Date-based formatting in Google Sheets - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the formula to highlight cells with dates equal to today.

Google Sheets

=A1=[1]()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ANOW

BTODAY

CDATE

DTIME

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using NOW() includes time and may cause mismatches.

Using DATE() requires parameters and won't return current date automatically.

The TODAY() function returns the current date without time, perfect for date comparisons.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the formula to highlight dates before today.

Google Sheets

=A1 [1] TODAY()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A>

B=

C<

D>=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using > instead of < reverses the logic.

Using = only matches exact dates.

The less than operator < checks if the date in A1 is before today.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the formula to highlight dates within the last 7 days.

Google Sheets

=AND(A1>=TODAY()-[1], A1<=TODAY())

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A1

B6

C8

D7

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 6 excludes one day from the range.

Using 8 includes an extra day.

Subtracting 7 from TODAY() checks dates from 7 days ago up to today.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to highlight dates in the current month.

Google Sheets

=AND(MONTH(A1)=[1], YEAR(A1)=[2])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AMONTH(TODAY())

BDAY(TODAY())

CYEAR(TODAY())

DMONTH(A1)

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using DAY(TODAY()) instead of MONTH(TODAY()).

Comparing to fixed numbers instead of dynamic functions.

Compare the month and year of A1 to the current month and year using MONTH(TODAY()) and YEAR(TODAY()).

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to highlight dates that are weekends.

Google Sheets

=OR(WEEKDAY(A1)=[1], WEEKDAY(A1)=[2], WEEKDAY(A1)=[3])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A1

B7

C6

D5

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Including 6 (Friday) as a weekend day.

Using numbers outside 1-7 range.

In Google Sheets, WEEKDAY() returns 1 for Sunday and 7 for Saturday by default. Including 6 is incorrect for weekend days.

The correct weekend days are Sunday (1) and Saturday (7). The third blank is a distractor to check understanding.

Practice

1. What does date-based formatting in Google Sheets primarily help you do?

easy

A. Highlight cells based on date conditions

B. Sort dates in ascending order

C. Convert text to dates automatically

D. Calculate the difference between two dates

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of date-based formatting

   Date-based formatting changes how cells look based on date rules, like coloring dates before or after today.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Sorting, converting, and calculating dates are different features, not formatting.

3. Final Answer:

   Highlight cells based on date conditions -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Date-based formatting = Highlight cells by date [OK]

Hint: Date formatting changes cell look based on dates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing formatting with sorting
• Thinking it converts text to dates
• Assuming it calculates date differences

2. Which formula is correct to use in conditional formatting to highlight dates before today?

easy

A. =DATE()

B. =TODAY()

C. =A1

D. =A1>NOW()

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct comparison for dates before today

   To highlight dates before today, the cell date (A1) must be less than TODAY(), so formula is =A1

2. Step 2: Check other options for correctness

   A uses DATE() incorrectly without arguments; B (=TODAY()

3. Final Answer:

   =A1<TODAY() -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use =A1<TODAY() to highlight past dates [OK]

Hint: Use =A1

Common Mistakes:

• Using NOW() instead of TODAY()
• Reversing comparison signs
• Using DATE() without arguments

3. Given the formula =A2>=TODAY() in conditional formatting, what happens if A2 contains the date 2024-06-01 and today is 2024-05-30?

medium

A. The cell is not highlighted because 2024-06-01 is before today

B. The cell is highlighted because 2024-06-01 is after today

C. The formula causes an error

D. The cell is highlighted only if time is included

Solution

1. Step 1: Compare the date in A2 with today's date

   A2 has 2024-06-01, which is after 2024-05-30 (today).

2. Step 2: Evaluate the formula condition

   The formula checks if A2 is greater or equal to TODAY(), which is true, so the cell is highlighted.

3. Final Answer:

   The cell is highlighted because 2024-06-01 is after today -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   =A2>=TODAY() is TRUE for future dates [OK]

Hint: Dates after or on today make =A2>=TODAY() TRUE [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing before and after dates
• Thinking formula causes error
• Assuming time affects date comparison here

4. You want to highlight dates that are exactly 7 days from today using conditional formatting. Which formula has an error?

medium

A. =A1=TODAY()+"7 days"

B. =A1=TODAY()-7

C. =A1=TODAY()+7

D. =A1=EDATE(TODAY(),7)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how to add days to TODAY()

   Adding 7 as a number to TODAY() works to get a date 7 days ahead.

2. Step 2: Identify the error in =A1=TODAY()+"7 days"

   =A1=TODAY()+"7 days" adds a string "7 days" instead of a number, causing a formula error.

3. Final Answer:

   =A1=TODAY()+"7 days" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Add numbers, not strings, to TODAY() [OK]

Hint: Add numbers, not text, to TODAY() for date math [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding text instead of numbers
• Subtracting instead of adding days
• Using wrong operators

5. You want to highlight all dates in column A that are within the next 3 days including today. Which conditional formatting custom formula should you use?

hard

A. =A1>TODAY()+3

B. =OR(A1>=TODAY(), A1<=TODAY()+3)

C. =A1

D. =AND(A1>=TODAY(), A1<=TODAY()+3)

Solution

1. Step 1: Define the date range condition

   We want dates from today up to 3 days ahead, so A1 must be >= TODAY() and <= TODAY()+3.

2. Step 2: Choose the correct logical function

   AND ensures both conditions are true simultaneously, so use =AND(A1>=TODAY(), A1<=TODAY()+3).

3. Final Answer:

   =AND(A1>=TODAY(), A1<=TODAY()+3) -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use AND for date range between today and 3 days ahead [OK]

Hint: Use AND to check date is between two dates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using OR instead of AND
• Checking only one side of the range
• Using > or < incorrectly