Tag: Excel SEARCH

How to extract text after the second or nth specific character (space or comma)

In the previous post, we talked that how to extract text after the first occurrence of the comma character in excel. And this post explains that how to get a substring after the second or nth occurrence of the comma or space character in excel.

1. Extract Text after The Second or Nth Specific Character

If you want to extract text after the second or nth comma character in a text string in Cell B1, you need firstly to get the position of the second or nth occurrence of the comma character in text.

So you can use the SUBSTITUTE function to replace the second comma character with the hash character, then using the FIND function to look for the first hash character in text returned by substitute function, the returned value is the position of the second occurrence of the comma character in text.

Last, you can use the MID function to extract a substring that you want to extract.

So you can create a formula based on the MID function, the FIND function and the SUBSTITUTE function as follows:

=TRIM(MID(B1,FIND("#",SUBSTITUTE(B1,",","#",2))+1,255))

Let’s see how this formula works:

=SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,2)

extract text before second comma1

This function replaces the second comma character with hash character in cell B1, and the returned result goes into the FIND function as its within_text argument.

=FIND(“#”,SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,2))+1

extract text before second comma2

The FIND function will return the position of the first occurrence of the hash character in within_text string returned by the SUBSTITUTE function. Then add 1 to get the starting position after the second occurrence of the comma character in text. And it returns 11. It is fed into the MID function as its start_num argument.

=MID(B1,FIND(“#”,SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,2))+1,255)

extract text after second comma1

The MID function will extracts 255 characters from a text string in Cell B1, starting at the 11character.

=TRIM()

The TRIM function removes all extra space characters and just leave only one between words.

If you want to extract a substring after the third occurrence of the comma character, you can use the following formula:

=TRIM(MID(B1,FIND("#",SUBSTITUTE(B1,",","#",3))+1,255))
extract text after second comma2

2. Extract Text after The Second or Nth Specific Character using User Defined Function with VBA

You can use the VBA Split function to split a string into an array of substrings based on a specified delimiter, and then extract the desired substring based on its index in the array.

You can use a user-defined function that extracts the substring after the third occurrence of the comma character, just do the following steps:

Step1: Press the Alt + F11 keys on your keyboard to open the VBA Editor.

Step2: In the VBA Editor, insert a new module by clicking on “Insert” in the top menu and then selecting “Module“.

Step3: Copy the VBA code that you want to run and paste it into the new module.

How to extract text after the second or nth specific character vba1.png

Step4: Save the module by clicking on “File” in the top menu and then selecting “Save“.

Step5: in a blank cell, type the following formula:

=ExtractSubstring_ExcelHow(B1)

Step6: Press Enter to apply the formula and see the result in the given cell.

How to extract text after the second or nth specific character vba2.png

The function should now be applied to the selected cell and the output should be the desired substring after the third occurrence of the comma character.

3. Video: Extract Text after The Second or Nth Specific Character

This video will show you how to extract a substring after the third occurrence of the comma character in Excel using both a formula and VBA code.

4. Related Formulas

  • Extract Text between Parentheses
    If you want to extract text between parentheses in a cell, then you can use the search function within the MID function to create a new excel formula…
  • Extract Text between Brackets
    If you want to extract text between brackets in a cell, you need to create a formula based on the SEARCH function and the MID function….
  • Extract Text between Commas
    To extract text between commas in Cell B1, you can use the following formula based on the SUBSTITUTE function, the MID function and the REPT function…..
  • Extract word that starting with a specific character
    Assuming that you have a text string that contains email address in Cell B1, and if you want to extract word that begins with a specific character “@” sign, you can use a combination with the TRIM function, the LEFT function, the SUBSTITUTE function ….
  • Extract text before first comma or space
    If you want to extract text before the first comma or space character in cell B1, you can use a combination of the LEFT function and FIND function….
  • Extract text after first comma or space
    If you want to get substring after the first comma character from a text string in Cell B1, then you can create a formula based on the MID function and FIND function or SEARCH function ….
  • Extract text before the second or nth specific character
    you can create a formula based on the LEFT function, the FIND function and the SUBSTITUTE function to Extract text before the second or nth specific character…

5. Related Functions

  • Excel MID function
    The Excel MID function returns a substring from a text string at the position that you specify.The syntax of the MID function is as below:= MID (text, start_num, num_chars)….
  • Excel FIND function
    The Excel FIND function returns the position of the first text string (sub string) within another text string.The syntax of the FIND function is as below:= FIND(find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel Substitute function
    The Excel SUBSTITUTE function replaces a new text string for an old text string in a text string.The syntax of the SUBSTITUTE function is as below:= SUBSTITUTE  (text, old_text, new_text,[instance_num])….
  • Excel TRIM function
    The Excel TRIM function removes all spaces from text string except for single spaces between words.  You can use the TRIM function to remove extra spaces between words in a string.The syntax of the TRIM function is as below:= TRIM (text)….

How to extract text after first comma or space

In the previous post, we talked that how to extract substring before the first comma or space or others specific characters in excel. And this post will guide you how to extract text after the first comma or space character in a text string using a formula and VBA code..

