ERRORTYPE in Calligra Sheets: Identify Spreadsheet Error Codes

An error code can make troubleshooting more systematic: division by zero, missing references, invalid numbers and unavailable values represent different failures. ERRORTYPE is not the same as ISERROR: ISERROR asks for TRUE/FALSE, while ERRORTYPE attempts to return a numeric classification. The 26.08.2 callback checks whether the input is an error first, and then compares known error categories. The C++ also explicitly handles several Calligra-specific internal errors, but those exceptional cases do not prove that each is readily producible from a normal sheet formula.

=ERRORTYPE(value)

KDE’s XML declares result type Int. The callback returns a Value::errorVALUE() when the input is not an error—it does not return a numeric 0 for ordinary inputs. This is an important source-level distinction from Excel’s treatment of non-errors. KDE’s handbook only says ERRORTYPE(0) returns an error; the error category is inferred here from source, not natively observed. Official XML.

The callback has a final integer 0 fallback for an unrecognized internal error type. That is not a documented result for valid worksheet input and is not a replacement for the non-error case. The table describes code paths in KDE’s C++ source, rather than ten natively demonstrated worksheet recipes.

Enter the following formulas in separate empty cells in a new sheet. To avoid confusion, distinguish a source statement of expected results from an actual test in the app.

Do not enter #N/A as text and assume it is the same as =NA(). Quotation marks produce text. The NA() function returns a typed error value (KDE). The 1/0 example deliberately contains a calculation error and should be used only in a disposable test sheet.

Advanced case 1: classify a failing import calculation

Place a formula that might fail in B2. Then in C2 enter:

=IF(ISERROR(B2);ERRORTYPE(B2);0)

The intent is to show an error code when B2 truly contains an error, and a harmless placeholder 0 otherwise. The combined logic relies on error passing through ISERROR, IF and ERRORTYPE. In this research, its result was not observed in native Calligra. Do not confuse this formula’s intentional 0 on the non-error IF branch with ERRORTYPE’s own non-error return, which is source-level errorVALUE.

Advanced case 2: use N/A testing when you only care about missing data

If you only want to detect missing values, =ISNA(B2) is conceptually simpler than checking =ERRORTYPE(B2)=7. The comparison formula may itself error when B2 is not an error. KDE’s ISNA definition specifically identifies N/A, and its ISERR excludes N/A. Choose a Boolean information function for a Boolean question.

Advanced case 3: diagnose errors in different categories

Suppose an import produces a division-by-zero error in one row and an explicit NA() in another. ERRORTYPE has callback branches for 2 and 7, allowing downstream labels if error arguments are delivered to the function. Do not build production conditional logic around the undocumented 101–103 codes without verifying which source-level internal error states the target build can actually generate and pass into ERRORTYPE.

• I entered a normal number and got an error. That is expected at the C++ callback: ERRORTYPE requires an error value. KDE explicitly says ERRORTYPE(0) returns an error. Source.
• I expected #N/A but got a value error for a non-error argument. Excel’s ERROR.TYPE documents #N/A for an input with no error; the examined Calligra ERRORTYPE path explicitly returns errorVALUE. Treat the difference as source-level until natively confirmed.
• An error formula was not turned into a number. Spreadsheet formula evaluation might propagate an error before invoking this callback. The existence of a source branch does not establish its reachability in every context.
• I see code 101, 102 or 103 mentioned online. These are explicit Calligra-specific source branches for circular/dependency/parse markers, not ordinary Excel codes and not yet independently reproduced in a worksheet.
• Text "#N/A" returned the wrong class. It is a string, not a true N/A error; use =NA() for a typed missing-value error.
• My function name is rejected in another spreadsheet. Excel uses ERROR.TYPE, while KDE registers ERRORTYPE. Formula spelling and error-code extensions are vendor-specific; test imports.
• Boolean error detectors disagree. ISERROR counts N/A; ISERR excludes N/A; ISNA targets it specifically. Use the test that matches your task.

The Microsoft Excel ERROR.TYPE documentation defines codes 1–7 for classic errors, and code 8 for #GETTING_DATA, plus an #N/A return for non-errors. The examined Calligra ERRORTYPE callback supports the 1–7 codes and its own 101–103 markers, does not define Excel’s code 8, and follows the errorVALUE path for non-errors. Excel’s function name contains a period; Calligra’s registered canonical spelling does not. LibreOffice’s Calc information-function documentation documents its own information/error functions: verify the precise ERROR.TYPE/ERRORTYPE naming and code scheme in the destination version instead of assuming equal behavior from similar names. For migration, test simple NA() and division-error cases on both products, with actual application execution when possible.

Checked October 12, 2026: KDE ERRORTYPE entry, KDE NA entry, 26.08.2 XML contract, registered C++ error-code branches, KDE release announcement, Microsoft ERROR.TYPE reference and LibreOffice Calc information documentation. Related official ISERROR, ISERR and ISNA documentation is available for less intrusive Boolean tests.