TRUE

What it does

TRUE()

TRUE() returns the logical value TRUE. It takes no arguments. The literal TRUE can be written directly in a formula or cell with the same purpose; Microsoft retains the function primarily for compatibility with other spreadsheet programs.

TRUE is a logical value, distinct from numeric one, the text "TRUE", and an empty cell. A later operation may convert it to a number, but that conversion belongs to the operation consuming the value.

Try it

Calculate =TRUE(), then try =ISLOGICAL(TRUE()) and =ISNUMBER(TRUE()) to inspect its kind. Use =N(TRUE()) to request a numeric conversion explicitly.

Quirks

A valid call has no input-dependent error. A call such as TRUE(0) has the wrong argument count; handling an invalid formula is separate from calculating a valid constant.

Do not use TRUE as a substitute for a missing value. ISBLANK(TRUE()) and an actual blank cell answer different questions. Likewise, "TRUE" is text until a particular consumer chooses to interpret it.

How to implement

Check that the call has zero arguments and return a tagged logical true value. Do not return numeric 1: TYPE, ISLOGICAL, ISNUMBER and comparisons can observe the distinction.

A compiler may fold the call to a logical literal if that preserves the formula representation and any evaluation tracing it promises. FALSE and TRUE can share this path with one boolean parameter. No floating-point arithmetic or clock is needed.

Rust code

constant(TRUE, "TRUE", true_value)

/// TRUE: the logical TRUE.
fn true_value(_: &[CalcValue], _: &mut EvalServices<'_>) -> Result<CalcValue, FunctionFault> {
    Ok(CalcValue::logical(true))
}

No implementation has been published with a Handbook test suite for this function.

Version differences

The recorded environments below distinguish a reading from a same-input comparison. Counts describe captured inputs in each environment; overlapping captures and comparisons are not totals of unique worksheet calls.

The record contains no same-input comparison between these environments. Reading different inputs on different builds does not establish either a version change or cross-build agreement.

Recorded environments and comparison details.

Alternatives

Write the literal TRUE in ordinary formulas. FALSE is the opposite constant; NOT negates a logical test. NA is an explicit unavailable-value marker when that is the intended meaning, and is an error rather than a logical value.

Named variants

No named variants are recorded yet.