How to use formula fields in Zoho Writer
Overview
Zoho Writer allows you to insert formulas in documents to perform calculations on the fly. You can add formulas in paragraphs, tables, and merge and fillable templates. These formulas can be manually updated by the user. Additionally, you can also add conditional formulas in merge templates to configure multiple if-else branches within the same formula to generate different personalized documents, and use Zia, Writer's AI-powered assistant to create and refine formulas.
Steps
How to add formula in a paragraph
- Open the document where you wish to add the formula.
- Go to the Fields tab --> Formula.
- In the New Formula dialog that opens:
- Choose the desired function from the Choose Function drop down and the + icon to select the fields, to configure the desired formula.
- Choose the Format Number option to format the formula result.
- Click Insert.
How to add formula to a table
- Click the table cell where you wish to add the formula.
- Go to the Fields tab --> Formula.
- In the New Formula dialog that opens:
- Choose the desired function from the Choose Function drop down and the + icon to select the fields, to configure the desired formula.
- Choose the Format Number option to format the formula result.
- Click Insert.
Note: You can also click the Table Settings when hovering over the table and choose the Formula option in the Table Options panel to insert a formula.
How to add formula in merge templates
You can insert formulas in repeat blocks in merge templates to automatically perform calculations based on the number of rows being added.
Steps
- Click the table cell in the repeating region where you wish to add the formula.
- Go to the Fields tab --> Formula.
- In the New Formula dialog that opens:
- Choose the desired function from the Choose Function drop down and the + icon to select the fields, to configure the desired formula.
- Choose the Format Number option to format the formula result.
- Click Insert.
Note: You can also click the Table Settings when hovering over the table and choose the Formula option in the Table Options panel to insert a formula.
How to add conditional formulas in merge templates
- Open your merge template in Zoho Writer.
- Click Formula in the right pane under Advanced Merge Fields.
- Click Insert Condition and configure your condition.
- Insert your desired formulas in the IF and ELSE fields. You can also add multiple ELSE IF fields to handle different scenarios.
Note: You can add merge fields to the string function's value.
How to add formula in fillable templates
You can insert formulas in fillable templates to dynamically calculate the values based on the filled responses.
Steps
- Place the cursor in the fillable template where you wish to add the formula.
- Go to the Fields tab --> Formula.
- In the New Formula dialog that opens:
- Choose the desired function from the Choose Function drop down and the + icon to select the fields, to configure the desired formula.
- Choose the Format Number option to format the formula result.
- Click Insert.
How to access AI-powered formula assistant
- Open your document in Zoho Writer
- Click Fields -> Formula.
- Click the AI Formula Assistant icon
- In the dialog that opens, type your prompt and click Send. Zia will generate and display the formula. Click Use Formula to insert the formula in your document.
Note: You can also generate suggestions to improve your existing formulas using the AI-assistant by clicking the configured formula and clicking the AI Formula Assistant icon.
Troubleshooting
1. Error/Symptom: Cannot format the formula's output. For example, the formula returns 10000, but I need it as 10,000.
Reason: This might happen if the formula's Number Format is not configured correctly.
Solution: Please ensure the Number Format for the formula is configured correctly.
2. Error/Symptom: Unable to format the formula's result like 122 to $122.00 with currency and decimals.
Reason: It could mostly be because the Number Format is not configured correctly.
Solution: Check the Number Format configured for the formula.
3. Error/Symptom: When I use formulas in documents, the formatting breaks. The formula should return $4.250,00 but it returns 4.25.
Reason: The most common reason is the document's locale is not configured correctly.
Solution: Set the appropriate document locale to apply the correct currency.
4. Error/Symptom: Unable to insert formula that includes a fillable field
Reason: Your document likely contains only checkbox fields.
Solution: Formulas in Writer currently support only these field types: Single Line, Multi Line, Number, Currency, Percent, Phone, and Date. Since checkbox fields are not supported, they won’t appear in the field list. Try using one of the supported field types instead.
5. Error: Getting Formula contains unrecognizable symbols error when configuring a formula
Reason: The formula's input might contain merge fields whose names might have special characters.
Solution: Set a short name for the merge fields and add them to the formula. Learn more.
Related Articles
- List of formulas supported in Zoho Writer
- How to format the formula's output
- How to refer a formula's output in a document
- How to use circular formula reference in formulas
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