LAMBDA: Advanced Formula Environment

Description

Microsoft's free Advanced Formula Environment (AFE) add-in is designed to make entering and editing large named formulas, such as are common for LAMBDAs, easier. AFE also adds three types of comments that can make LAMBDAs far more understandable than the formulas they replace. AFE supports indenting which can visually group formulas under their parent functions. And last, but hardly least, AFE can import LAMBDA libraries from the web directly into Excel.

Pre-Built, Pre-Tested Functions

Microsoft provides a large library of pre-built, pre-tested functions in Excel. With this library of functions we can assemble projects far quicker and with much greater reliability than if we relied solely on basic algebra in each cell. And now, with LAMBDA we can create our own library of functions, test them, and use them in all our projects just like Excel's built in library.

Trusted Repositories

Once we create our pre-built, pre-tested functions we can store them in a version controlled web repository where we can easily share them with others. This special repository is called GitHub. GitHub is a free repository for storing source files. LAMBDAs are source files and so GitHub is a good choice to hold our library of functions. AFE works seemlessly with GitHub.

Getting Advanced Formula Environment Add-in

The add-in is free and available directly from within Excel's developer tab. If you don't have the developer tab, click the Home tab > Add-ins. In the search box enter Excel Labs. When it appears in the list click Add.

Importing LAMBDAs from GitHub Gists

With the Advanced Formula Environment added to our Excel, click the Home tab > Excel Labs. Next, click the download from cloud icon. It asks for a URL. To test, use this URL:

https://gist.github.com/CHatmaker/3e1708888ec2bd1cde2ec9d002dc459b

That is my library for working with arrays of amounts posted to dates.

Once the library has been downloaded, it will be in Name Manager (where all named LAMBDAs go) and all imported LAMBDAs are ready for use.

All of my LAMBDAs can be found here: https://gist.github.com/CHatmaker.

To see more Gists, click here: https://gist.github.com/search?p=2&q=%22Excel+LAMBDA%22

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