ADDRESS in SoftMaker PlanMaker: Build Cell References as Text

Build a displayable or reusable cell address from numeric coordinates. This helps with audit summaries, generating position labels, or passing a constructed text reference to a second function when you actually need the referenced cell contents. A cell address string is not itself a linked cell reference in ordinary arithmetic.

=ADDRESS(Row, Column [, Abs] [, Mode] [, SheetName])

• Row (required): the target cell’s row number, counting from 1.
• Column (required): the target’s numeric column number, counting A = 1, B = 2, …, Z = 26, AA = 27.
• Abs (optional): 1 or omitted for absolute row and column; 2 for absolute row and relative column; 3 for relative row and absolute column; 4 for relative row and column. These are reference-style flags, not different source-cell coordinates.
• Mode (optional): TRUE or omitted produces A1-style address text. FALSE requests R1C1-style address text. SoftMaker calls this an Excel-oriented alternative address notation; its direct output and wider calculation behavior were not executed in PlanMaker.
• SheetName (optional): a text worksheet name added as a prefix when supplied. If omitted, no sheet name is attached. SoftMaker’s own example with "MySheet1" returns MySheet1!E1 for relative mode; spacing/quoting rules for complex names are not certified by this guide.

The 2024 and 2026 SoftMaker manuals describe identical argument order/defaults. The requested 2021 ADDRESS reference was not independently accessible this run: no claim of verified 2021 parity is made. The 2026 English reference uses commas between arguments and allows omitted interior arguments as in the example below. Installations with different regional separators/number punctuation require local formula-wizard confirmation; Edit-tab documentation only verifies numeric-separator configurability.

Copy these formulas into empty cells, one per row. These outputs are text strings—the $ symbols indicate reference locking, not currency.

SoftMaker explicitly publishes the first two cases. The remaining results were generated using the vendor-defined Abs modes and independently checked column-letter arithmetic—not observed in the PlanMaker application. Relative/absolute addressing here changes the output text’s $ markers, not which input worksheet cell contains the formula.

According to SoftMaker’s own 2026 example:

=ADDRESS(1,5,4,,"MySheet1")

Documented result: MySheet1!E1. The empty fourth argument uses the default A1 display style. For an explicit equivalent you can type =ADDRESS(1,5,4,TRUE,"MySheet1") (expected text MySheet1!E1; independently reasoned from documented defaults).

Important distinction: This output does not confirm how PlanMaker quotes sheet names containing spaces, apostrophes, external workbooks, or special characters. Microsoft’s Excel documentation gives examples involving quoting, but do not assume identical PlanMaker formatting without a native test.

Set up the following in a blank worksheet:

Why two steps? The first formula produces the address as text. The separately documented INDIRECT interprets address text as a worksheet reference. You can shorten F2 to =INDIRECT(ADDRESS(B2,C2)). Both steps are a documentation-derived expected use, not a native PlanMaker execution. The independent checks here cover column 3 → C, row 5 → 5 and lookup of the supplied fixed sample value.

Do not use =ADDRESS(B2,C2)+10 expecting arithmetic on C5. ADDRESS itself yields a text label, not the referenced numeric value. Native error/coercion handling for arithmetic on such a string is not tested here.

Set B3 = 12 for a row number and C3 = 28 for a column number. In D3 enter =ADDRESS(B3,C3,4). Expected D3: AB12. You can use this printed label in a storage map or issue report without actually reading that cell. For a persistent label, retain the original numbers so the address can be reconstructed; users need not parse letters manually.

The 2026 manual defines Mode FALSE as R1C1 output. With explicit absolute row 4, column 3 and Abs 1, =ADDRESS(4,3,1,FALSE) should denote R4C3 according to the requested notation. This exact output is a reasoned expectation, not a directly published PlanMaker example or a native observation. Do not assert Excel’s full relative R1C1 offset encoding or parsing is identical to PlanMaker. Test Mode FALSE, mixed-relative styles, and any downstream INDIRECT(...,FALSE) expressions on your actual version before relying on cross-application behavior.

• Wrong column letters: Remember A = 1 and Z = 26; AA = 27. For example, column 28 is AB, not BA.
• Unwanted dollar signs: Omit Abs means fully absolute. Choose 4 to get an address without $ markers, 2 for C$4, or 3 for $C4.
• Address text shows instead of cell value: That is the intended ADDRESS result. Only a separate referencing operation such as INDIRECT can dereference it.
• Worksheet prefix not shown: The final SheetName argument is optional. Supply a simple known worksheet name using quotes. Avoid assuming auto-escaping for names with spaces.
• R1C1 result surprises you: Check Mode. It defaults to TRUE (A1 style); the exact behavior of relative R1C1 combinations remains untested.
• Formula rejected: Confirm =, argument order, optional blank argument placement and local formula separators. Check File → Options → Edit for regional numeric-separator settings; it is not a blanket guarantee about argument delimiters.
• Out-of-range row/column or invalid Abs code: SoftMaker’s inspected 2026 entry does not specify exact error types or integer coercion for invalid coordinates, so this guide does not invent #REF!/#VALUE! outcomes. Treat these as native-test-needed limits.

The inspected PlanMaker 2024 and 2026 references agree on the signature, Abs flags and A1 versus R1C1 modes. Microsoft Excel’s ADDRESS function uses the same conceptual five arguments (row_num, column_num, optional abs_num, a1, sheet_text), but different parameter names, and Excel publishes additional sheet-name quotation examples not independently verified for PlanMaker. The 2021 SoftMaker URL could not be confirmed during this run. No platform- or edition-specific PlanMaker runtime checks, Excel import/export roundtrips or Formula Wizard screenshots were performed.

Related verified official references: INDIRECT turns text into a reference; COLUMN returns numeric column positions. These links lead to the vendor documentation.

• PlanMaker 2026 — ADDRESS — syntax, all five arguments, Abs/Mode defaults, sheet prefix, three vendor examples.
• PlanMaker 2024 — ADDRESS — corresponding argument definitions and examples.
• PlanMaker 2026 — INDIRECT — separately documented conversion from text into a cell reference.
• PlanMaker 2026 — COLUMN — column numbers and omitted-reference behavior.
• PlanMaker 2026 — regional Edit settings — numeric separators; localization caution.
• Excel — ADDRESS — Microsoft syntax and R1C1/sheet quoting context.