An Excel Fromula to generate a UUID v4

uuid_v4_excel_formula.txt

=LOWER(CONCATENATE(DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;8));8);"-";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;4));4);"-";"4";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;3));3);"-";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(8;11));DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;3));3);"-";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;8));8);DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;4));4)))

I get #NUM! errors one in every few thousand calculations of this formula.

Here is why:

• POWER(16;4) returns 65536.
• RANDBETWEEN is inclusive of the 'bottom' and 'top' values.
• DEC2HEX(65536;4) throws the NUM error as its needs 5 characters; the highest value DEC2HEX can return in 4 characters is 65535
• So the POWER() function is giving a 'top' bound to the RANDBETWEEN that is exactly 1 too high.

The fix is to add -1 after each use of the POWER() function in the formula:

=LOWER(CONCATENATE(DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;8)-1);8);"-";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;4)-1);4);"-";"4";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;3)-1);3);"-";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(8;11));DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;3)-1);3);"-";DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;8)-1);8);DEC2HEX(RANDBETWEEN(0;POWER(16;4)-1);4)))

Just one question... The GUID's get refreshed evertime I do something to the column or near the column that contain the formula. Is there a way to just generate it once and fix the generated GUID's?

Regards, Arie

I set one cell in excel to be my UUID generator using the formula and naming the range, then I use VBA to refer to the named range when I want to commit the value to a stored location using something like:

For Each rRecord In rNewRecords
     rRecord.Offset(0, -1).Value = [r_uuid].Value
     [r_uuid].Calculate
Next rRecord

Where r_uuid is a named range in the workbook.

For Spanish-MX Excel

=MINUSC(CONCATENAR(DEC.A.HEX(ALEATORIO.ENTRE(0,POTENCIA(16,8)),8),"-",DEC.A.HEX(ALEATORIO.ENTRE(0,POTENCIA(16,4)),4),"-","4",DEC.A.HEX(ALEATORIO.ENTRE(0,POTENCIA(16,3)),3),"-",DEC.A.HEX(ALEATORIO.ENTRE(8,11)),DEC.A.HEX(ALEATORIO.ENTRE(0,POTENCIA(16,3)),3),"-",DEC.A.HEX(ALEATORIO.ENTRE(0,POTENCIA(16,8)),8),DEC.A.HEX(ALEATORIO.ENTRE(0,POTENCIA(16,4)),4)))