CHOOSE in SoftMaker PlanMaker: Pick a Value by Position

Use CHOOSE when you have a short, fixed sequence of labels, prices or calculated outcomes selected by a numeric code. It is useful in compact dashboards and simple data-entry forms. Do not confuse the position with a key to search for: CHOOSE(2,...) always selects the second candidate value (the third argument overall), even if the data contains another number 2. For changing product catalogues or many categories, maintain a lookup table rather than embedding hundreds of choices in a formula.

=CHOOSE(Index, Value1 [, Value2, Value3 ...])

• Index (required): the candidate’s position, starting at 1. 0, negative positions, and a position greater than the supplied number of candidates produce #VALUE! according to the PlanMaker manual.
• Value1 (required): the first returnable item. The 2026 manual demonstrates text items; the examples below also show numeric values and formulas as independently reasoned use cases, subject to native testing.
• Value2, Value3, … (optional): additional returnable items. Only Value1 is required; there is no default Index and no documented default for a missing Value1.

The 2021, 2024 and 2026 English SoftMaker references use the same signature and describe the same #VALUE! bounds check. Do not infer that PlanMaker necessarily matches every Excel CHOOSE implementation limit or its handling of fractional indices and array/range arguments: SoftMaker’s inspected function entry does not document those details. Excel separately documents up to 254 alternatives and truncation of fractional indices; that is Excel-specific documentation, not a PlanMaker test. Excel reference.

The worked examples use commas from SoftMaker’s English manual. Decimal and thousands separators are configurable under File → Options → Edit, including system defaults; formula punctuation may require localization checks on your installation. Do not silently replace the documented argument order. PlanMaker numeric separator settings.

Enter these values in a new sheet:

Expected results, independently checked: B2 = Processing, B3 = New, B4 = Complete. These are fixed selections, not observed application results. Change A2 to 1 or 3 to check the first/third outcomes yourself in PlanMaker.

Suppose B2 contains a service-tier number. This formula maps tiers 1, 2, 3 to CAD 5, 10, 18:

=CHOOSE(B2,5,10,18)

To calculate a total, set C2 = 40 for item price and D2 = =C2+CHOOSE(B2,5,10,18). If B2 = 2, the expected total is 50. This is a sample allowance only, not a courier quotation or tax calculation. Numeric calculations are independently verified arithmetic; application coercion behavior has not been natively executed.

Create this small data table:

Then enter in E2:

=CHOOSE(B2,SUM(C2:C4),AVERAGE(C2:C4),MAX(C2:C4))

Expected values: B2 = 1 → 18 (sum), B2 = 2 → 6 (average), and B2 = 3 → 8 (maximum). Each nested calculation was independently checked. The official 2026 CHOOSE entry establishes selection by position; this nested-function combination is a documentation-based formula proposal awaiting a native PlanMaker run. It does not demonstrate Excel’s array-evaluation semantics or how many branches PlanMaker evaluates internally.

• #VALUE! with a status code: Check that Index falls between 1 and the number of supplied alternatives. SoftMaker explicitly specifies this error for out-of-range indices. CHOOSE(0,"A","B") and CHOOSE(3,"A","B") are documented-error examples.
• Wrong label: Count values after Index, not worksheet column numbers. The index is positional, not a search key.
• Shows formula text instead of a result: Ensure the cell contains a formula beginning = rather than a text-prefixed literal, then review formula parsing in the installed interface.
• Separator or number parsing error: Compare with the exact formula shown in your localized function wizard. The vendor documents regional numeric separators; application-specific list-separator behavior was not tested here.
• Unexpected result for fractional Index: Excel documents truncation, but PlanMaker’s inspected function pages do not. Use whole-number status codes until native testing resolves it.
• Unexpected array/range behavior: Excel supports CHOOSE returning range references. We do not claim the same edge-case behavior for PlanMaker without executing it.
• Many changing choices: Put codes and labels in a table; an explicit lookup is easier to audit. PlanMaker documents SWITCH for matching a value to cases and INDEX for positions in a range. INDEX is cited solely as a vendor reference.

SoftMaker’s English PlanMaker 2021, 2024 and 2026 references document the same argument order, one-based selection and out-of-range #VALUE!. The 2026 English manual describes the desktop product family, but no edition-specific, mobile, FreeOffice or operating-system execution was performed. Excel CHOOSE supports the core argument order, with extra behaviors described in Microsoft help; those extras are not certified for PlanMaker. Re-test complex workbooks, especially arrays or imported fractional selectors, after a format conversion.

• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026 — CHOOSE — syntax, selection index, #VALUE!, vendor example.
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2024 — CHOOSE — same signature and bounds description.
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021 — CHOOSE — same signature and bounds description.
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026 — SWITCH and INDEX — related-function definitions only.
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026 — number separator settings — regional numeric punctuation; not proof of a specific localized function separator.
• Microsoft Excel — CHOOSE — independent Excel syntax, documented 254-value and fractional-index behavior.