Contact
12 programs
Explore the site

T Function (Gnumeric)

Text Beginner Gnumeric

Learn the T function in Gnumeric: Returns a value if it is text, otherwise an empty value.

Verification status: Official documentation referenced; example outcomes independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where stated. Not executed in Gnumeric. How formula examples are checked

Validation limits: Examples are independently reasoned expectations from official documentation and checksum-verified release source. Native Gnumeric execution and screenshots were not performed.

What T does — and when it helps

T returns its argument only if that value is text; for a value that is not text it returns an empty value. In the verified 1.12.62 source this is value_new_empty(), not construction of an empty text string. This makes T useful for a text-only display column fed by a worksheet containing both numeric measurements and free-text comments [R1]. It is not a general conversion-to-text function: using it on a numeric identifier can hide the identifier rather than display it.

For example, where A2 contains the text Checked and A3 contains numeric 42, the results expected from =T(A2) and =T(A3) are Checked and an empty result, respectively [R1]. The formula remains present even when its result looks blank; do not infer the exact value type solely from its display.

Official Gnumeric syntax and arguments

=T(value)
Position Argument Required? Type / default
1 value Yes Value or reference to inspect, such as text or number; no default.

Gnumeric’s String manual documents the signature T(value), with exactly one argument [R1]. The formula begins with = in the worksheet. value can be a literal ("Checked") or an A1-style cell reference. All examples below use English function names and the documentation’s comma form for any other functions with multiple arguments; regional formula separators and translated function names can differ with application settings. T itself has only one argument, so there is no internal argument separator or locale decimal setting to adjust in the shown calls. Do not treat numeric-looking text as a number unless it was actually entered/stored as one.

Version scope: Gnumeric 1.12 series, release 1.12.62; official catalogue lists t under String with implementation Complete and project testing Basic [R2, R3]. These are upstream catalogue labels, not evidence of a local native-execution test or proof of an enabled function in every installation.

Reproducible direct examples

Enter the formulas into otherwise empty cells, or copy the values into A2:A6 and fill down =T(A2) beside them.

Input / formula Expected displayed result Reason and evidence
=T("Checked") Checked Text is retained [R1]; independently reasoned.
=T("007") 007 Text with leading zeros stays text [R1]; independently reasoned.
=T(42) An empty result Numeric input is not text [R1]; independently reasoned.
=T(1=1) An empty result Boolean is not text; documented type rule, native check outstanding [R1].
=T("") An empty string "" Already-empty text stays empty [R1]; independently reasoned.
=LEN(T("Desk")) 4 Text remains four characters; LEN documented in the same manual [R1].

For T(""), the empty input string remains a string. For nontext inputs the release callback instead returns an empty value; the rendered blank display does not establish equivalence. The Boolean/blank/error boundary cases should be tested in Gnumeric before relying on them; no exact error-propagation behavior has been inferred solely from another spreadsheet application.

Practical worksheet: mixed text and numeric notes

Create a small quality-control log:

Cell Enter Why
A1 Reading or remark Input column title
B1 Text-only remark Output column title
A2 All clear Text input
A3 19 Numeric input (not the text "19")
A4 Further review Text input
B2 =T(A2) Expected All clear
B3 =T(A3) Expected empty result
B4 =T(A4) Expected Further review

Now change A3 from a numeric 19 to the text "19" (for instance by explicitly storing it as text). The expected B3 result becomes 19; the worksheet display alone does not tell you the underlying cell type [R1]. Use the existing ISTEXT page for explicit type testing, rather than inferring type from appearance.

Advanced pattern: show a marker only for nontext input

For a single input in A2, Gnumeric documents the related information function ISTEXT in its Information category, and IF in its Logic category [R1, R4, R5]. In English, a conditional illustration is:

=IF(ISTEXT(A2),T(A2),"[non-text]")

Expected: Confirmed when A2 contains text Confirmed, and [non-text] when A2 contains the number 12. This combined example is a documentation-based prediction, not a native application test. Depending on locale, the comma separators in IF may need replacement with the application’s configured argument separator. For a text-only column without the marker, the simpler =T(A2) is sufficient.

Troubleshooting and limits

  • The result is blank when the original cell visibly contains 7. The source may hold the number 7. T does not turn numeric values into strings [R1]. To format a number as text, investigate Gnumeric’s TEXT(value,format) instead.
  • A code like 007 disappeared. Confirm that the identifier is stored as text before T runs. A numeric 7 formatted to display leading zeros is still a number and is expected to yield an empty result under the documented rule.
  • I need to remove hidden characters. T does not clean or trim its text argument. For text cleaning, see CLEAN and TRIM separately; their purposes are documented independently [R1].
  • The source cell is empty or contains an error. The exact effect of a genuinely empty reference versus a formula returning "", and Gnumeric’s error propagation for a reference holding an error, are not claimed tested here. Verify these cases natively before relying on them in an audit.
  • I supplied two values. Only T(value) is documented. An extra argument is outside the official signature; the exact displayed failure code was not measured [R1].
  • Imported file behaves unexpectedly. Recheck the actual stored type and workbook locale on import; documentation compatibility is not evidence that all coercion and error handling is identical.

The Gnumeric manual explicitly marks T as Microsoft Excel compatible [R1]; that is a function-level compatibility indication, not validation of all versions, imported files, locales, or other vendors. This guide does not borrow unverified LibreOffice behavior. It is appropriate to use T only when dropping nontext values is deliberate.

Related Gnumeric guides: ISTEXT · N · CLEAN · TRIM · LEN.

Primary source verification: Gnumeric 1.12.62 official archive was checked against GNOME’s SHA-256 checksum; the relevant callback was inspected without compilation or execution.

Official reference and review provenance

Validation: Official manuals and checksum-verified Gnumeric 1.12.62 source inspected; example logic and arithmetic independently checked. No native Gnumeric execution, screenshots, locale regression or workbook round-trip tests were performed.