12.4 Conditional Formatting: Format Cells Based on Comparison to Other Cells

Conditional formatting is an extremely powerful tool in Google Sheets that allows you to change the appearance of a cell based on specific criteria. When formatting is applied based on comparison to other cells, you can highlight important information, identify trends and patterns, and make your data much easier to read and understand.

Understanding Conditional Formatting

In Google Sheets, conditional formatting can be accessed from the menu bar by selecting "Format" and then "Conditional Formatting." From there, a panel opens on the right where you can define the rules that will determine how the cells will be formatted. Rules can be based on things like the cell value, the presence of specific text, or comparison with the value of another cell, which is our focus in this chapter.

Comparing Cells

When creating a conditional formatting rule that compares cells, you can use a variety of criteria, such as:

Equal to
Not equal to
Greater than
Less than
Greater than or equal to
Less than or equal to
Enter
Not between

These criteria can be applied directly to values or can be used to compare the value of one cell with another. For example, you may want to highlight a cell if the value is greater than the value in another cell in the same row or column.

How to Create a Conditional Formatting Rule Based on Another Cell

Select the cells you want to format.
Go to "Format" > "Conditional Formatting."
In the panel that appears on the right, under "Format cells if", choose "Customize formula".
Enter the formula that will compare with another cell. For example, if you want to format cell A1 if it is larger than B1, you would use the formula =A1>B1.
Choose the formatting style that will be applied when the condition is true.
Click "Done" to apply the rule.

Practical example

Imagine that you are working with a sales spreadsheet and want to highlight all sales that are greater than the average sales for the month. You can do this as follows:

Calculate the average sales in a separate cell, say C1.
Select the cell range that contains the sales values, for example, A2:A30.
Go to "Format" > "Conditional Formatting."
Choose "Customize formula" and enter the formula =A2>$C$1. The dollar sign ($) fixes the cell reference so that it does not change when applied to different cells.
Set the desired formatting, such as a green color fill to highlight above-average sales.
Click "Done."

With this rule, all cells in the range A2:A30 that have a value greater than the value in C1 will be highlighted in green.

Advanced Tips

To make the most of conditional formatting based on comparison with other cells, here are some advanced tips:

Use relative and absolute references: When creating conditional formatting rules, it is important to understand when to use relative (without $) and absolute (with $) references. Relative references change as the rule is applied to different cells, while absolute references remain constant.
Combine multiple conditions: You can use the AND() and OR() functions to combine multiple conditions into a single formatting rule conditional.
Use conditional formatting for data validation: In addition to highlighting cells, you can use conditional formatting to indicate when data does not meet certain criteria, making it easier to identify and correct errors.< /li>
Application to pivot tables: Conditional formatting can also be applied to pivot tables, allowing you to highlight values based on dynamic comparisons.

Conclusion

Conditional formatting based on comparison with other cells is an advanced feature in Google Sheets that can transform the way you work with data. By applying visual styles based on specific conditions, you can make your spreadsheets much more intuitive and informative. Remember to test different rules and combinations to find the ones that best meet your needs and improve your data analysis.