A blank is an absence, not a value
An empty cell shows nothing. That nothing is easy to mistake for a meaning — no, zero, none, not applicable — but an absence of information is not information. Treating a blank as a value quietly invents data that was never there.
What a blank can be
- The cell currently shows nothing.
- The value is missing or not displayed.
- A dash standing for an empty or withheld entry.
- Content that is present on the source but not shown in the sheet.
What a blank cannot be
- Not a no, a zero, or a none.
- Not a “not applicable” or “not included.”
- Not a value you are free to invent to complete the row.
How to handle a blank
- Mark it not shown. Keep the cell visually blank or labeled as not shown.
- Do not fill it. Leave it open rather than writing a guessed value into the row.
- Re-check the source. The destination page may show what the sheet did not.
Field ruleA blank is an absence of information, not a value. Mark it not shown or unknown, and never let it stand for no, zero, none, or not applicable.
✓Baseline: the empty cell stays empty until the source page resolves it.
A worked reading
- Cell: blank, or a dash, or content not displayed.
- Reading: marked “not shown” or “unknown.”
- Action: re-check the destination page before any conclusion.
Field-reading example — not actual sheet data, a database, or verification.
Continue your review
Read a full cell with the field context guide, and confirm consistency with the cross-row consistency guide.