Copy Formulas with Fixed and Mixed References in PlanMaker 2026

Scope: PlanMaker 2026 paid desktop, English ribbon interface; official 2026 documentation reviewed on 19 October 2026. NX builds require matching controls; compatibility with every NX build is not established here. Native application verification remains pending. FreeOffice and mobile parity are not claimed.

Build a price matrix in which quantities move down, rates move across, and one common multiplier stays fixed. The useful result is not just nine numbers: you will be able to inspect the copied formulas and explain why each reference moves or stays put.

Prepare a small, auditable model

Start a blank practice workbook and enter the following cells individually. Leave the other cells blank; the intended output is B2:D4.

Cell	Entry	Purpose
A1	Units / rate	Corner label
B1	12	First unit price
C1	15	Second unit price
D1	18	Third unit price
A2	2	First order quantity
A3	5	Second order quantity
A4	8	Third order quantity
F1	Multiplier	Input label
F2	1.10	Common multiplier

Use your locale’s decimal separator for F2; it must be numeric. Save this input-only workbook as reference-inputs.pmdx, then save a working copy as reference-matrix.pmdx. Keep the first file unchanged for recovery.

Fill the mixed-reference matrix

1. In B2 type =$A2*B$1*$F$2 and press Enter. Expect 26.4.
2. Select B2. Drag the small square at the lower-right corner of its cell frame across to D2. This is PlanMaker’s documented fill handle.
3. Select B2:D2 and drag the same handle down through row 4.
4. Inspect C2, B3 and D4 by selecting each cell and entering formula-edit mode with F2. Press Esc after inspection to avoid changing it.

The expected formulas are C2 =$A2*C$1*$F$2, B3 =$A3*B$1*$F$2, and D4 =$A4*D$1*$F$2. $A2 fixes the quantity column; B$1 fixes the price row; $F$2 fixes both components of the multiplier address. The formula changes its relative components when filled, while the dollar-marked components remain anchored.

Quantity	At 12	At 15	At 18
2	26.4	33	39.6
5	66	82.5	99
8	105.6	132	158.4

These are independently calculated expected results, not values observed in a native PlanMaker session. Check the corners and the middle before relying on the rest of the range.

Compare relative and absolute references

For a separate diagnostic, enter =A2*B1 in H2 and copy it to I3 using ordinary Copy and Paste. Inspect the new formula: the one-column, one-row displacement changes it to =B3*C2. It no longer represents the original quantity times price. Clear H2:I3 after this experiment so it cannot be mistaken for report output.

In a fresh H2, enter =$A$2*$B$1. Copy it to I3 again. Both should produce 24 because both addresses are fixed. This illustrates why absolute references everywhere are also wrong for the matrix: every row would keep using the first quantity. Clear the diagnostic area again.

PlanMaker documents an F4 addressing cycle while entering a reference: relative, fully absolute, fixed column, fixed row, then relative again. Type the dollar signs directly if your operating system intercepts F4. Inspect the resulting formula instead of counting keystrokes blindly.

Change an input, grow the model, and reset

Change F2 to 1.20. The bottom-right result becomes 172.8, and B2 becomes 28.8. Restore F2 to 1.10. Add quantity 10 in A5, then extend B4:D4 into B5:D5 using the fill handle. Expect 132, 165 and 198. Inspect D5: it must use A5 and D1, while still referring to F2.

Add price 20 to E1 and fill D2:D5 one column right. The new results should be 44, 110, 176 and 220. F2 stays outside the matrix; do not expand the matrix through the multiplier input. To recover the original three-by-three exercise, clear E1:E5 and A5:D5, restore F2 to 1.10, and compare B2:D4 with the first table. For a guaranteed clean restart, reopen the preserved input file and save a new working copy; do not rely on Undo across a closed session.

Troubleshooting and completion checks

• A whole row repeats: the quantity row may have been fixed accidentally. Use $A2, not $A$2.
• A whole column repeats: the price column may be fixed. Use B$1, not $B$1.
• Values collapse to zero in later cells: inspect whether the multiplier drifted into a blank cell.
• The formula is displayed literally: check that it starts with = and was not entered as text.
• A plausible number can still be wrong. Inspect D4’s actual references, not only its displayed result.

Save the working file, reopen it, and recheck F2, B2 and D4. Record that check as a local acceptance test only after doing it. For exchanging the completed model, continue with PlanMaker file-format compatibility.

Official documentation and verification scope

PlanMaker 2026 paid desktop, English ribbon interface; official 2026 documentation reviewed on 19 October 2026. NX builds require matching controls; compatibility with every NX build is not established here. Native application verification remains pending. FreeOffice and mobile parity are not claimed.

• Relative versus absolute cell references
• Filling cells automatically
• Entering formulas

No native screenshots are included. These are original practice fixtures and documentation-backed instructions; rendering a website or calculating expected values is not a native application test.