1. Extract Text after First Comma or Space Using Formula

If you want to get substring after the first comma character from a text string in Cell B1, then you can create a formula based on the MID function and FIND function or SEARCH function as follows:

=MID(B1,FIND(",",B1)+1,LEN(B1))

or

=MID(B1,SEARCH(",",B1)+1,LEN(B1))

Let’s see how this formula works:

=LEN(B1)

The LEN function returns the number of characters in a text string in Cell B1. The returned result goes into the MID function as its num_chars argument.

=FIND(“,”,B1)+1

extract text after first comma11

The FIND function returns the position of the first comma character in Cell B1. It returns 7. And then add 1 to get the position of the first character after comma character. The returned value goes into the MID function as its start_num argument.

=MID(B1,FIND(“,”,B1)+1,LEN(B1))

extract text after first comma1

So far, you got the values of the start_num and num_chars arguments from above FIND and LEN formula. And then the MID function extracts a substring based on the starting position and the number of the characters that you want to extract from a text string in Cell B1.

Last, if you want to extract a string after the first space character or others specific characters in a text string in cell B2, then you just need to change the comma character to space character in the above MID function, like this:

=MID(B1,FIND(" ",B1)+1,LEN(B1))
extract text after first comma2

2. Extract Text after First Comma or Space using a User Defined Function with VBA Code

You can use the following VBA code to create a user-defined function in Excel that extracts text after the first comma or space in a cell. Just do the following steps:

Step1: Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor in your current worksheet.

Adding Comma Character at End of Cells vba1.png

Step2: In the VBA editor, go to Insert -> Module to create a new module.

Adding Comma Character at End of Cells vba1.png

Step3: Paste the below code into the module. Save the module and close the editor.

How to extract text after first comma or space vba 1.png
Function ExtractTextAfterCommaOrSpace_Excelhow(text As String) As String
    Dim pos As Integer
    pos = InStr(text, ",")
    If pos = 0 Then
        pos = InStr(text, " ")
    End If
    If pos = 0 Then
        ExtractTextAfterCommaOrSpace_Excelhow = ""
    Else
        ExtractTextAfterCommaOrSpace_Excelhow = Trim(Mid(text, pos + 1))
    End If
End Function

Step4: Go back to Excel and enter a cell where you want to use the function. Type the following formula:

=ExtractTextAfterCommaOrSpace_Excelhow(B1)

Step5: press Enter to apply this formula. And the extracted text would be returned.

How to extract text after first comma or space vba 2.png

3. Video: Extract Text after First Comma or Space

This video will demonstrate how to extract text after the first comma or space in Excel using both a formula and VBA code.

4. Related Formulas

  • Extract Text between Parentheses
    If you want to extract text between parentheses in a cell, then you can use the search function within the MID function to create a new excel formula…
  • Extract Text between Brackets
    If you want to extract text between brackets in a cell, you need to create a formula based on the SEARCH function and the MID function….
  • Extract Text between Commas
    To extract text between commas in Cell B1, you can use the following formula based on the SUBSTITUTE function, the MID function and the REPT function…..
  • Extract word that starting with a specific character
    Assuming that you have a text string that contains email address in Cell B1, and if you want to extract word that begins with a specific character “@” sign, you can use a combination with the TRIM function, the LEFT function, the SUBSTITUTE function ….
  • Extract text before first comma or space
    If you want to extract text before the first comma or space character in cell B1, you can use a combination of the LEFT function and FIND function….

5. Related Functions

  • Excel MID function
    The Excel MID function returns a substring from a text string at the position that you specify.The syntax of the MID function is as below:= MID (text, start_num, num_chars)….
  • Excel FIND function
    The Excel FIND function returns the position of the first text string (sub string) within another text string.The syntax of the FIND function is as below:= FIND(find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel LEN function
    The Excel LEN function returns the length of a text string (the number of characters in a text string).The LEN function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the LEN function is as below:= LEN(text)…

How to Find the Position of First Number in A Text String in Excel

This post will guide you how to get the position of the first number in a text string in Excel. How do I find the position of first number in a text string in Excel 2013/2016.

1. Find the Position of First Number in a Cell using Formula

Assuming that you have a list of data in range B1:B4, in which contain text strings. And you wish to get the position of the first number in those range of cells. How to accomplish it. And you can use an formula based on the MIN function and the SEARCH function. Like below:

=MIN(SEARCH({0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9},B1&"0123456789"))

Type this formula into a blank cell and press Enter key on your keyboard, and drag the AutoFill Handle down to other cells to apply this formula.

find first position of first number in cell1

You would see that the position of the first number is calculated.

If you want to get the position of last number in a text string in your range of cells, you can use another array formula based on the MAX function, the IFERROR function, the FIND function, the ROW function, and the LEN function. Like this:

=MAX(IFERROR(FIND({1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0},B1,ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&LEN(B1)))),0))

Type this formula into a blank cell and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys on your keyboard, and drag the AutoFill Handle down to other cells to apply this formula.

find first position of first number in cell2

2. Find the Position of First Number in a Cell using User Defined Function with VBA Code

You can also create a User defined function with VBA Code to find the position of first number in a given cell in Excel. here are the steps:

Step1: press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor.

