ERROR.TYPE in Collabora Office: Classify Errors with Standard Category Numbers
Use Collabora ERROR.TYPE to distinguish seven documented error categories, guard successful values, and build messages without hiding unrelated failures.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: If A2 contains a division-by-zero error, =ERROR.TYPE(A2) returns 2. This function reports a small error-category number, not Collabora’s native internal error code 532.
Syntax and complete documented mapping
=ERROR.TYPE(Error_value)
Error_value is required and may be an error value or a reference to the cell to inspect. The vendor gives this mapping:
| Error value | Collabora code shown by the help | ERROR.TYPE result |
|---|---|---|
| #NULL! | 521 | 1 |
| #DIV/0! | 532 | 2 |
| #VALUE! | 519 | 3 |
| #REF! | 524 | 4 |
| #NAME? | 525 | 5 |
| #NUM! | 503 | 6 |
| #N/A | 32767 | 7 |
| Anything else | — | #N/A |
The “anything else” rule includes the no-error situation described in the page’s introduction. A successful value does not produce a convenient zero category.
ERROR.TYPE and ERRORTYPE are distinct exact names. Do not remove the dot as a spelling cleanup: the undotted function has a different native-code purpose.
Example: distinguish a fault from a successful calculation
Enter 10 in A2 and 0 in B2. In C2 enter =A2/B2. Then put =ERROR.TYPE(C2) in D2. The documented division-by-zero classification predicts 2.
Change B2 to 2. C2 now has independent numeric result 5, while ERROR.TYPE on that successful value returns #N/A under the documented no-error rule. That #N/A comes from the classification formula, not from the division.
For a safe label, use:
=IF(ISERROR(C2);ERROR.TYPE(C2);"OK")
The independent/documented expected labels are 2 for the zero-denominator case and OK for the successful case. ISERROR checks whether classification is needed; IF selects the appropriate branch.
Example: classify an unavailable value
The vendor explicitly gives =ERROR.TYPE(#N/A) returning 7. A practical cell-based control is to put =NA() in F2 and then use =ERROR.TYPE(F2) in G2. NA produces the unavailable-value error for this diagnostic setup.
This is different from entering the text string “#N/A”. A cell containing text that looks like an error is not necessarily an actual spreadsheet error value. Inspect the formula and value type before treating its appearance as a diagnostic result.
Advanced example: preserve other errors in a user-facing status
With C2 holding the source calculation, enter:
=IF(ISERROR(C2);IF(ERROR.TYPE(C2)=2;"Check denominator";"Other error");C2)
For the division-by-zero control, the expected text is Check denominator. For successful 10/2, the expected numeric result is 5. For the known #N/A control, the expected label is Other error.
This explicit alternate label avoids silently turning every different classified error into zero. Keep the original calculation in C2 so troubleshooting information remains available rather than replacing the source formula with a generic message.
The label “Check denominator” describes this particular model. It should not be reused as a universal explanation for every possible division-by-zero error elsewhere in a workbook.
Advanced application: count a known error class
Once a helper column contains guarded category numbers or “OK”, COUNTIF can count occurrences of category 2. For the fixed diagnostic list 2, OK, 7, 2, the independent count is 2.
This is an audit of supplied categories, not a native application test. Preserve the original error cells so the count can be traced back to actual formulas. A category count alone does not explain why each formula failed.
Errors and limitations
The vendor warns that using ERROR.TYPE directly as an IF condition can propagate #N/A; guard it with ISERROR when successful inputs are possible. The mapping also says “anything else” returns #N/A, so the function is not a universal decoder for every native Collabora error number.
Do not interpret category 5 as internal Err:5 or category 7 as a count of errors. The result identifies a class. The help identifies ERROR.TYPE as part of OpenDocument 1.2, which is separate from verified Collabora release history or cross-product equivalence.
Availability and verification
The exact function is documented in Collabora Office 26.04 desktop help, retrieved and reviewed on October 17, 2026. This establishes a documentation scope, not the first release that introduced the function or the last version in which it works; those versions and any retirement date remain unestablished. Collabora Online and mobile support are not inferred from desktop help, nor is behavior in another spreadsheet product.
The examples are documentation-based expectations with independent calculations. They have not been executed in Collabora Office. No application screenshot or native error/coercion certification is implied. Formulas use English function names and semicolon argument separators.
References
- Collabora Office 26.04: ERROR.TYPE (checked October 17, 2026).
- Editorial testing standards.