Formula for conditional formatting based on any of multiple text strings?

**klenatron** · 06-28-2013, 02:22 PM

Columns H through K contain codes: reg, f, s, b, h, j

All of these codes fall into one of a few colors:
reg, h = red
s, b, j = blue
f = pink

Is is possible to write one conditional formatting rule to turn the cells containing "s", "b","j" blue (or all the 'reg', 'h' cells red) or do I need a rule for each string? I CANNOT get an OR() formula to do the job, but I feel like it should work.

Thanks.

**BB1972** · 06-28-2013, 03:03 PM

klenatron, maybe you're including an "IF" in your CF formula? Anyway, you can use one OR formula per set of characters - please see attached.

**klenatron** · 06-28-2013, 03:11 PM

I actually just figured it out and this confirms exactly what I did. I was forgetting that it would extrapolate all the cells if you start with the first in the desired range so I was trying to include a range in my OR() formula. Dumb!

Thanks!

**Debraj Roy** · 06-28-2013, 03:13 PM

I Think.. Its not possible...

CF only checks TRUE Value, It never set If True then Red else Blue..

However.. you can do a trick.. set actual color of all cells to Blue.. and if any condition matched the set it to Red..

BTW.. you always have option to set multiple CF & set Preference..

**klenatron** · 06-28-2013, 03:18 PM

Debraj Roy - Thanks, but I did manage to do what I was asking for. I'm not following your reply fully, but I wasn't looking for one color or the other, so I'm all set.