Adding Comma Character at End of Cells vba1.png

Step2: In the Visual Basic Editor, click Insert > Module to insert a new module.

Adding Comma Character at End of Cells vba1.png

Step3: Copy the below VBA code for the custom function and paste it into the new module. Save the VBA module by clicking File > Save or by pressing Ctrl + S.

How to Find the Position of First Number in A Text String in Excel vba 1.png
Function FirstNumberPosition_Excelhow(rng As Range) As Integer

Dim s As String
Dim i As Integer

s = rng.Value

For i = 1 To Len(s)
    If IsNumeric(Mid(s, i, 1)) Then
        FirstNumberPosition_Excelhow = i
        Exit Function
    End If
Next i

End Function

Step4: Type the following formula in a blank cell:

=FirstNumberPosition_Excelhow(B1)

Step5: Press Enter to calculate the result of the formula using the custom function.

How to Find the Position of First Number in A Text String in Excel vba 2.png

3. Video: Find the Position of First Number in a Cell

This video will demonstrate how to find the position of the first number in a cell using a formula or VBA code in Excel.

Check Cell If Contains One of Many with Exclusions

Check Cell If Contains One of Many with Exclusions1

In Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet or google sheets, when cells contain multiple strings, how can we accomplish this task if you want to check whether these cells contain more than one given string and exclude other given strings?

In this article, we will discuss how to check if a cell contains more than one given string and exclude other given strings by using a formula. You can create a new nested formula by using the SEARCH function (google sheets or Excel), the ISNUMBER function and the SUMPRODUCT function.

The generic formulas are as follows.

= ( SUMPRODUCT ( -- ISNUMBER (SEARCH(INCLUDE_STRINGS, TEXT_STRING))) > 0 ) * ( SUMPRODUCT ( -- ISNUMBER (SEARCH(EXCLUDE_STRINGS, TEXT_STRING))) = 0 )

Check Cell If Contains One of Many with Exclusions in Google Sheets & Excel

Suppose you have two data tables A3:B12, E1:F4, you want to check whether the cell area A3:A12 contains one of the values in the cell range E2:E4, but does not contain any of the values in the cell range F2:F3. You can build the following google sheets or Excel formulas based on the above general formula.

=(SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH(INCLUDE_STRINGS,A4)))>0) * (SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH(EXCLUDE_STRINGS,A4)))=0)

where INCLUDE_STRINGS is the named range E2:E4, and EXCLUDE_STRINGS is the named range F2:F3.

You can enter the above formula in cell B4 and press Enter to apply the formula.

Let’s see how this formula works：

= ( SUMPRODUCT ( — ISNUMBER (SEARCH(INCLUDE_STRINGS, A4))) > 0 )

Check Cell If Contains One of Many with Exclusions1

This formula is used to check whether cell A4 contains INCLUDE_STRINGS range of strings, SEARCH function will find from A4 contains INCLUDE_STRINGS range of strings, if it exists, will return the position of the string in cell A4, otherwise return # VALUE!

ISNUMBER formula will SEARCH function return value into TRUE or FALSE, when the search function returns a number, ISNUMBER function will return TRUE, otherwise it will return FALSE.

The double negative sign before ISNUMBER converts the TRUE or FALSE value returned by the ISNUMBER function to 1 and 0.

=(SUMPRODUCT(–ISNUMBER(SEARCH(EXCLUDE_STRINGS,A4)))=0)

Check Cell If Contains One of Many with Exclusions1

This formula is used to check whether the cell does not contain any of the values in F2:F3. Where the SEARCH function is used to perform a lookup string and return the position of the string in cell A4 or return the #VALUE! error message.

Related Functions

  •  Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Google Sheets SUMPRODUCT function
    The Google Sheets SUMPRODUCT function multiplies corresponding components in the given one or more arrays or ranges, and returns the sum of those products.The syntax of the SUMPRODUCT function is as below:= SUMPRODUCT (array1,[array2],…)…

If Cell Contain Specific Text

Cell contains specific tex

This article will explain how to check if a cell contains text or a specific text string in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. In our daily work, we often look for specific text in worksheets containing large amounts of data or need to determine if a specific cell area contains text values.

We may also encounter the need to find out if a cell contains partial text or we need to find a specific text string in a cell by using VBA code.

Cell Contains Specific Text in Excel & Google Sheets

Below we will show how to check if a cell contains a specific text by using a formula in Excel or Google Sheets.

If you want to check if a given cell contains a specific text, then you can use the SEARCH function in combination with the ISNUMBER function to create a nested formula. You can refer to this general formula below.

=ISNUMBER(SEARCH(specific_text,text))

In the general formula above, specific_text is the specific text you want to find, and text is the text string or cell reference you want to find that contains the specific text.

If you found a specific text, then the formula will return TRUE, otherwise it will return FALSE.

If you need to find partial text from the cell, then the SEARCH function is very suitable; by default, the SEARCH function will automatically find partial text to match.

