Compact mode

ISBLANK vs NOW vs YEAR

Table of content

Basic Classification Comparison
Usage Context Comparison
Basic Information Comparison
History Comparison
Facts Comparison

Usage Information Comparison
Technical Details Comparison
Evaluation Comparison
Ratings Comparison

Basic Classification Comparison

Function Category 📊

Primary classification of the Excel function based on its main purpose and usage domain, helps users quickly identify function types

ISBLANK

Information

ISBLANK belongs to the Information category. Excel functions that provide information about cells and data Click to see all.

NOW

Date & Time

NOW belongs to the Date & Time category. Excel functions for working with dates and time calculations Click to see all.

YEAR

Date & Time

YEAR belongs to the Date & Time category. Excel functions for working with dates and time calculations Click to see all.
Operation Type 🔧

Fundamental type of operation or action that the Excel function performs on its inputs

ISBLANK

Comparison

ISBLANK performs Comparison operations. Excel functions for comparing values and data Click to see all.

NOW

Information

NOW performs Information operations. Functions that focus on retrieving and displaying data in various formats Click to see all.

YEAR

Information

YEAR performs Information operations. Functions that focus on retrieving and displaying data in various formats Click to see all.

Usage Context Comparison

Basic Information Comparison

Known For ⭐

Distinctive characteristic or primary strength of the Excel function

ISBLANK

Empty Cell Detection

ISBLANK is known for Empty Cell Detection.

NOW

Current Date And Time Retrieval

NOW is known for Current Date And Time Retrieval.

YEAR

Year Extraction

YEAR is known for Year Extraction.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

For all*

Excel 2.0

Functions introduced in the Excel 2.0 version release
Created By 👤

Organization or team responsible for developing the function

For all*

Microsoft Excel Team

Functions officially created by the Microsoft Excel development team

Facts Comparison

Interesting Fact 💡

Unique or lesser-known information about the Excel function

ISBLANK

Originally designed to detect truly empty cells

NOW

Updates approximately 86400 times per day

YEAR

Works with any date since 1900
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

ISBLANK

Sometimes mistakes spaces for emptiness

NOW

The function that never lets you forget you're late

YEAR

Y2K survived and still going strong

Usage Information Comparison

Formula Complexity Level 📖

Indicates the difficulty level and complexity of using the Excel function effectively

For all*

Simple

Basic Excel functions for common calculations and tasks

Technical Details Comparison

Input Data Type 📝

Types of data that the Excel function accepts as input parameters

ISBLANK

Boolean

ISBLANK accepts Boolean as input data. Excel functions that work with TRUE/FALSE logical values Click to see all.

NOW

Date

NOW accepts Date as input data. Excel functions for working with dates and time values Click to see all.

YEAR

Date

YEAR accepts Date as input data. Excel functions for working with dates and time values Click to see all.
Version Compatibility 💻

Indicates which Excel versions and platforms the function is compatible with < including Office 365< Excel 2019< 2016< etc.

For all*

Excel 2019

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2019 version
Excel 2016

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2016 version
Excel 2013

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2013 version
Operating System 💾

Specifies the operating systems where the function can be used < including Windows< macOS< and web platforms

For all*

Windows

Excel functions optimized for Windows operating system
MacOS

Excel functions optimized for MacOS users
Web Excel

Excel functions available in web-based versions
Required Arguments Count 🔢

Number of mandatory arguments needed for the function to work properly

ISBLANK

1

ISBLANK needs 1 required arguments Click to see all.

NOW

~
YEAR

1

YEAR needs 1 required arguments Click to see all.
Required Arguments Type 📊

The data types accepted as valid input arguments for the function

ISBLANK

Range

ISBLANK accepts Range as input types Excel functions that operate on cell ranges for calculations Click to see all.

NOW

Date

NOW accepts Date as input types Excel functions specialized in processing date and time calculations Click to see all.

YEAR

Date

YEAR accepts Date as input types Excel functions specialized in processing date and time calculations Click to see all.

Evaluation Comparison

Pros ✅

Key advantages and strengths of the Excel function

ISBLANK

Easy To Use

Reliable For Data Validation

Simple Syntax

NOW

No Arguments Needed

Excel functions that work without arguments provide quick results with minimal setup Click to see all.

Updates Automatically

YEAR

Simple To Use

Reliable Output

Excel functions providing reliable output ensure consistent and accurate results Click to see all.
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

ISBLANK

Limited To Cell Emptiness Only

Cannot Detect Whitespace

NOW

Updates With Every Calculation

Can Slow Spreadsheets

YEAR

Single Purpose

Limited Flexibility