Using TriLookup

5. Using TriLookup Functions in Excel Worksheets

Once installed, TriLookup functions can be accessed by typing in the function name, followed by parameters in parentheses, into an Excel worksheet cell. For example, if you wish to use the T2LOOKUP function to retrieve interpolated values from a 2D X-Y lookup table, you could type the following formula into a cell:

=T2LOOKUP(5.5,0.9,$B$6:$E$10,4,4,1,,,,,,TRUE)

Another way of accessing TriLookup functions is to use Excel’s Paste Function dialog by selecting Function... from the Inset worksheet menu, or by clicking on the Paste Function button located in the standard toolbar (in Excel 97 and 2000 only). Either way will activate the Paste Function dialog, which will let you interactively select the function you wish to use.

In Windows version all TriLookup functions are located in the separate TriLookup function category.

In Macintosh version all TriLookup functions are located in the built-in Lookup & Reference function category.

Paste Function Dialog

After selecting the desired function and clicking on the [OK] button, you will be prompted to interactively enter the function parameters through Excel’s Formula Palette dialog box:

Formula Palette Dialog

Note that the parameter help in the Formula Palette dialog box is only available in the Windows version.

If you wish to change parameter values in a cell that already contains a TriLookup function, you can do that either manually by editing the cell formula text, or interactively by selecting the cell and then clicking on the Paste Function button . For example, if a cell contains the following formula:

=T2LOOKUP(5.5,0.9,$B$6:$E$10,4,4,1,,,,,,TRUE)

then selecting the cell and clicking on the Paste Function button will invoke the Formula Palette dialog box with the current values of the parameters already filled in:

Formula Palette Dialog With Values Filled In

This method is especially useful for functions that have many optional parameters, such as T2LOOKUP and T3LOOKUP.

Obtaining Help on TriLookup Functions and Parameters

You can display online help on the selected TriLookup function and its parameters by pressing the <F1> key while in the Paste Function dialog or the Formula Palette dialog, or by clicking on the button in the bottom left corner of the dialog box and then clicking on Help with this feature | Help on selected function in the Office Assistant’s dialog balloon.

Office Assistant’s Dialog Balloon

Note that this feature is not available in Macintosh version with Excel 2001 and Excel X.

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