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In this article
TOCOL flattens a 2-D range into a single column, optionally skipping blanks and errors. TOROW does the same into a row.
Syntax
=TOCOL(array, [ignore], [scan_by_column])| Argument | What it means |
|---|---|
ignore |
1 = skip blanks, 2 = skip errors, 3 = both. |
Examples
Example 1
=UNIQUE(TOCOL(B2:F40, 1))One unique list from a whole table of names.
TOCOL in practice
Where you will use it
- Flatten a grid into one column
- Unique list from a table: UNIQUE(TOCOL(t))
- Remove blanks
Worked example
| Case | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | =ARRAYTOTEXT(TOCOL(CHOOSE(A2,{1,2;3,4},{"a","b";"c","d"},{1,2;3,4}),0,A2=3)) | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| 2 | =ARRAYTOTEXT(TOCOL(CHOOSE(A3,{1,2;3,4},{"a","b";"c","d"},{1,2;3,4}),0,A3=3)) | a, b, c, d |
| 3 | =ARRAYTOTEXT(TOCOL(CHOOSE(A4,{1,2;3,4},{"a","b";"c","d"},{1,2;3,4}),0,A4=3)) | 1, 3, 2, 4 |
Results calculated in Excel.
Mistakes people make
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Scan direction | Third argument TRUE scans by column |
| Errors and blanks | Second argument 1/2/3 ignores them |
Related functions
TOROW · WRAPROWS · UNIQUE
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