Syntax. ISNONTEXT(value)

Definition. This function returns TRUE if the value argument isn’t a string. If the value argument is a string, the function returns FALSE.

Arguments

Background. This function is one of the nine IS() functions that return a logical value depending on the argument. The argument of the IS() functions is not converted for evaluation. This means that a string consisting of a number is interpreted as a string (not as a number). IS() functions are often used together with the IF() function to pre-test the result of a calculation. The result returned by an IS() function can be used as the basis for conditional formats and validation rules.

This function always returns TRUE unless the argument contains text. The function also returns TRUE if the argument is a reference to an empty cell. If the reference points to a cell containing a reference to an empty cell in the cell with the reference, a 0 might be displayed, depending on the selected options.

The counterpart to this function is the ISTEXT() function:

ISNONTEXT(value)=NOT(ISTEXT(value))

Example. Strings longer than the cell width are only extended into the adjacent cell if that cell is empty. This can cause error messages if a string is generated by an evaluation.

You can assign a validation rule to a cell by entering the rule for that cell to the right of it. If a long string is entered into the cell (or information appears in it as a result of a function), the alert appears to the right of the cell.

Select the cell you want to lock (for example, H42). On the Data tab, select Data Tools/Data Validation/Data Validation (in Excel 2007 and Excel 2010) or Data/Validation (in earlier versions of Excel), and then select Custom in the Allow list on the Settings tab. In the Formula field, enter the following formula:

=ISNONTEXT(G42)

G42 is the reference to the cell containing the long text.