What is the IFUNIQUE Function in Google Sheets?

The IFUNIQUE function is not a standard, built-in function in Google Sheets. There is no direct function called IFUNIQUE. It is possible that you are referring to a combination of functions to achieve the result you have in mind, or to a custom function or script created by someone. Typically, when dealing with uniqueness in Google Sheets, you might use a combination of UNIQUE, COUNTIF, or FILTER with other functions.

Here is how you can achieve similar results using standard Google Sheets functions:

1. Using the UNIQUE function:

The UNIQUE function extracts unique entries from a list. For example, if you have a list in cells A1:A10, the formula =UNIQUE(A1:A10) will return only the unique values from that range.

Example: If A1:A5 contains "apple", "banana", "apple", "cherry", "banana", =UNIQUE(A1:A5) would return "apple", "banana", "cherry".

2. Checking for Uniqueness with COUNTIF:

The COUNTIF function counts the number of cells in a range that meet a specific condition. You can use it to check if an entry appears only once, which essentially checks for uniqueness.

Example: To check if "apple" is unique in A1:A5, use =COUNTIF(A1:A5, "apple"). The result will be 1 if "apple" appears only once, and more than 1 if it appears multiple times.

3. Combining IF with COUNTIF to Mimic IFUNIQUE:

You can combine the IF function with COUNTIF to perform an action based on whether a value is unique or not. For instance, to return a message based on the uniqueness of an entry in A1 within the range A1:A5:

=IF(COUNTIF(A1:A5, A1)=1, "Unique", "Not Unique")

This formula checks if the value in cell A1 appears only once within the range A1:A5. If it does, the formula returns "Unique", otherwise it returns "Not Unique".

4. Using FILTER for Unique entries:

You can use the FILTER function in conjunction with COUNTIF to extract unique values with certain conditions. For example, to get a list of only those entries that are unique:

=FILTER(A1:A5, COUNTIF(A1:A5, A1:A5)=1)

This formula will return a list of unique values from the range A1:A5

Custom Function (Script) Approach:

If you need a specific IFUNIQUE behavior, you can create a custom function using Google Apps Script. However, this involves writing code rather than using built-in functions. Here is a basic example of a custom function that emulates the functionality of an IFUNIQUE function:

function IFUNIQUE(range, value) {
   var count = 0;
   for(var i = 0; i < range.length; i++) {
     for(var j = 0; j < range[i].length; j++){
       if(range[i][j] == value){
         count++;
       }
     }
   }
   if (count == 1) {
     return "Unique";
   } else {
     return "Not Unique";
   }
}

Note: Copy and paste the above script into the script editor of your Google Sheet (Tools > Script editor), and then save it. After that, you can use the function like any other function, for example, =IFUNIQUE(A1:A5, A1)

In summary, there's no direct IFUNIQUE function. However, using combinations of UNIQUE, COUNTIF, FILTER or a custom Google Apps Script function, you can achieve the desired result of checking and acting on unique values in Google Sheets.

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