For the example in this article, you can use the following formula to find specific text.

=ISNUMBER(SEARCH(B4,A4))
Cell contains specific text

From the screenshot above, we can see that the formula supports partial text matching, where specific_text is “rest” and the text is “interest dividends“, and the result returned is TRUE, which means that partial text matching for a specific character is successful.

Let’s see how this formula works:

When the SEARCH function finds a specific text, it returns the position of that text in the searched text cell, and if not found, it returns #VALUE! . So, we can take advantage of this feature by simply using the ISNUMBER function to check if the SEARCH function returns a number, and if it is a number, it means that the specific text was found in the cell.

For the ISNUMBER function, it returns TRUE if the given argument is a number, otherwise it returns FALSE. therefore, when the SEARCH function can return the position of a specific character, then the ISNUMBER function returns TRUE. if the SEARCH function returns a #VALUE error, then the ISNUMBER function will return FALSE.

Cell Contains Specific Text with Case Sensitive in Excel & Google Sheets

You can use the SEARCH function to find specific text and partial text matches, but the function is not case-sensitive.

If you want to check for specific text in a case-sensitive manner in a text cell, then you cannot use the SEARCH function, and you need to replace the SEARCH function with the FIND function, using the following formula.

=ISNUMBER(FIND(B4,A4))
Cell contains specific text

As you can see from the above figure, specific_text “Rest” can no longer be successfully matched in text cell A4.

If Cell Contains Specific Text Then in Excel & Google Sheets

If you want to do something else when you find a cell contains a specific text, for example, we do not want to return TRUE or FALSE results, but rather return some more meaningful text or results.

You can build an IF nested formula by nesting the above formula into the IF function as follows.

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH(B4,A4)),"Found", "No Found")
Cell contains specific text

Note: Because this formula uses the SEARCH formula, the result is case-insensitive.

Sum If Cell Contains Text in Google sheets & Excel

If a column of cells contains a specific text string, you want to add the corresponding cell value of another column, then you can use the SUMIFS function contains a specific text of the cells corresponding to the data of another column to sum. The general formula is as follows.

=SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range,specific_text)

If you want to find all the cells in the cell region A4:A12 contains the “expen” string, and the corresponding value of another column B4:B12 to sum, then you can use the following formula.

=SUMIFS(B4:B12,A4:A12, "*expen*")
Cell contains specific text

If you are using google sheets, then you can also accomplish this task by using the following formula, which is as follows.

=SUM(filter(B4:B12, regexmatch(A4:A12,"expen")))
Cell contains specific text

As you can see from the chart above, the formula consisting of the SUM function and the FILTER function returns the same result as the EXCEL formula.

Note: Excel does not have a special wildcard formula that uses the “*” meta-character to match any character. There is a special regular expression function regexmatch in google sheet.

Conditional Formatting If Cell Contains in Google Sheets & Excel

In Microsoft Excel, if you want to highlight a text cell containing the “expense” string, then you can refer to the following steps.

STEP 1: Select the cell range A4:A12, then in the HOME tab, click the Conditional Formatting button, and then click the New Rule submenu.

Cell contains specific text

STEP2: The New Formatting Rule window will pop up, click on “Use a formula to determine which cells to format“, then enter the following formula in the text box.

=SEARCH(“expense”,A4)
Cell contains specific text

STEP3: Click the Format button and select a color to fill the cells that can be matched successfully. Click OK.

Cell contains specific text

STEP 4: You will see that all cells that contain the expense string are automatically highlighted.

Cell contains specific text

In google sheets, if you want to highlight a text cell that contains an “expense” string, then you can refer to the following steps.

STEP1: Select the cell range that contains a specific text to be highlighted by conditional formatting

Cell contains specific text

STEP 2: Click Format menu, then click Conditional Formatting submenu, the “Conditional format rules” window will pop up on the right side of the page.

Cell contains specific text

STEP 3: Select Text Contains in the Format rules drop-down list and enter the specific text string “expense” in the text box

Cell contains specific text

STEP 4: Select a highlight color in Formatting style and click the Done button. 

Cell contains specific text

STEP 5: Let’s see the final result.

Cell contains specific text

Related Functions

  •  Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…
  • Excel SUM function
    The Excel SUM function will adds all numbers in a range of cells and returns the sum of these values. You can add individual values, cell references or ranges in excel.The syntax of the SUM function is as below:= SUM(number1,[number2],…)…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel Find function
    The Excel FIND function returns the position of the first text string (substring) from the first character of the second text string.The FIND function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the FIND function is as below:= FIND  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel SUMIFS Function
    The Excel SUMIFS function sum the numbers in the range of cells that meet a single or multiple criteria that you specify. The syntax of the SUMIFS function is as below:=SUMIFS (sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2], …)…
  • Excel Filter function
    The FILTER function extracts matched records from a collection of data using one or more logical checks. The include argument specifies logical tests, which might encompass a wide variety of formula conditions.==FILTER(array,include,[if empty])…

Filter or Extract with a Partial Match

Assume you have a table consisting of a few cells having few values, and you want to filter out the set of records with the partial match. You might take it easy and would prefer to manually filter out the desired partial matching values into another table without any need for the formula; then congratulations because you are thinking right.

