How to Use the NEW Excel Formula Editor: Import & Create Lambdas FAST!

Microsoft released LAMBDA: the most powerful FUNCTION in Excel ever because you can create ANY Function you want. Even recursive Excel functions can be done with Lambdas. But using LAMBDA with Name Manager was a pain.

Specially if you wanted to create a recursive lambda function. That's over now! Writing your own custom Excel functions with LAMBDA is now easier than ever! You don't have to face the pain we have with name manager which was:
1. Name manager keeps adding cell references when you move with the mouse
2. Name manager doesn't give us help about the formula arguments when we're typing the formulas in.
3. Name manger has a small box.

In this video I'll show you how to use the New Excel Formula Editor Environment to write new functions and how you can import existing LAMBDA functions. There are currently two ways. You can copy the functions to your clipboard and add them to your other workbooks. Or you can create a Github gist and use the URL to get all the lambdas.

00:00 How to Use the New Excel Formula Editor
00:44 Install the Advanced Formula Environment Add-In
01:07 How to Use the Advanced Formula Environment
04:09 Name Manager VS Advanced Formula Editor
06:15 How to Use LAMBDA in the Advanced Formula Environment
09:39 How to Import Functions with a GitHub Gist URL
11:18 Append Rows from Different Tables
12:24 How to Edit LAMBDA Formulas
13:44 The Downside
14:58 Wrap Up

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#Excel #Lambda

[LeilaGharani]

❗Update: Microsoft changed the add-in. It's now called "Excel Labs".

[jtmh]

Considering LAMBDA was finally released on February 8th, this comes right on time. Thank you. I always chide you for showing things so early when business users can't use office insider features until they are released; however, this is great.

[KGF]

Never see anyone explaining ms excel in such a beautiful understandable way only Leila can explain 😘

[LyubomirRusanov]

Quite useful, but needs to be updated. The Addin has different name - "Excel Labs" and "Advanced formula environment" is one of the features. Also the function editing interface is different. You have to input only your business logic functions, without using LAMBDA directly.

[yassirkhalid]

Yes, I definitely enjoyed it as usual 🙂

I'm waiting a day in which I watch a video of yours that do not add anything to me!!

My colleagues think that I'm an Excel expert, but whenever I watch your videos I feel like I'm at the beginner level 😔

[dzomlija]

I enjoy watching your videos and learning a lot about Excel from them. This, however, is one of the few times that I've been genuinely surprised by your content! I would never have learned about it had I not been subscribed to your channel. Thank You!

I remember what a pain it was using VBA to create custom worksheet functions. Now, combined with LAMDA and the Advanced Formula Environment, my work is going to be so much easier.

This is an awesome change. Now I just wish it were a standard part of Excel that doesn't require the use of an Add-in!

😷

[kelvinteoh]

This is definitely going to be my next favourite Excel function! Thanks Leila!

[sergeyshelest]

Wow, this functionality is just super powerful. I had no idea and would definitely start using this environment from now on.

[rajanghadi]

About video: easy to understand for all levels. As usual. Great.

[leonardoggy]

This is amazing. And it beats having a "conventions" sheet for functions (which was my workaround for the horrible Name Editor).
Thank you so much for showing and explaining this add-in.

[davidferrick]

OH man, importing sounds very promising. I can now keep my repository of commonly used items out of the spreadsheet and import as needed. This is a game changer.

[HoppiHopp]

This feature is so awesome! Thanks for showing it to us in such an interesting and engaging way.

[wayneedmondson]

Hi Leila. Great lesson! Thanks for the demo of how to use the new formula editor. Very helpful! Thumbs up!!

[Grumpy_Granddad]

Having taken over the running of our foodbank I have to make a weekly list of food parcels distributed and then from that data complie a monthly report of Meals Provided, Finances Used, Clients numbers(Adults and Children) etc. Already at the end of Feb and need to compile this months report and I am now looking forward to using Lamda functions to assist with this task ... I am sooo thrilled as always when you are bearing news that helps me -- I assume you are talking directly to me only ;)

[teoxengineer]

This, I think, is now produced as a gateway to Excel's DAX language.
At a later date, I think they presented it to users as a test example of making Excel more useful in DAX language.
While I was writing the formula, I saw the DAX formulas :)💥

[nyaganahashon]

This is quite fascinating. Looking forward to using this formulae editor. Thanks, Leila for this.

[NicolasChanCSY]

This looks much simpler than using the name manager to manage those LAMBDA functions.
However, I wish there would be better support of keyboard (shortcut) support in this new configuration.
Requiring users to move their hands between their keyboard and mouse back and forth is almost always a bad thing for productivity tools like Excel.

In addition, if the Excel team really wants LAMBDA to be more user accessible, they should really consider making it possible to manage and edit all these LAMBDA formulae in a separate window, just like how VBA editor is in a separate window currently.

[colormile-vid]

Awesome! Excellent video tutorial. Been waiting for this Lambda. Will definitely use this. As always useful videos and outstanding YT tutor. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. ❤

[roywilson]

Thanks for the great video. I have had the AFE for a few weeks now and have been playing with it. It is absolutely amazing and a long overdue addition to the Excel addins. Just as easy to use as the VBA editor if you only need to build a simple function. I also like that you can seperate out your lambdas into various namespaces. I really don't find the fact that you cannot direct reference cells to be a particular problem and would try at all costs to avoid hard-coding ranges into the function except where absolutely necessary (for instance a lookup range that you don't want other users to find and change lol).

[stevew]

I love it when you teach new dance moves 😂