.” In the box that appears, enter the following formula:
=ISTEXT(A1:E6).
For the formatting options, choose the Bold option and a color of your choice.
Step 3: Click on “Done” button and observe how your table is set. Here, wehave chosen to showcase text values in Bold and a different color.
That’s how you can use ISTEXT in conditional formatting. You can also use ISTEXT as part of more complex formulas for better results.
Important Things To Remember
- ISTEXT in Google Sheets looks for text values. It includes any sequence of characters like letters, numbers in text format, spaces, as well as special characters (e.g., “$”, “#”, etc.).
- If we find a number stored as text, we can use a function like VALUE to convert it to a number.
- Like ISTEXT, we have the ISNONTEXT function, which tests for non-text values in Excel.
- You can use this function to apply conditional formatting rules based on whether a cell contains text or not.
- The function returns FALSE for error messages like #VALUE! and #NUM!
- An empty cell returns FALSE because it is not a valid text. You can combine ISTEXT with ISBLANK to check if a cell contains text and is not empty.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) Select the cells containing the data you wish to format.
2) Under the Insert tab, choose Conditional Formatting and go to the pane that opens on the right side.
3) We enter the range, formula and other details in this pane. Enter the ISTEXT formula in the “Format cells if” box under Custom Formula.
4) Then, choose the formatting you wish to apply here.
5) Click on Done and you can see conditional formatting applied to your range.
We have discussed this in detail in the IFTEST function in Example #3 above.
Boolean values are given as TRUE or FALSE. The function will return FALSE for Boolean values as these are not considered text. ISTEXT will also return TRUE for special characters or symbols.
Let us look some of the functions similar to ISTEXT.
1. ISNUMBER is used to check if a value is a number. It takes a single argument and return either TRUE or FALSE.
2. ISBLANK is used to determine if a cell is empty and returns either TRUE or FALSE based on the result.
3. ISDATE is used to find if a value is a valid date.
4. ISFORMULA is a function which determines if a value is a formula or not.
5. ISNONTEXT is a function similar to ISTEXT and is used to determine if a value is not a text.
Download Template
This article must help understand ISTEXT Function in Google Sheets with its formulas and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
Recommended Articles
Guide to What Is ISTEXT in Google Sheets. We learn its syntax & how to use it to find if a value is a text with examples & a working template. You can learn more from the following articles. –
Leave a Reply