But let me add that it would be a big deal while dealing with a bulk of data in the table, and then doing this bulky task manually would be a foolish decision.

But there isn’t any need to worry about it because after carefully reading this article filtering out the set of records with the aid of partial matches will be a piece of cake for you.

filter with partial match1

So let’s get straight into it!

General Formula:

You can use the FILTER function in combination with the SEARCH function to choose data records based on a partial match. The formula in E4 is written as follows:

=FILTER(Data_range,ISNUMBER(SEARCH(B2,Filter_range))*(B2<>""),"Not Found")

Note: Data_range is name range for A2:C9, and Filter_range is antoehr name range for B2:B9.

filter with partial match1

Let’s See How This Formula Works

The motive is to extract a collection of records that match a partial text string in this example. We match one column in the data range A2:C9 or the “Region” column. The FILTER function (new in Excel 365) retrieves matched data from a range based on a logical filter, which is at the heart of this formula:

=FILTER(filter_data,filter_logic)

The task in this example is to build the logic required to match records based on a partial match. Because the FILTER function does not handle wildcards, we must use an alternative technique. In this situation, we use the SEARCH function in conjunction with the ISNUMBER function as follows:

=ISNUMBER(SEARCH(B2,Filter_range))

filter with partial match1

The SEARCH function seeks text input in cell E2 within the Filter_range name range. SEARCH returns the position of a result in the text if it finds one.

If SEARCH formula does not yield any results, it returns the #VALUE! error:

We have a match if SEARCH returns a number. Otherwise, we don’t have a match. We wrap the SEARCH function within the ISNUMBER function to transform this result into a simple TRUE/FALSE value. Only when SEARCH returns a number will ISNUMBER return TRUE.

We aren’t utilizing a wildcard like (“*”) to achieve a partial match, but the SEARCH + ISNUMBER combination acts similarly. SEARCH function will return a number if the search string is found anywhere in the text, and ISNUMBER will return TRUE if the search string is found anywhere in the text.

=FILTER(Data_range,ISNUMBER(SEARCH(B2,Filter_range)))

filter with partial match1

We now have a workable formula, but we still need to clean up a few things. First, if the FILTER function returns no results, it will produce a #CALC! error. We would add a text message for the “if_empty” argument to deliver a friendlier message:

=FILTER(Data_range,ISNUMBER(SEARCH(B2,Filter_range))*(B2<>""),"Not Found")

FILTER will now return “Not Found ” if the search text is not found.

Finally, we must deal with the circumstance where the search string in E2 is blank. Surprisingly, if the search text is an empty string, the SEARCH function will return the value 1.

If field B2 is empty, FILTER will return all results since ISNUMBER will joyfully return TRUE for number 1. To avoid this behavior, we add the following logic to the original logical expression:

=ISNUMBER(SEARCH(B2,Filter_range))*(B2<>"")

filter with partial match1

When B2 is not empty, the expression B2<>”” yields TRUE; otherwise, it returns FALSE. By the original SEARCH + ISNUMBER expression, when we would multiply the results of this expression, all TRUE results are “canceled out” when B2 is empty. This is a variation on Boolean logic.

 

Extract All Partial Match Using Index and Match function

Only Excel 365 supports the FILTER feature. It is feasible to put up a partial match formula in previous versions of Excel to produce more than one match, but it is more complicated. This following formula demonstrates one method based on INDEX and MATCH.

=INDEX($B$1:$B$5,AGGREGATE(15,6,(ROW($B$1:$B$5)-ROW($B$1)+1)/ISNUMBER(SEARCH($D$1,$B$1:$B$5)),E2))

Related Functions

  • Excel INDEX function
    The Excel INDEX function returns a value from a table based on the index (row number and column number)The INDEX function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Lookup and Reference Function.The syntax of the INDEX function is as below:= INDEX (array, row_num,[column_num])…
  • Excel ROW function
    The Excel ROW function returns the row number of a cell reference.The ROW function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Lookup and Reference Function.The syntax of the ROW function is as below:= ROW ([reference])….
  • Excel SMALL function
    The Excel SMALL function returns the smallest numeric value from the numbers that you provided. Or returns the smallest value in the array.The syntax of the SMALL function is as below:=SMALL(array,nth) …
  • Excel IF function
    The Excel IF function perform a logical test to return one value if the condition is TRUE and return another value if the condition is FALSE. The IF function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Logical Function.The syntax of the IF function is as below:= IF (condition, [true_value], [false_value])….
  • Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel AGGREGATE function
    The Excel AGGREGATE function returns an aggregate in a list or database and ignore errors or hidden rows. The syntax of the AGGREGATE function is as below:= AGGREGATE(function_num, options, ref1,[ref2])…
  • Excel Filter function
    The FILTER function extracts matched records from a collection of data using one or more logical checks. The include argument specifies logical tests, which might encompass a wide variety of formula conditions.==FILTER(array,include,[if empty])…

Extract all Partial Matches

Just assume that you have a range of data that contains a text string and you want to extract the few partial matches into another separate range of cells; then you might think that it’s not a big deal; because you would prefer to manually extract the few partial matches into another separate range of cells without any need of the formula;

Then congratulations because you are thinking right, but let me add up that it would be a big deal to extract the multiple partial matches into another separate range of cells and doing it manually would be a foolish attempt because you would get tired of it and would never complete your work on time.

