MIN in SoftMaker PlanMaker: Syntax, Examples, and Troubleshooting

MIN identifies the smallest numeric value among the values, ranges, or arrays you provide. Use it for the fastest delivery time, lowest offer, lowest temperature or smallest recorded quantity. Given the practice data below, =MIN(A2:A9) has an expected result of 7. MIN is not a row selector: it returns the value, not the location or the associated order name.

=MIN(Number1 [, Number2, Number3 ...])

This is SoftMaker’s literal documented English syntax. The square brackets describe optional arguments; do not type the brackets into a formula.

• Number1 (required): a number, cell reference, rectangular numeric range, or array of values to compare.
• Number2, Number3, … (optional): additional numbers, ranges or arrays. They extend the comparison, not a condition, and no second argument is required.
• The function reference does not specify a default numeric value for omitted Number1; supply an actual numeric expression or range. The vendor help describes ignoring blank/text/Boolean cells within referenced ranges while counting Boolean constants explicitly passed as arguments. It does not make MIN a text-to-number conversion function.

For example, =MIN(5,7,4,9) has expected value 4, exactly as in SoftMaker’s manual. Source: official MIN reference.

The 2021, 2024, and 2026 English PlanMaker manuals each list this named function and show the same argument order and the same relevant examples. This proves documentation availability in those three releases, not the first release in which the function existed. It does not establish identical behaviour for every edition, build, mobile app, or exported Excel file. PlanMaker’s 2026 product manual addresses a family of desktop and mobile platforms, but this guide has not verified this formula in an installed Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS build.

The printed examples below use English-locale comma argument separators exactly as the linked English reference does. PlanMaker also lets users configure number separators; decimal display and argument punctuation should be confirmed in the installed locale by inserting the function with Formula → Function if the printed formula is rejected. Do not blindly replace every comma if your environment uses a decimal comma. Enter formulas with a leading = and confirm with Enter.

Create a worksheet with the following eight numeric entries. The duplicate 7 is deliberate; all formulas below use the same values.

The sorted data are 7, 7, 9, 11, 14, 19, 23, 30. The sum is 120, and there are 8 numeric entries. The outputs below follow from these printed values; they were calculated independently, not obtained by running PlanMaker.

1. Type the table exactly as printed into A1:A9.
2. Click B2, outside the measured range.
3. Enter =MIN(A2:A9) and press Enter.
4. Expected result: 7 days, since 7 is less than all other displayed values.
5. Check against the original A3 and A7 values: two different orders share the shortest time. MIN does not tell you which order to select when tied.

This value was verified by sorting the eight printed numbers independently; it was not observed in PlanMaker.

Suppose the most recent unreported order took 6 days; enter the separate value 6 into B4. In C4 enter:

=MIN(A2:A9,B4)

Expected result: 6. The function compares every numeric source entry and the extra cell. If B4 instead contained 40, the result would remain 7.

Suppose any delivery under 8 days deserves review as an unusually quick turnaround. In B6 enter:

=IF(MIN(A2:A9)<8,"Review fastest shipment","No unusually fast shipment")

Expected text: Review fastest shipment, since the minimum is 7 and 7 < 8. If all values were 8 or higher, the alternative would apply. This illustrates combining a documented MIN value with IF; the combined formula has not been executed in the native app.

SoftMaker’s MIN documentation expressly distinguishes a Boolean stored in a referenced cell from a Boolean typed as a separate argument:

• =MIN(A1:A3) → expected 2; the logical cell is ignored.
• =MIN(A1:A3,TRUE) → expected 1; the directly passed TRUE counts as 1.
• =MIN(A1:A3,FALSE) → expected 0; the directly passed FALSE counts as 0.

These three outcomes are explicitly documented in the PlanMaker MIN help; they are not native test results. An empty cell and a cell containing text are likewise ignored when referenced.

• A minimum can hide ties; use a separate identifier and an appropriate match/count technique if the question is which order achieved the minimum.
• MIN is not a conditional minimum. To filter by category, use a separately documented conditional function (for example MINIFS in the 2026 manual), but do not assume the same availability across older releases without checking its version-specific documentation.
• Repeated values do not change the numerical minimum. Sorting a column is not required and does not itself change the source data if you only compute MIN.

1. Formula displayed as text: confirm that the entry starts with = and the destination cell is not inadvertently treated as a literal text entry. Enter or re-enter the formula through PlanMaker’s function dialog if necessary.
2. Result does not match: verify the exact input cells, including accidental extra rows and any numbers stored as text after CSV import. Make sure the range is A2:A9 and not the header or an adjacent column.
3. Unexpected impact from blank or text cells: the official reference ignores blank cells and text/logical cell contents when reading ranges; that differs from entering a logical constant directly as an argument. The examples below do not assume that arbitrary text coerces to a number.
4. Wrong decimal display: check regional number separators and the cell’s number format before changing the formula. Changing the visual number of decimal places does not alter the underlying calculation.
5. Formula error or no useful result: inspect actual input types and brackets, and use the Formula → Function interface. Do not infer a specific error code from these notes: no native error-path execution has been performed.

This familiar function name and basic argument pattern also appear in Microsoft Excel and LibreOffice Calc; nevertheless, cross-application execution and workbook round trips were not tested. Check locale separators, literal-versus-reference handling for Boolean/text inputs, and import/export behavior before relying on identical results across products. Avoid claiming a verified Excel export rule for this function without a separate documented test.

• PlanMaker SORT — arrange the figures before inspecting extremes or middle values.
• PlanMaker SUBTOTAL — a different tool for calculations on filtered lists; it is not an equivalent replacement for every statistic on every dataset.
• PlanMaker IF — build a threshold label from a computed statistic.

• SoftMaker PlanMaker — function documentation
• Official PlanMaker 2024 function reference
• Official PlanMaker 2021 function reference
• Official PlanMaker 2026 formula-entry help
• Official PlanMaker 2026 input/regional settings

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.