# EVALUATE

Spread for WinForms provides advanced software components that support Excel import/export, full cell customization, an extensive calculation engine with over 450 functions and more, all with zero dependencies on Excel.

## Content

This function is used to evaluate a text equation as an algebraic equation.

## Syntax

=EVALUATE(formula) 

## Arguments

This function has the following argument:

| **Argument** | **Description** |
| -------- | ----------- |
| *formula* | Refers to a string that represents a formula or expression to be evaluated. This formula can reference cells or ranges in the worksheet. |

## Remarks

This function cannot be used directly in a cell, like SUM or AVERAGE functions. It must be used in the formula expressions applied to a custom-named range only. Therefore, if you use this function as "=EVALUATE(A1)", it throws an error. However, if you use the EVALUATE function as a custom name and then call the name from the target cell as "=EVALUATE("=A1+A2")", it returns the evaluated result of the cell range.

## Data Types

Returns the evaluated results.

## Example

The following example code uses the "EVALUATE(A1:A2)" function to create the named range "test," which evaluates the expressions present in cells "B1" and "B2" and displays the evaluated result in cell "C1".

```csharp
// Adding EVALUATE Function
 IWorksheet TestActiveSheet = fpSpread1.AsWorkbook().ActiveSheet;
 fpSpread1.AsWorkbook().Names.Add("test", "EVALUATE(A1:A2)", null, 0, 1);
 TestActiveSheet.Cells["B1"].Value = "1+1";
 TestActiveSheet.Cells["B2"].Value = "2+3";
 TestActiveSheet.Cells["C1"].Formula2 = "test";
 fpSpread1.SaveExcel("Book_EvaluateFunction.xlsm", ExcelSaveFlags.MacroEnabledWorkbook);
```

> !type=note
> **Note:**
> The EVALUATE function requires VBA macros to be enabled to calculate as it is implemented as a (built-in) VBA extension function. A workbook that has the EVALUATE function applied must be saved in Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (.XLSM) format. Using the **MacroEnabledWorkbook** member of the **ExcelSaveFlags** enumeration, you can save the workbook to .XLSM format.

## Version Available

This function is available in product version 17.0 or later.