But don’t be worry about it because after carefully reading this article, extracting multiple partial matches into another range of cells would become a piece of cake for you.

So let’s dive into the article to take you out of this fix.

extract all partial matches1

General formula

The Following formula would help you out for extracting multiple partial matches into another separate range of cells:

=INDEX($B$1:$B$5,AGGREGATE(15,6,(ROW($B$1:$B$5)-ROW($B$1)+1)/ISNUMBER(SEARCH($D$1,$B$1:$B$5)),E2))

Syntax Explanations

Before going into the explanation of the formula for getting the work done efficiently, we must understand each syntax which would make it easy for you that how each syntax contributes to extracting multiple partial matches into a separate range or list of cells:

  • INDEX: In a range or array, this index function contributes to returning the value at a given position.
  • AGGREGATE: This function contributes to returning the aggregate result in a database or list of values in the excel sheet.
  • ROW: In Excel, this Row function contributes toreturning the row number as a reference.
  • Absolute Reference: The Absolute referenceis nothing but an actual fixed location in a worksheet.
  • ISNUMBER: This function contributes to returns TRUE when a cell contains a number and FALSE if there is no number.
  • SEARCH: This function contributes to locating the character between two text strings and returns to the number of the starting position of the first text string from the first character of the second text string.
  • Comma symbol (,): In Excel, this comma symbol acts as a separator that helps to separate a list of values.
  • Minus Operator (-): This minus symbol contributes to subtracting any two values.
  • Parenthesis (): The core purpose of this Parenthesis symbol is to group the elements and to separate them from the rest of the elements.
  • Plus operator (+): This plus operator adds the values.
  • Division (/): This division symbol is used for dividing values or numbers.

Let’s See How This Formula Works:

The INDEX function is the primary function having AGGREGATE, which is highly useful to figure out the matches for each row in the extracted area:

=INDEX($B$1:$B$5,matched_values)

Almost all of the work is to determine and report which rows in “$B$1:$B$5” match the search string and report the position of each matching value to INDEX. This is accomplished by configuring the AGGREGATE function as follows:

=AGGREGATE(15,6,(ROW($B$1:$B$5)-ROW($B$1)+1)/ISNUMBER(SEARCH($D$1,$B$1:$B$5)),E2)

extract all partial matches1

The very first input or argument, which is 15, instructs AGGREGATE to return the nth smallest values.

The second argument, 6, specifies whether or not to ignore mistakes.

The third argument is an expression that returns an array of results that match.

The fourth input, E2, it specifies the “nth” value.

AGGREGATE works on arrays, and for the third argument inside AGGREGATE, the expression below builds an array :

={(ROW($B$1:$B$5)-ROW($B$1)+1)/ISNUMBER(SEARCH($D$1,$B$1:$B$5))}}

extract all partial matches1

In this case, the ROW function is used to build an array of relative row numbers, as that’s why SEARCH and ISNUMBER are combined to match the search string against values in the data, resulting in an array of TRUE and FALSE values.

TRUE behaves as 1 in this math operation, while FALSE behaves as 0. As a result, row numbers with a positive match are divided by 1 and survive the operation, whereas row numbers with non-matching values are destroyed and become #DIV/0 errors. AGGREGATE is configured to ignore errors; it ignores #DIV/0 errors and returns the “nth” smallest number from the remaining values.

Alternative Formula with SMALL Function

You can also use an alternative formula which is based on SMALL function and IF Function to achieve the same result:

=INDEX($B$1:$B$5,SMALL(IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($D$1, $B$1:$B$5)),ROW($B$1:$B$5)-ROW($B$1)+1),E2))

extract all partial matches1

Note: this is an array formula, and to get the work done, please enter it with Control + Shift + Enter.

Related Functions

  • Excel INDEX function
    The Excel INDEX function returns a value from a table based on the index (row number and column number)The INDEX function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Lookup and Reference Function.The syntax of the INDEX function is as below:= INDEX (array, row_num,[column_num])…
  • Excel ROW function
    The Excel ROW function returns the row number of a cell reference.The ROW function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Lookup and Reference Function.The syntax of the ROW function is as below:= ROW ([reference])….
  • Excel SMALL function
    The Excel SMALL function returns the smallest numeric value from the numbers that you provided. Or returns the smallest value in the array.The syntax of the SMALL function is as below:=SMALL(array,nth) …
  • Excel IF function
    The Excel IF function perform a logical test to return one value if the condition is TRUE and return another value if the condition is FALSE. The IF function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Logical Function.The syntax of the IF function is as below:= IF (condition, [true_value], [false_value])….
  • Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel AGGREGATE function
    The Excel AGGREGATE function returns an aggregate in a list or database and ignore errors or hidden rows. The syntax of the AGGREGATE function is as below:= AGGREGATE(function_num, options, ref1,[ref2])…

 

If Cell Contains Certain Text OR Equals Certain Text

IF cell equals certain text

IF function is frequently used in Excel worksheet to return “true value” or “false value” based on the logical test result. If you want to test values to see if they equal certain text like “abc”, you can build formula with IF function to return result.

