Backslash not appearing

Rodrigue Muhoza

Hi there.

I am trying to write an if formula ( =IF([Question 2]@row = "C:\Desktop", 1, 0) ; however, as soon as I hit enter, the formula gets saved as ( =IF([Question 2]@row = "C:Desktop", 1, 0) ). The backslash (\) in the text between the quotation marks won't appear, so the formula becomes wrong. I don't know why the the backslash keeps disappearing.

Thank you

Paul Newcome

I just tested with a basic IF searching for "\" and got the unparseable error. Removing it to search for "" worked just fine. I've never run across this before.

@Genevieve P @Andrée Starå @Mike Wilday @L@123 Have any of you ever run into this issue? Is there a list somewhere of certain characters that can't be used in formulas? Do we have any ideas for work-arounds?

Paul Newcome

I tried even using a SUBSTITUTE function, but while typing out the formula the "help box" indicated that I was still in the "old text" portion even after finishing it out with a closing parenthesis and everything. When I left the cell it went back to the unparseable error.

Paul Newcome

So the only way I have been able to get it to work is to insert a text/number column and manually enter the \ into the cell. Then in the IF statement you type out the first part, use a cell reference in place of the backslash, then type out the rest.

=IF([Question 2]@row = "C:" + [Backslash Column]@row + "Desktop", 1, 0)

Mike Wilday

@Paul Newcome I have never encountered this before. That is really strange. I wonder if it some kind of anti-javascript code to prevent injections or something. So weird.

Paul Newcome

I did all kinds of testing. It won't even take

="\"

Any formula with a typed \ will either automatically remove it or will return the unparseable error.

Mike Wilday

so strange.

Genevieve P.

Hi @Paul Newcome, @Mike Wilday and @Rodrigue Muhoza

This is strange, and I actually haven't come across this before, personally. However I think this may be happening because \ is the escape character... try adding it in twice?

=IF([Question 2]@row = "C:\\Desktop", 1, 0)

This should keep one \ present with the text.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Paul Newcome

@Genevieve P I thought about trying that, but for whatever reason didn't. I guess I should have because that works.

L_123

Interesting. You could also try to use the unichar reference.

=IF([Question 2]@row = "C:" + Char(47) + "Desktop", 1, 0)

Paul Newcome

@L@123 I'll have to play with that a bit. I forgot about the CHAR/UNICHAR functions.

ADJax

The \ is an escape character Try "\\". The first \ acts as an escape character and allows the 2nd \ to be treated as a regular backslash.

That being said, I wish there was a way to turn it off for static strings.