In our daily work, series numbers are frequently, if not always used in tables.

Many individuals may utilize the drop-down filling approach. If a row of data in the table is subsequently added or deleted, the serial number will be misplaced.

At this time, how can we quickly add serial numbers to the data and ensure they will not change when adding or deleting  any other row? Today, we will learn why the Row function can be put to good use.

Take this table as an example. If we want to enter the serial number of James' row in the C2 cell, we can click the shortcut button in the formula address bar, enter Row, and click OK.

Then there will be a popup dialog.

The syntax of the ROW function is: =ROW([Reference]). It returns the row number of the reference you entered. If Reference is omitted, it returns the number of the current row.

Click OK to check the effect: the number 2 appears in the cell, which corresponds to the current row number 2.

If we want James' serial number to start from 1, there are two approaches:

First, double-click cell C2 and enter =ROW(C1) here. It takes cell C1 as the reference. Press Enter to get the serial number 1.

You can use the second method: Double-click cell C2 and enter the formula =Row( )-1, which is produced by removing 1 from the ROW function's return value. And the result is 1.

Finally, drop down to fill in the remaining serial numbers.

At this time, when we delete a row in the table, the serial number will be automatically filled in. Similarly, if we add a new row, there will be room for additional values to be entered.

What a practical feature! Did you get it?

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