VLOOKUP in Calligra Sheets: Look up an item price without sorting your inventory table
Learn the VLOOKUP function in Calligra Sheets with sample cells, a reproducible formula, expected results, troubleshooting and the official reference.
Reference checked: Examples have not been run in this spreadsheet application. How we verify guides
Quick answer: Look up an item price without sorting your inventory table. An inventory clerk has a small unsorted product table and needs to retrieve a price by product name.
The syntax below follows Calligra Sheets documentation. Recreate the small dataset to understand the output before applying the formula to your own sheet.
When to use VLOOKUP
An inventory clerk has a small unsorted product table and needs to retrieve a price by product name. The calculation can then be repeated across additional rows while retaining the source values for review.
Syntax and argument order
=VLOOKUP(Lookup value; data source; Column; Sorted)
The spelling and argument order come from the official Calligra Sheets function reference. Calligra’s official function handbook displays semicolons between arguments. Verify separators against the locale in your installed Calligra version.
Reproduce the example
Create a small worksheet with the following cells. Treat the labels as context; the formula references the specified ranges.
| Row | A: Product | B: Quantity | C: Unit price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Tape | 6 | 3.50 |
| 3 | Pens | 20 | 1.75 |
| 4 | Clips | 13 | 4.25 |
| 5 | Pads | 5 | 2.00 |
Place the following formula in an empty cell outside the sample range:
=VLOOKUP("Clips";A2:C5;3;FALSE)
Expected result: 4.25.
Why it works: The lookup searches column A for Clips, then returns column 3 of the matching row. FALSE requests an exact match despite the unsorted source table.
If your result differs, compare the sample values, quotation marks, argument separators, and cell references against the formula shown.
A second example
=VLOOKUP("Tape";A2:C5;3;FALSE)
Expected result: 3.50. Use the second result as a separate check with changed inputs.
Troubleshooting and practical cautions
The official reference describes Sorted as TRUE by default. On unsorted product names, explicitly specify FALSE to avoid incorrect approximate matches.
Keep a unique product code as the leftmost lookup column if names are duplicated or change over time.
Compatibility and version notes
Do not assume the function name or argument order matches another spreadsheet. For example, Calligra REGEXP extracts text and REGEXPRE replaces it; PlanMaker and LibreOffice may use different names or behavior.
Verification status: KDE’s published Sheets handbook includes older material and may not describe every interface detail of the current build. This is a documentation-checked formula guide, not a native-application test. No application screenshot is presented as genuine here. Independently calculated expectations are not native-application execution in Calligra Sheets.
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Documentation: Calligra Sheets reference for VLOOKUP.