Conditionally formatting the minimum value in a row

Question

My goal is to apply conditional formatting to the minimum value in a row of a Google Spreadsheets.

Under Conditional Formatting I've tried using "Custom Formula Is" =MIN(D3:L3).

The result was that Conditional Formatting was applied to D3:L3 (the entire row).

Answer 1

Sooo close (I think!). Please try:

=D3=min($D3:$L3)

=min(D3:L3) returns a value but CF needs a TRUE to trigger. So we check "the current cell" (D3) to see whether its value matches that of the minimum in the range D3:L3. If it does we trigger the formatting.

I say "the current cell" because quite which that is depends on the Range: selection. Here it is the same as that from which the minimum value is selected (ie D3:L3). CF has a kind of rastering feature, equivalent to checking whether to trigger the first cell in the Range: (and if TRUE, doing so) then automatically stepping on the E3, F3 cell (and if TRUE, doing so) etc until reaching the end of Range:.

(I have no idea what the actual sequence is but since all done with one click don't see that matters much.)

Without anchors (the $s in $D3:$L3) the minimum range also would auto adjust during the process, so D3 would be tested against D3:L3 but E3 against E3:M3, and so on. (This particular question, where the MIN range and Range: are the same, may not however be the most suitable one for explaining the anchors!)