When it comes to using the VSTACK function in Google Sheets, encountering pesky #N/A errors, blank cells, or even entire blank rows in the output can be quite frustrating. But fear not! In this guide, we will not only delve into the workings of the VSTACK function but also learn how to overcome these annoying issues, so you can become a Sheets pro.
What is the VSTACK Function?
The VSTACK function in Google Sheets serves the purpose of vertically appending arrays. It enables you to place ranges within open and closed curly brackets, separated by a semicolon. However, the VSTACK function offers notable advantages over the curly bracket approach:
- Enhanced Readability: The VSTACK function brings more readability to your formulas, making them easier to understand and maintain.
- Flexible Array Sizes: Unlike curly brackets, the VSTACK function can handle arrays with different column sizes. When the sizes differ, using curly brackets would result in a #VALUE error.
Learning the VSTACK function is essential as it may become part of complex formulas in the future. So let’s dive in!
Syntax of the VSTACK Function in Google Sheets
The syntax of the VSTACK function is as follows:
VSTACK(range1; [range2, ...])
Here’s what each part of the syntax means:
range1: The first array or range to append.range2, ...: Additional arrays or ranges (optional) to add to the previous range.
Basic Formula Examples
When the ranges you want to append have an equal number of columns, you can use either the VSTACK function or curly brackets. Let’s take a look at an example:
Using Curly Brackets:
={Sheet1!A2:C10;Sheet2!A2:C15}Using the VSTACK Function:
=vstack(Sheet1!A2:C10,Sheet2!A2:C15)In the above example, we append two ranges, one from Sheet1 and the other from Sheet2, within a Google Sheets file.
But what if the two ranges have a different number of columns? In such cases, you can only use the VSTACK function to vertically append them. Here’s an illustration:
The VSTACK formula appends the arrays vertically, considering the range with the maximum number of columns. As a result, you may encounter #N/A errors in some cells. So how do we remove them?
Replacing the #N/A in the VSTACK Result
Since the number of columns in the ranges doesn’t match, the default result of the VSTACK formula might be #N/A in some cells. To handle this, we can use the IFERROR function to replace #N/A with zero or any other value of our choice. Here’s an example using zero:
=iferror(vstack(B3:C5,E3:G5),0)Using Query in VSTACK and Dealing with Blank Rows
When you want to vertically stack multiple QUERY results using the VSTACK function, you may encounter an issue: one or more blank rows or rows filled with #N/A between the appended results. This occurs when one or more QUERY formulas fail to return any value that matches the specified criterion.
To remove these blank or error rows in VSTACK in Google Sheets, you can utilize the LET function to name the VSTACK formula and then filter out the blank rows. Here’s an example:
In the above formula, range1, range2, and range3 represent three QUERY formulas. We named the VSTACK formula “blank” and filtered out the blank rows using the following formula:
=let(blanks, iferror(vstack(query({B2:C6},"Select * where Col1='a'"), query({E2:F6},"Select * where Col1='b'"), query({H2:I6},"Select * where Col1='c'"))), filter(blanks, index(blanks, 0, 1) <> ""))And that’s it! You now possess the skills to use the VSTACK function in Google Sheets like a pro while efficiently handling errors and blank rows.
If you want to explore more exciting Google Sheets features, head over to Crawlan.com for in-depth tutorials and resources. Happy sheeting!
