ABS in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: Calculate Absolute Values

ABS returns the absolute value of a number: its distance from zero, regardless of whether the original value is positive or negative. Enter =ABS(-42) to obtain 42. It leaves zero unchanged. Those three behaviours are explicitly illustrated by SoftMaker’s PlanMaker 2026 ABS reference.

Use ABS when you need the size of an error, change, temperature difference or shortfall without treating a negative sign as a negative magnitude. If the sign itself matters (profit versus loss), retain the original signed value alongside ABS.

=ABS(Number)

• Number (required): the numeric value or an expression/cell reference that evaluates to the number for which you want the absolute value. The function accepts one argument, not a range to be summed automatically.
• The English reference spells the argument as Number and has no optional parameters or default value. Use the single argument without adding a separator. In formulas containing multiple other functions, argument separators can be locale-dependent; this one-argument expression does not require one.

The function removes a sign; it does not round, format as currency, classify positive/negative, or sum an entire range. Official syntax and examples.

Enter these values in column A:

1. Select B2 and enter =ABS(A2).
2. Copy/fill the formula down through B6.
3. Compare your expected magnitudes:

The arithmetic above was checked independently from the printed inputs. It has not been executed in PlanMaker. A display format with two decimal places could show 12.50 or 3.00; formatting does not change the underlying number.

A shipment should contain 100 units (B2). The actual count is 94 (C2).

=ABS(B2-C2)

Expected result: 6, because 100 - 94 = 6, whose magnitude is 6. If the actual count were 106 instead, the absolute difference would still be 6. This is useful when the review policy cares about deviation size rather than direction.

Enter a permitted absolute difference of 5 in D2. Reuse the target and actual values from the preceding example and enter in E2:

=IF(ABS(B2-C2)>D2,"Review","Within tolerance")

Expected result: Review for B2=100, C2=94 and D2=5. The deviation 6 exceeds 5. If C2 becomes 97, the deviation becomes 3 and the independently expected result is Within tolerance. The comparison > excludes equality; use >= only when your policy flags an amount equal to the limit. IF function reference.

This is an example of a composition of two officially documented functions, not evidence of testing in the native app.

• You need direction, not magnitude: ABS(-6) and ABS(6) both return 6. Keep the original signed value if you need to distinguish deficits from surpluses. For direction only, see the officially documented SIGN function.
• You expected a total over a range: =ABS(A2:A6) is not a replacement for adding each cell’s magnitude. Apply ABS per row, then total the results using SUM; do not assume PlanMaker’s array coercion or spill behaviour without testing it.
• A cell contains nonnumeric text: check whether an imported -12.5 is stored as a number. SoftMaker’s ABS reference specifies a numeric argument; the exact error or coercion for arbitrary strings has not been verified in the installed application and should not be invented.
• The result appears rounded: number formatting can hide decimal places. Inspect the original value and number format before assuming the arithmetic changed.
• The output is unexpected: test =ABS(-42) in a new cell. The official expected result is 42; then inspect your source reference and whether it is truly numeric.

Official PlanMaker 2021, 2024 and 2026 manuals each document the same ABS(Number) signature and the examples 42, 0, -42. This establishes documentation in these releases, not the first version ever to introduce ABS or tested support in every edition, operating system or mobile app. No evidenced behaviour change was found across the three reference pages.

ABS is also a familiar mathematical function in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc and Google Sheets. The ordinary numeric examples transfer conceptually; locale parsing, nonnumeric input handling and imported workbook behaviour have not been tested across those programs. Do not infer identical error codes or coercion rules.

• SoftMaker PlanMaker — function documentation
• IF function reference
• SIGN
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2024: ABS
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021: ABS

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in SoftMaker PlanMaker.

• No genuine SoftMaker PlanMaker screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.