Using a UDF in Excel to update the worksheet

Question

There have been many questions here on SO (and many other forums) along the lines of "what's wrong with my user-defined function" where the answer has been "you can't update a worksheet from a UDF" - this restriction outlined here:

Description of limitations of custom functions in Excel

Answer 1

The MSDN KB is incorrect.

It says

A user-defined function called by a formula in a worksheet cell cannot change the environment of Microsoft Excel. This means that such a function cannot do any of the following:

1. Insert, delete, or format cells on the spreadsheet.
2. Change another cell's value.
3. Move, rename, delete, or add sheets to a workbook.
4. Change any of the environment options, such as calculation mode or screen views.
5. Add names to a workbook.
6. Set properties or execute most methods.