SWITCH for text codes, with a default
Turn a one-letter code into a word, and say so when the code is unknown.
Task:
The despatch export uses one-letter codes for the shipping method: A for Air, S for Sea, R for Road. In C2:C7 show the method name, or Check code for anything else.
Interactive Spreadsheet
Hints
+5 XPno-hints bonusSolve it on your own to keep the bonus. Each hint gets one step closer to the formula.
Variations of SWITCH
0/4The same formula in the other shapes it takes at work.
- SWITCH Function
Use SWITCH function for value matching.
CoreAdvanced - SWITCH for text codes, with a default
Turn a one-letter code into a word, and say so when the code is unknown.
Intermediate - SWITCH returning a number inside a calculation
Look the tier's multiplier up and apply it in the same formula.
Advanced - SWITCH(TRUE, …) for ranges
Switch on TRUE and each "match" becomes a condition.
Advanced
The data in this exercise
This is the grid you start with. Cell references in the task — B6, C2 — point at the row numbers and column letters below.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shipment | Code | Method |
| 2 | SH-801 | A | |
| 3 | SH-802 | R | |
| 4 | SH-803 | S | |
| 5 | SH-804 | X | |
| 6 | SH-805 | R | |
| 7 | SH-806 | a |
What this exercise teachesMay contain the answer
SWITCH compares one value against a list, so it is shorter than IFS when every test is "equals". The default catches the X — a typo or a new method nobody told you about. Text matching is not case-sensitive, so a lower-case a still reads as Air.