DELTA in ONLYOFFICE: Exact Numeric Equality and Zero Tests

DELTA is a compact exact numeric equality indicator. A result of 1 can stand for a match in a verified input table, configuration setting, laboratory comparison or integer flag. It is not a range proximity test, and it does not perform tolerance-based matching. In spreadsheets with floating-point calculations, quantities intended to be equal can differ by a tiny representation or rounding amount; compare within a tolerance when that is the actual business rule.

Avoid confusing DELTA with an arithmetic difference: =B2-C2 returns the difference, whereas =DELTA(B2,C2) returns a binary indicator. The vendor explicitly defines both output values and the optional default as shown above. Vendor definition.

=DELTA(number1, [number2])

=DELTA(B2) is a well-formed one-argument test against zero, not a request to leave the second value blank as a stored cell. =DELTA(B2,C2) compares exactly two numbers. The reference does not document numeric-text conversion, boolean coercion, array spill behaviour or a rounding/tolerance argument: do not claim these are supported without native tests.

1. Create a blank spreadsheet in an ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor edition you can identify. Use English formula language for the formulas below. Record your Desktop version or the actual Docs/server version and your region if you later report test results.
2. Enter the specified headers, then enter the table’s input values in the exact cells shown. Numeric inputs must be numeric cells (without quote marks).
3. Enter the formulas into the output cells exactly as shown, beginning with =. Use Formula → Function to find DELTA or type the function directly. Fill down only through the named last row; do not accidentally include table headers.
4. Compare your displayed values against the independently computed expected column. For decimals, change display format or use numeric tolerance rather than expecting identical trailing digits.
5. If your result differs, record the formula, underlying cell type, software platform/version, displayed result, separator/locale settings and any error without overwriting the expected-value reference. ONLYOFFICE’s formula-entry and recalculation guide describes recalculating via the Formula tab, or F9 for the workbook.

Put A1:G1 as Case, number1, number2, Explicit formula, Explicit expected, Omitted-second formula, Omitted-second expected. Enter the numeric B/C columns below in rows 2–14. Enter =DELTA(B2,C2) in D2 and fill D14. Enter =DELTA(B2) in F2 and fill F14; this is the default-zero path. Type the expected 1/0 indicators in E/G. For a simple per-row check, =D2=E2 compares the two numeric flags; that formula is a proposed native check.

The two expected columns are logically calculated from equality, independently checked against exact decimal representations. They are not readings from an ONLYOFFICE sheet. Avoid computing 0.1+0.2 and comparing it to 0.3 as a demonstration of a guaranteed native outcome: no ONLYOFFICE floating-point representation test was performed.

For the copied dataset, =SUM(D2:D14) is expected to count 5 exact matches, while =SUM(F2:F14) is expected to count 2 first-numbers equal to zero. The SUM function is officially documented; its use here is a proposed worksheet calculation. To flag mismatches in a readable report, a formula like =IF(DELTA(B2,C2)=1,"Match","Different") is an illustrative combination; English function names and quoted output labels follow the vendor’s documented formula entry rules.

If two quantities may differ due to measurement noise, use a numeric threshold rather than DELTA alone. For a tolerance in H2 (for example 0.001), the proposed worksheet formula =IF(ABS(B2-C2)<=H2,1,0) creates a different rule, because two unequal numbers may still qualify. That result must not be described as DELTA’s behaviour. A mathematically exact comparison is appropriate for integers, prescribed codes or equality to zero; a tolerance is appropriate for rounded calculations or measured quantities. Vendor ABS supports magnitudes of differences.

Default versus explicit zero: =DELTA(B2) and =DELTA(B2,0) are mathematically equivalent for numeric B2; =DELTA(B2,C2) is not the same unless C2 happens to be zero. Result type: expected outputs are numeric 1/0, not literal TRUE/FALSE strings. Equality versus difference: =DELTA(-3,-3) returns an expected 1 although both inputs are negative; =DELTA(-3,3) returns an expected 0. Nonnumeric input: the reference gives numeric argument descriptions only; specific handling of "5", booleans and blanks is unknown until tested.

Do not invent an error value. Where a case is mathematically defined but the editor’s coercion/overflow handling is undocumented, record it as native behaviour unverified, not a guaranteed #VALUE!, #NUM! or other message.

ABS supports tolerance tests; IF can convert numeric indicators into labels; SUM adds 1/0 flags; and GESTEP tests a threshold rather than exact equality. Only links to actual vendor documentation are given—no unverified internal site URLs.

Officially documented: The current, unversioned English ONLYOFFICE Docs Spreadsheet Editor function page for DELTA and Insert Function catalogue list DELTA as an Engineering function. Checked 2026-10-13 (UTC). This supports the existence, purpose and signature of the function in the documented editor; it is not proof of identical behaviour in all past web integrations, all Desktop Editors builds, or mobile versions.

First-supported version: Not established by this research. The vendor maintains distinct Docs release history and Desktop Editors release history. Their availability does not, by itself, identify the first supported release of DELTA. Desktop version compatibility: NOT NATIVELY TESTED; browser/web version compatibility: NOT NATIVELY TESTED; historical versions: UNKNOWN; imported workbook round-trip and specific file-format compatibility: NOT TESTED.

English formulas: Examples use an initial = and commas between arguments where necessary, following the official Insert Function instructions. Under File → Advanced Settings, the editor offers Formula Language, Region, and decimal/thousands separators (official Advanced Settings guide). Translated formula names, regional separators and localized decimal entry are not verified here. Do not blindly swap commas for semicolons or translate a function name unless checked in the actual target installation.

Evidence classification: Every result labelled expected is derived from independent mathematical or logical computation, never copied from an ONLYOFFICE screenshot or claimed to have been observed in a running editor. Native Desktop executions: 0. Native web executions: 0. Any error strings described as possible diagnostic are not observed output.