Cell Formula For Traffic Light Symbols

Trent Simpkin

Hello, see attached screenshot. in the yellow cell (top right) I am wanting to have a SUM of the below 'Days To Complete' cells, but only those that have the Green traffic lights.

As you can see this is a team members project list, so we are trying to estimate the work ahead for this team member.

Can someone please help with a formula to do this?

Screenshot 2022-03-14 154949.jpg

Genevieve P.

Hi @Trent Simpkin

The CHILDREN function will want you to reference the Parent Row Cell, versus selecting a range. It will create the range for you!

Try copying/pasting exactly this:

=SUMIF(CHILDREN(Status@row), "Green", CHILDREN())

In the second Children reference, you don't need to add any column names or rows at all. If you leave it as () then it will know to look at the children of this column. Make sense?

See: CHILDREN Function

Cheers!

Genevieve

J Tech

The simplest option would be to put it in the status column parent row:

=COUNTIF(CHILDREN(), "Green")

Trent Simpkin

Thanks J Tech, however I am wanting a sum of the numbers to the right of the green cells, as attached?

green count.png

Genevieve P.

Hi @Trent Simpkin

You can use the same principle but within a SUMIF statement! (See: SUMIF Function)

Try this:

=SUMIF(CHILDREN([Symbol Column]@row), "Green", CHILDREN())

You'll need to reference the column name that contains the symbols in your first Children function so the formula know what column contains Green Children.

Then the second CHILDREN() tells the formula what child rows to SUM... the ones in this current column.

Cheers,

Genevieve

Trent Simpkin

Thanks Genevieve, however its giving me a result of 0?

I don't feel like i've got it quite right. See below with row numbers and column names.

Really appreciate the help!

Genevieve P.

Hi @Trent Simpkin

The CHILDREN function will want you to reference the Parent Row Cell, versus selecting a range. It will create the range for you!

Try copying/pasting exactly this:

=SUMIF(CHILDREN(Status@row), "Green", CHILDREN())

In the second Children reference, you don't need to add any column names or rows at all. If you leave it as () then it will know to look at the children of this column. Make sense?

See: CHILDREN Function

Cheers!

Genevieve

Trent Simpkin

Thanks Genevieve, works perfectly!

Ronny Dorian

Hello

What if you had a formula where the output is some color, "Green", "Yellow", etc., and you wanted that output to be represented as a traffic light in one cell, how would you do that?

Similar to if you had a Text column, but you wanted one cell within it to output a date format, you would use DATEONLY in the beginning of its formula. How do you do the same for a traffic light symbol?

Thanks, Ronny

Genevieve P.

Hi @Ronny Dorian

Symbols can only appear if the type of column is a Symbol column. If you want a symbol in a Text column, you could use a formula to output an emoji, instead!

For example:

=IF(this@row = "Green", "🟢")

Cheers,

Genevieve

Ronny Dorian

That'll do! Thanks Genevieve!