Tutorial

Formula Power

Master parametric expressions

Basic Formula Syntax

confBuild supports 95% of Excel formulas, allowing you to create powerful parametric relationships.

The Equals Sign

All formulas start with an equals sign =:

=A1 + B1
=Width * 2
=IF(Height > 100, "Large", "Small")

Cell References

Reference other cells to create dynamic relationships.

Single Cell

Reference: A1

Range

Reference: A1:A10

Cross-Sheet

Reference: Sheet2!A1

Named References

Reference cells by their name (first column value) for more readable formulas:

Width    | 100
Height   | =Width * 0.5
Volume   | =Width * Height * Depth

Math Functions

Perform calculations with powerful mathematical functions.

Basic Operations

SUM Add values together =SUM(A1:A10)

AVERAGE Calculate average =AVERAGE(B1:B5)

MIN / MAX Find minimum/maximum =MAX(A1, B1, C1)

ROUND Round to decimals =ROUND(A1, 2)

ABS Absolute value =ABS(A1)

SQRT Square root =SQRT(A1)

PI Pi constant (3.14159...) =PI()

SIN/COS/TAN Trigonometry (radians) =SIN(RADIANS(45))

Logic Functions

Add conditional behavior to your configurators.

Decision Making

IF Conditional result =IF(A1>10,"Yes","No")

AND All conditions true =AND(A1>0, B1>0)

OR Any condition true =OR(A1>10, B1>10)

NOT Negate condition =NOT(A1)

Text Functions

Manipulate and combine text strings.

String Operations

CONCATENATE Join text together =A1&" x "&B1

LEFT / RIGHT Extract characters =LEFT(A1, 3)

LEN Text length =LEN(A1)

UPPER / LOWER Change case =UPPER(A1)

Lookup Functions

Search and retrieve data from tables.

Data Retrieval

VLOOKUP Vertical table lookup =VLOOKUP(A1, B:C, 2)

HLOOKUP Horizontal table lookup =HLOOKUP(A1, 1:2, 2)

INDEX Get value by position =INDEX(A1:C3, 2, 1)

MATCH Find position in range =MATCH("test", A:A, 0)

Practical Examples

Real-world formula patterns for your configurators.

Dynamic Dimensions

Width   | 100
Height  | =Width * 0.75
Depth   | =Width / 2

Conditional Color

Temp  | 25
Color | =IF(Temp>30,
        "#FF0000",
        "#0000FF")

Price Calculation

Length    | 500
PricePerMM| 0.05
Total     | =Length *
            PricePerMM

Tips & Best Practices

Write better formulas with these guidelines.

Meaningful Names

Name parameter cells descriptively for readable formulas

Build Incrementally

Test formulas step by step before combining

Avoid Circular Refs

Don't reference cells that depend on the current cell

Use Parentheses

Clarify order of operations with parentheses

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