Dissecting formula

[agates]

Hi everyone - I am new to this forum and this is my first post. Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to give!

I'm trying to figure out this formula written by a former colleague and Excel Help hasn't yet worked for me!

=SUM(IF(ISTEXT($B$12:$B1576),$C$12:$C1576),IF($B$12:$B1576=0,$C$12:$C1576))-B1585.

I understand everything after the second IF function - the first one is what is throwing me.

As far as I understand, ISTEXT just refers to whether or not there is text in a specified cell - in this case, the range $B$12:$B1576. I think I must be missing something though because there is no text in any of those cells, yet if I take the first IF function out of the formula, the answer changes dramatically. Do the asterisk and dash symbols count as text??

Also - this is an array formula so I don't know if that makes a difference.

Thanks again!

[DP978]

Yes, * and - will make the ISTEXT formula true.

Basically you are looking for anythign that is not a number or blank in the B column and summing where that exists.

[agates]

Cool - thanks very much! I appreciate it.