Chapter 15 · 15.2
Copying formulas from Excel: English function names and the comma
If you're used to Excel in English, you type =SUM, =IF and =VLOOKUP, with commas: =SUM(A1,A2). Do you use the same form in Euro-Office?
How it works in your WebOké Nextcloud
In your WebOké Nextcloud, Euro-Office uses the English function names and a comma between the arguments of a function by default, just as in English Excel. So you type =SUM(B3:B11), =IF(B5>0,"profit","loss") and =VLOOKUP(A3,Facturen!B2:H13,6,0). A dot is the decimal separator: 1.21.
Checking or changing the setting
- Click File and choose Advanced settings.
- Under Regional settings, look at Formula language (1). This is where you choose the language you use to type functions.
- Under Region (2), choose how dates, numbers and currency are displayed. Choose your own language and country, for example English (United Kingdom), for a date format like 23/10/2026, a dot as decimal separator and the pound sign.
- Leave Use separators based on regional settings ticked and click Apply.
This doesn't change the file itself. A colleague who has Dutch set up will see =SOM in the same file, and Dutch Excel will open it without any problems.
Copying a Dutch formula from the internet
Translate the function names and replace the semicolons between the arguments with commas. The most commonly used:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| SOM, GEMIDDELDE, AANTAL | SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT |
| ALS, EN, OF | IF, AND, OR |
| VERT.ZOEKEN, X.ZOEKEN, VERGELIJKEN | VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, MATCH |
| ALS.FOUT, ALS.NB | IFERROR, IFNA |
| SOM.ALS, SOMMEN.ALS, AANTAL.ALS | SUMIF, SUMIFS, COUNTIF |
| SPATIES.WISSEN, WISSEN.CONTROL, SUBSTITUEREN | TRIM, CLEAN, SUBSTITUTE |
| LINKS, RECHTS, DEEL, LENGTE | LEFT, RIGHT, MID, LEN |
| DATUM, VANDAAG, NETTO.WERKDAGEN | DATE, TODAY, NETWORKDAYS |
| TEKST.COMBINEREN, UNIEK, FILTER | TEXTJOIN, UNIQUE, FILTER |
Tip: not sure about a name? Go to the Formula tab and browse through the categories, or type the equals sign and the first few letters: Euro-Office will then show you a list of matching functions.
Pitfalls
- #NAME? in the cell: the function name isn't recognised. (Euro-Office shows error values using the English codes, even if you're working with Dutch function names.) This is usually a Dutch name or a typo.
- Euro-Office shows logical values in English: TRUE and FALSE, including in the formula bar. Don't type a standalone WAAR or ONWAAR in a formula, as this gives #NAME? or the wrong result. Use TRUE and FALSE, the functions TRUE() and FALSE() with brackets, or 1 and 0.
- If a formula uses a custom VBA function from Excel, it won't work. See An Excel file with VBA macros: what now?.