---
title: "Formula Terminology in Stackby"
description: "Formula Terminology in Stackby"
url: https://help.stackby.com/en/articles/115-formula-terminology-in-stackby
collection: "Formulas"
updated: 2025-06-18
language: en
---

# Formula Terminology in Stackby

Formula Terminology in Stackby

**Terminology**  
In Stackby we use formulas consisting of terms and symbols which are the same for programming languages. They are simplified to make formulas easier to write and understand.

The table below lists the terms you'll encounter and some common examples of each one.

<table data-id="c7713dba-857c-481d-8117-227ac29b03de" style="min-width: 75px;"><colgroup><col style="min-width: 25px;"><col style="min-width: 25px;"><col style="min-width: 25px;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="a46151e5-530c-43f2-aa90-aa4c651d91cd" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Word&nbsp;</strong></span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="b66342cf-59ea-4128-be5a-d334dc3e1c4a" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Usage&nbsp;</strong></span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="fefb995f-5e80-4096-b223-246bd367d6a2" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Example&nbsp;</strong></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="8b8173f9-5127-4a9e-a9d0-73fc33ab3156" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Curly Bracket&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="7412fdfa-2128-45fc-afda-23f715954087" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Reference a {Column Name}</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="74a44bcc-7294-4d25-bf08-35459302105c" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">{Price} or {Status}&nbsp;</span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="c16fa806-f0f1-4c65-8dd9-96c05f083c87" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Function &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="2823aa28-cd73-42c3-841e-985467bd7375" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">References a formula function that performs specific calculations using specific column names&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="23feee34-c811-4b09-942f-e8c90a44ab55" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">SUM ({Value 1}, {Value 2}) or&nbsp;</span></p><p data-id="b87fd0f5-8fe8-48d0-9387-daf3d5e704ed" style="text-align: left;"><br></p><p data-id="d601e5f8-5f98-4c73-876c-61407a75f54d" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">AVERAGE ({Value 1}, {Value 2})</span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="5ef69fee-a5c2-45d2-b3fa-7efeda71d0f6" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Operator &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="b39126f7-c753-4a5e-9e31-bbec4edac3c0" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Symbols used in formula to output different calculations&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><ul><li><p data-id="01b90bec-ef12-4092-9c3e-9f59fea9837f" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">or &nbsp;*&nbsp;</span></p></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="791da215-b786-48c8-a33e-4d05cf173587" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">String&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="b7d17e37-8aa3-418c-aa90-a3216f5d9f5a" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Group of text characters that are used in the formula. String input need to be given in double quotes.&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="8b83fe4b-7a37-42e8-93ab-4e00d3e73f8e" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“This text needs to be changed”&nbsp;</span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="78b8fd83-2062-4549-b37a-f202ce4ae5fc" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Array</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="e350fdf0-c55f-438a-82ad-be48d0c585da" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Collection of values separated by a comma&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="bd118a24-5606-427e-808b-8822e30e07a9" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Price 1, Price 2, Price 3&nbsp;</span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="490d16c0-6ef6-461e-843f-61052db71133" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Integer&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="85ea8c10-e425-4a7e-8fe4-b350232fe96e" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Whole number - positive, negative or zero</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="50ba9697-1559-4c28-8ebc-117426c8293d" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">9</span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><p data-id="f7bcab02-951d-4303-ada9-047596171f68" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Date&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="a20cdde5-e540-436f-82ae-7db8e2e395b1" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">A date format that can be represented in multiple ways&nbsp;</span></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 269.075px;"><p data-id="eeed1074-87c5-4794-ba6f-d9d8f88cf9e1" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">January 1st, 2022&nbsp;</span></p><p data-id="d45c3238-5507-4f15-89d5-eb7cdc35a553" style="text-align: left;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table>

**Also Read:** [**How are Stackby Formulas different from Excel**](https://help.stackby.com/en/articles/118-writing-formulas-in-excel-vs-stackby.md)