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Formula Translation Guide
Rows uses standard spreadsheet formula syntax similar to Excel and Google Sheets. Coda has its own Formula Language (CFL) that is conceptually similar but uses different syntax. This page provides a side-by-side reference for the most common formulas.
Formula Translation
Category
Rows Formula
Coda Equivalent
Notes
Coda Docs
Lookup & Reference
4
VLOOKUP(value, range, col, false)
[Table].Lookup([Column], value) or Filter([Table], [Column] = value)
HLOOKUP
Not needed — use Lookup() or Filter()
Coda tables are column-oriented, so HLOOKUP is unnecessary
INDEX/MATCH
Filter([Table], condition).First()
IMPORTRANGE
Cross-doc Pack
Sync data between Coda docs using the Cross-doc Pack
Math & Aggregation
6
SUM(A1:A10)
[Table].Sum([Column]) or Sum(list)
AVERAGE(range)
[Table].Average([Column])
COUNT(range)
[Table].Count()
COUNTIF(range, criteria)
[Table].Filter(condition).Count()
Chain Filter() then Count()
SUMIF(range, criteria, sum_range)
[Table].Filter(condition).Sum([Column])
Chain Filter() then Sum()
MIN / MAX
Min(list) / Max(list) or [Table].Min([Column])
Logic
5
IF(condition, true, false)
If(condition, true, false)
Same concept, identical syntax
AND(a, b)
And(a, b) or a And b
Can use keyword syntax
OR(a, b)
Or(a, b) or a Or b
Can use keyword syntax
IFERROR(value, error_value)
IfError(value, error_value) or IfBlank()
IfBlank() is useful for checking empty values
SWITCH
SwitchIf(condition1, result1, condition2, result2, ...)
Uses condition-result pairs instead of value matching
Text
6
CONCATENATE(a, b)
Concatenate(a, " ", b) or string interpolation
String interpolation is often cleaner
LEFT(text, n) / RIGHT(text, n) / MID(text, start, n)
Left(text, n) / Right(text, n) / Mid(text, start, n)
Same function names, same syntax
LEN(text)
Length(text)
Renamed to Length()
UPPER / LOWER / PROPER
Upper(text) / Lower(text) / Proper(text)
Same function names
TRIM
Trim(text)
Same function name
SUBSTITUTE
Replace(text, old, new) or RegexReplace()
RegexReplace() adds regex support
Date & Time
4
TODAY() / NOW()
Today() / Now()
Same function names
YEAR() / MONTH() / DAY()
Year(date) / Month(date) / Day(date)
Same function names
DATEDIF
DateTimeDiff(start, end, "days")
Specify the unit as a string parameter
DATE(y, m, d)
Date(y, m, d)
Same syntax
Table Operations
4
SORT(range, col, order)
[Table].Sort(ascending, [Column])
Boolean for ascending/descending
FILTER(range, condition)
[Table].Filter(condition)
Uses column references instead of cell ranges
UNIQUE(range)
[Column].Unique()
Called on a column directly
QUERY (SQL-like)
Combine Filter(), Sort(), FormulaMap(), Nth()
No single QUERY equivalent; compose using multiple functions
Key conceptual difference: In Rows (and traditional spreadsheets), formulas reference cell ranges like A1:A10. In Coda, formulas reference tables and columns by name, like [Tasks].Filter([Status] = "Done"). This makes Coda formulas more readable and less prone to breaking when rows are added or removed.
For the complete formula reference, see . To learn formula basics, take the .
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