ODD in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: round up to odd integers

• Introduced: Documented by PlanMaker 2016; the original introduction version is not established.
• Availability: Documented in PlanMaker 2026, with matching syntax in the 2024 reference. This is not a final working-version endpoint.
• Scope: The current reference belongs to the 2026/NX manual family; FreeOffice and individual mobile-build availability are not established here.
• Checked: October 14, 2026, against the official function reference. Documentation and independent calculation; no native test.

ODD changes a numeric input to an integer whose magnitude is the smallest odd magnitude not less than that of the input, under the manufacturer’s away-from-zero rule. That is useful for a display with one central item and a matching number of items on both sides, a sample layout with a single middle cell, or choosing the smallest permitted odd-width grouping above a minimum requirement.

Suppose a symmetric display needs at least 12 slots in a straight row and a single center slot. =ODD(12) yields 13 slots: six to the left, a center position, and six to the right. =ODD(13) remains 13, which avoids an unnecessary change to an already odd target. If the requested count is 14, the independent rule gives 15.

The word “up” does not mean “closer to positive infinity” for negative input. =ODD(-42) → -43 has larger absolute magnitude than -42. This behaviour can amplify negative adjustments or losses; it is not automatically the right policy for financial data.

ODD is not a parity test. If you need to know whether an existing integer is odd, do not silently replace that value with a rounded odd result. A validation formula might use MOD(A2,2) under the program’s documented behaviour. ODD deliberately changes qualifying even or fractional numbers.

=ODD(Number)

Both the PlanMaker 2026 and PlanMaker 2024 references show this one-argument syntax. No significance, n, precision, or mode argument is defined. The actual installer’s localized name and user-interface input format were not inspected.

For nonzero numerical values, the independently modelled magnitude is the smallest positive odd integer greater than or equal to the absolute value. The original sign is then applied. For an already odd integer, no adjustment is needed. We intentionally exclude zero from the independently validated worksheet below because the short manufacturer entry does not provide a zero-specific example and we have not run the program to confirm its convention.

Enter headers A1:E1 as Scenario, Number, PlanMaker formula, Expected result, Independent agreement. Put the plain numeric input in column B, the indicated formula in C, and the independently calculated numeric expectation in D for each row 2–9. In E2 enter =ABS(C2-D2)<0.000000001, then fill through E9. TRUE means the calculated and expected values agree within the tolerance. Keep the sign on negative D values, and do not type them as strings.

The purpose of including both integer and decimal rows is to prevent a common misconception: ODD(1.5) is 3, not 1 or 2, because 1 is too close to zero and 2 is not odd. ODD(-2.1) is -3, because the next eligible odd magnitude beyond 2.1 is 3. The manufacturer provides direct integer examples; the decimal rows were separately computed from its general rule.

1. Give a symmetric display a central position

With H2 = 12 minimum slots, =ODD(H2) produces 13. If a row of odd width has one center slot, =(ODD(H2)-1)/2 yields 6 slots on either side, and =(ODD(H2)+1)/2 yields center position 7 (using 1-based positions). With H2 = 13, the same calculation yields 6 on either side. This assumes a nonnegative number of discrete positions and enough physical space; it does not prove a real device will fit.

2. Turn a variable minimum into an odd sampling width

Suppose a display algorithm requires a strictly odd number of neighboring readings so there is a single central observation. With H2 = 18.75 as the mathematically computed lower-bound width, =ODD(H2) gives 19 sample positions. =(ODD(H2)-1)/2 yields 9 neighbors on each side, plus one center observation. Before using this for real statistics, confirm data availability and the algorithm’s required boundary handling. An odd width alone is not evidence that a filter is correct.

3. Spot-check returned oddness

For an integral numeric result that is known not to be an error, a parity check can compare =MOD(C2,2) to the appropriate odd remainder convention for negatives, or more robustly =MOD(ABS(C2),2)=1. The MOD guide explains the remainder calculation; this combined check is a reasoned example. Confirm that the numeric output is at least as large in absolute magnitude as the input; then compare with column D to check that it is the nearest eligible odd integer away from zero.

The manufacturer’s 2026 ODD page links to EVEN, ROUNDUP, ROUND and MROUND. Those are distinct functions.

• Wrong parity: ODD changes the value to an odd integer; ROUNDUP(Number,0) only rounds to an integer. Check the function name and the cell reference copied down each row.
• Negative result looks lower: The direction is away from zero. Compare magnitudes rather than ordinary signed order.
• Formula rejected: Supply exactly one numeric argument and a leading =. Localized names and decimal marks may differ; use the installed function assistant when adapting the examples.
• Zero, blank, text, logical or extreme inputs: The brief PlanMaker entry does not specify every boundary or coercion case. The examples deliberately avoid assigning undocumented error codes or a zero-input result.
• Only the display changed: Reducing visible decimal places does not perform numeric rounding. Keep the original input and the formula result in separate cells.

Microsoft’s Excel ODD reference describes the same one-argument operation and signed rounding direction. Its nonnumeric-input error rule belongs to Excel; this comparison does not establish PlanMaker’s coercion, zero-input convention or workbook round-trip behavior. Validate those cases in the receiving application when moving a workbook.

For decimal places, see ROUND, ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWN. For nearest-multiple rounding, see MROUND.

• PlanMaker 2026 — ODD: current function definition and vendor examples.
• PlanMaker 2024 — ODD: earlier documented syntax.
• PlanMaker 2016 manual: historical function entry, page 627.

Example verification: Expected values were calculated independently using exact decimal and rational arithmetic. No PlanMaker or Excel application execution is claimed. Vendor-documented errors are distinguished from input cases whose behavior still needs a native check.