FORMULA

To test if cell equals certain text, the generic formula is:

=IF(A1=”text”,”true value”,”false value”)

Formula in this example

=IF(A4=”abc”,”Yes”,”No”)

 

EXPLANATION

In this example, we want to see the results of “if cell equals “abc”” for A4 and A5. Excel IF function can handle this case properly.

IF function allows you to create a logical comparison between your value and reference value (for example “A1>0”), and set true value and false value what you expect to return as test results. IF function returns one of the two results based on logical comparison result.

Syntax: IF(logica_test,[value_if_true],[value_if_false])

To test if A4 equals text “abc”, we can directly create a logical comparison A4=”abc”. “abc” should be quoted by double quotes, if missing double quotes #NAME? error displays instead and it signifies some errors should be corrected in this formula.

We set “Yes” as true result and “No” as false result, A4=”abc” is true, IF evaluates to “Yes”. Cell A5 only contains “abc” not equals “abc”, so it fails logical comparison and get a result of “No”.

 

IF cell contains certain text

To test if cell contains certain text like “abc”, we can use IF function together with ISNUMBER and SEARCH functions.

FORMULA

To test if cell contains certain text, the generic formula is:

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH(“text”,A1)),”TRUE”,”FALSE”)

Formula in this example:

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH(“abc”,A4)),”Yes”,”No”)

 

FUNCTION INTRODUCTION

SEARCH function can help us to see if text string A (for example “abc”) is included in another text string B (for example “abcde”), and if yes, it returns the position of the first character of the text string B.

Syntax: SEARCH(find_text,within_text,[start_number])

ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if cell contains a number, and returns FALSE if not. This function is easy to understand by its name “ISNUMBER”.

Syntax: ISNUMBER(value)

 

EXPLANATION

In this example, we want to know if cells in A column contain text “abc”, so we use SEARCH function to search text “abc” from cells in A column. For example, to test if A4 contains “abc”, we can build formula SEARCH(“abc”,A4), it is equivalent to SEARCH(“abc”,”abcde”).

After calculating SEARCH function, its result is delivered to ISNUMBER function as test value. In this example “abc” is found in “abcde”, and character “a” is located in the first position of all five characters, so SEARCH returns “1”, ISNUMBER(SEARCH(“abc”,”abcde”))->ISUNUMBER(1). In Excel, ISNUMBER+SEARCH can help us check if specific substring is including in string, or specific text is included in one sentence.

Formula ISNUMBER(SEARCH()) is within IF function as argument “logical_test”. Now, ISNUMBER(1) evaluates to “TRUE” and deliver “TRUE” to IF function as logical test result directly.

IF function returns result of true value “Yes”. For A5 “fghij”, it doesn’t contain “abc”, so IF returns “No” in B5.

COMMENT

  1. SEARCH function supports wildcards like “?” and “*”.

  1. SEARCH function is case-insensitive.
  2. IF function doesn’t support wildcards.

Related Functions

  • Excel IF function
    The Excel IF function perform a logical test to return one value if the condition is TRUE and return another value if the condition is FALSE. The IF function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Logical Function.The syntax of the IF function is as below:= IF (condition, [true_value], [false_value])….
  • Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…

How to Extract Text between Two Text Strings in Excel

This post will guide you how to extract text between two given text strings in Excel. How do I get text string between two words with a formula in Excel.

1. Extract Text between Two Text Strings

Assuming that you have a list of data in range B1:B5, in which contain text string values. And you need to extract all text strings between two words “excel” and “learning” in cells. You can use a formula based on the MID function, the SEARCH function, and the Len function to extract text between two specified strings. Like this:

=MID(B1,SEARCH("excel",B1)+LEN("excel"),SEARCH("learning",B1)-SEARCH("excel",B1)-LEN("excel"))

Type this formula into a blank cell and press Enter key on your keyboard. And then drag the AutoFill Handle down to other cells to apply this formula.

extract text between two words1

You just need to replace words “excel” and “learning” as you need in the above formula.

You should see that the text string have been extracted between two given works in your data.

2. Related Functions

  • Excel MID function
    The Excel MID function returns a substring from a text string at the position that you specify.The syntax of the MID function is as below:= MID (text, start_num, num_chars)…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel LEN function
    The Excel LEN function returns the length of a text string (the number of characters in a text string).The LEN function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the LEN function is as below:= LEN(text)…

How to Return a Value If a Cell Contains a Specific Text in Excel

This post will guide you how to return a value if a cell contains a certain number or text string in Excel. How do I check if a Cell contains specific text and then return another specific text in another cell with a formula in Excel.

