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REPT function: build in-cell progress bars and zero-pad fixed-width IDs
Repeat characters N times with REPT to render lightweight text bar charts or pad variable-length account numbers.
Two high-value uses: fixed-width zero padding and mini bars
REPT(text, number_times) repeats text a specified number of times. To pad invoice number 42 to 6 digits ("000042"), repeat "0" for 6 - LEN(42) = 4 times and append 42: REPT("0", 6 - LEN(A2)) & A2.
To draw a quick in-cell progress indicator on a 0..100 score, scale the score by 20: REPT("|", ROUND(B2 / 20, 0)) turns 80 into "||||".
| RawID (A) | CompletionPct (B) | Padded 6-Digit ID | Progress Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 80 | 000042 | |||| |
| 1059 | 0 | 001059 | (empty string) |
Zero-pad numeric IDs reliably
Wrapping 6 - LEN(A2) with MAX(0, ...) ensures IDs that already reach 6+ digits never pass a negative count to REPT.
=REPT("0", MAX(0, 6 - LEN(A2))) & A2Zero count returns "" while negative count returns #VALUE!
REPT("|", 0) returns an empty string "", whereas a negative number_times (such as when LEN exceeds target width without MAX(0,...)) returns #VALUE!.
=REPT("|", -1)Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.