The ISNONTEXT function is an information function which will return either TRUE or FALSE if the selected cell or values result in a non-text value. Text values includes numbers or dates stored as text, as well as formulas whose output is a text string. Blank cells are also considered to be non-text values.

This is the format of the ISNONTEXT function:

=ISNONTEXT(REFERENCE OR FORMULA)

Here is an example of the ISNONTEXT function:

=ISNONTEXT(5) = TRUE

ISNONTEXT returning TRUE when evaluating a cell with a non-text value

This function is valuable when multiple response types are expected within a field, and they can vary between numeric and string types. Applying this logic allows for error handling before the errors even occur.

An example of a functional implementation of this would be if you have a form whose responses are a sliding scale of 1-10, or allowing the individual to enter their own response. The sliding scale would be considered non-text, while a custom response would be considered as text. ISNONTEXT will allow us to create personalized responses based on these results.

=IF(ISNONTEXT(C3), “”, “Please note that processing times can increase with custom requests”)

The reason why the response would not generate any text if the value is a non-text value is due to the fact that the cell could also be blank, and we only want to notify users if they enter responses which could result in extra processing times.