ISFORMULA Function (OpenOffice Calc)
Test whether a referenced cell contains a formula in OpenOffice Calc. See literals, true blanks and formulas whose results are text or errors.
Verification status: Eight ordinary ISFORMULA examples were recalculated in Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16 on Linux x86-64, Build 9816, using a generated three-sheet ODF workbook. Saved identities, typed results and both controls were checked. Logical results are stored as 0/1 in the explicitly numeric-formatted output cells. No manual-entry, XLSX-import or other-release execution is claimed. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: =ISFORMULA(H2) produced 0 in the Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16 check below.
Availability and version history
- Introduced: First release not established; documented by OpenOffice.org 3.3.
- Supported in: Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16; no final supported release is established.
- Scope: English desktop Calc, semicolon-separated formulas and local workbook references.
- Checked: October 14, 2026. Eight examples were recalculated in 4.1.16 on Linux x86-64, Build9816. Generated-ODF identities, saved results and controls were checked; no manual-entry or different-release test is claimed.
What ISFORMULA returns
ISFORMULA tests whether a referenced cell is stored as a formula cell. It does not test whether the result is numeric, whether the expression is correct or whether calculation succeeds. A formula that returns text or an error is still a formula. Release implementation.
Syntax and arguments
ISFORMULA(Reference)
Reference should identify the cell you want to inspect. The source also receives non-reference values; the two tested direct numeric expressions return false because they do not identify a stored formula cell.
Reproducible setup
On Reference, H2 contains numeric 10, H3 contains the text label and H4 is truly empty. H5 contains =SUM(1;2), H7 contains ="ready", and H9 contains =NA(). The native result cells were explicitly number-formatted, so logical outcomes were saved and displayed as 1 or 0.
Eight checked examples
All eight formulas were recalculated. Quotation marks identify text results; unquoted #N/A identifies an error. Logical tests in the explicitly number-formatted output cells are shown as 1/0. Reference expectations follow the inspected callback, workbook structure and ordinary arithmetic.
| Formula | Independent/source reference | Saved 4.1.16 result |
|---|---|---|
=ISFORMULA(H2) |
FALSE |
0 |
=ISFORMULA(H3) |
FALSE |
0 |
=ISFORMULA(H4) |
FALSE |
0 |
=ISFORMULA(H5) |
TRUE |
1 |
=ISFORMULA(H7) |
TRUE |
1 |
=ISFORMULA(H9) |
TRUE |
1 |
=ISFORMULA(5) |
FALSE |
0 |
=ISFORMULA(1+2) |
FALSE |
0 |
Practical worksheet
Use =ISFORMULA(H5) to check the stored SUM formula: the logical result is true, represented by 1 in the tested numeric format. =ISFORMULA(H2) is false, represented by 0, even though H2 and some formula cells may both contain valid numeric values.
For a calculated column, fill a helper formula such as =ISFORMULA(A2) down the relevant rows. Inspect false results where formulas are expected. This can help detect a formula replaced by a hard-coded value, but a true result does not establish that the formula refers to the right cells.
Advanced interpretation and checks
The source checks the cell’s storage type, not the type of its calculated result. That explains why the text formula in H7 and missing-data formula in H9 both produce true. The callback also clears its inspection error state before returning the test result; the error in H9 does not force ISFORMULA(H9) to return that same error.
Compare =ISFORMULA(H5) with =ISFORMULA(1+2). The first receives a reference to a formula cell. The second receives the calculated value 3 as its argument, so it returns false. A formula written inside the argument is not automatically a reference to a formula cell.
If you also need the stored expression, FORMULA can retrieve it after an ISFORMULA guard. If you need the result’s numeric or text type, use the corresponding type-test function instead.
Boundaries and troubleshooting
A leading equals sign stored as ordinary text is not sufficient to make a cell a formula. A blank is also distinct from a formula that returns an empty string; the latter is still a formula cell according to the inspected storage-type check.
The examples use single-cell references and two direct non-reference values. Array formulas, broad ranges, imported formula-like text and alternate display formats were not executed. Logical meaning and saved representation should be stated separately: the tested numeric-formatted result cells store 1/0, while a different cell format may display a logical word.
Related functions
Official evidence and checking scope
- Function-specific implementation
- Release function description and argument metadata
- English function identity
The generated ODF was opened in the native GUI, hard-recalculated and saved separately. The informational “Not all attributes could be read” load warning was retained. A deliberately stale SUM cache refreshed to 3, and an uncached SUM returned 7. The exact local inputs, sheet order, formula identities and saved values were reconciled. The authoring-tool XLSX and its previews were not used as native calculation evidence. Only the listed cases and release are covered.