Return Value If Cell Contains Certain Value

Assuming that you want to check if a given Cell such as B1 contains a text string “excel”, if True, returns another text string “learning excel” in Cell C1. How to achieve it. You can use a formula based on the IF function, the ISNUMBER function and the SEARCH function to achieve the result of return a value if Cell contains a specific value. Just like this:

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("excel",B1)),"learning excel","")

Type this formula into the formula box of cell C1, and then press Enter key in your keyboard.

return value if cell contains certain value1

You will see that the text string “learning excel” will be returned in the Cell C1.

And if you want to check the range of cells B1:B4, you need to drag the AutoFill Handle down to other cells to apply this formula.

return value if cell contains certain value2

Video: Return Value If Cell Contains Certain Value

Related Functions

  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…
  • Excel IF function
    The Excel IF function perform a logical test to return one value if the condition is TRUE and return another value if the condition is FALSE.The syntax of the IF function is as below:= IF (condition, [true_value], [false_value])…

Insert The File Path and Filename into Cell

This post will guide you how to insert the file path and filename into a cell in Excel. Or how to add a file path only in a specified cell with a formula in Excel. Or how to add the current workbook name into a cell in Excel. How do I insert the current worksheet name into a Cell with a formula.

Insert File Path and Filename into Cell

If you want to insert a file path and filename into a cell in your current worksheet, you can use the CELL function to create a formual. Just like this:

=CELL("filename")

Type this formula into a blank cell, and then press Enter key in your keyboard.

insert filepath filename in cell1

This fromula will return the entire path, filename, and tab name of the current worksheet.

If you want to strip out the brackets and the sheet name, you can use the following formula based on the SUBSTITUTE function, the LEFT function, the CELL function and the FIND function:

=SUBSTITUTE(LEFT(CELL("filename"),FIND("]",CELL("filename"))-1),"[","")

insert filepath filename in cell2

Insert Filename Only into Cell

If you only want to insert the workbook name into a cell, you can use a formula based on the MID function, the SEARCH function, and the CELL function. Just like this:

=MID(CELL("filename"),SEARCH("[",CELL("filename"))+1, SEARCH("]",CELL("filename"))-SEARCH("[",CELL("filename"))-1)

Type this formula into a blank cell and then press Enter key.

insert filepath filename in cell3

You will see this formula will return only the current workbook name in Cell.

Insert Filepath Only into Cell

If you just want to insert the File Path into a cell, you can create a formula based on the LEFT function, the Cell function,and the FIND function. Just like this:

=LEFT(CELL("filename",A1),FIND("[",CELL("filename",A1),1)-1)

Type this formula into a blank cell and then press Enter key to apply this formula.

insert filepath filename in cell4

This formula will return only the File path of the current workbook.

Insert Worksheet Name into Cell

If you want to get the worksheet name only and then insert it into one cell, you can create a formula based on the RIGHT function, the LEN function, the CELL function and the FIND function. Just like this:

=RIGHT(CELL("filename"),LEN(CELL("filename"))-FIND("]",CELL("filename"),1))

Type this formula into a blank cell and then press Enter key to apply this formula.

insert filepath filename in cell5

This formula will return only the current worksheet name in a cell.

Related Functions

  • Excel Find function
    The Excel FIND function returns the position of the first text string (substring) from the first character of the second text string.The FIND function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the FIND function is as below:= FIND  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel MID function
    The Excel MID function returns a substring from a text string at the position that you specify.The syntax of the MID function is as below:= MID (text, start_num, num_chars)…
  • Excel CELL function
    The Excel CELL function returns information about the formatting, location, size, or contents of a cell.The syntax of the CELL function is as below:= CELL (info_type,[reference])…
  • Excel Substitute function
    The Excel SUBSTITUTE function replaces a new text string for an old text string in a text string.The syntax of the SUBSTITUTE function is as below:= SUBSTITUTE  (text, old_text, new_text,[instance_num]) ….
  • Excel LEFT function
    The Excel LEFT function returns a substring (a specified number of the characters) from a text string, starting from the leftmost character.The LEFT function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the LEFT function is as below:= LEFT(text,[num_chars])…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel LEN function
    The Excel LEN function returns the length of a text string (the number of characters in a text string).The LEN function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the LEN function is as below:= LEN(text)…
  • Excel RIGHT function
    The Excel RIGHT function returns a substring (a specified number of the characters) from a text string, starting from the rightmost character.The syntax of the RIGHT function is as below:= RIGHT (text,[num_chars])…

 

Sort Cells by Specific word or words

This post will guide you how to sort cells or text values in a column based on a specific word even if the word is in the text string in the cell. How do I sort cells in a column by the number of a specific word or words in excel.

Sort Cells by Specific word or words

Assuming that you want to sort cells by the count number of a specific word “excel” in excel, just do the following steps:

#1 select one cell next to the source data in a new column as help column. The type the following formula in the formula box.

=(LEN(B1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(B1,"excel","")))/LEN("excel")

sort cells by specific words1

Note: If you want to sort cells by two or more specific words, you can use the below formula. For example, the specific words are “excel” and “learning”.

=SUM(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH({"excel",”learning”}, B1)))
sort cells by specific words3

#2 press Enter key in your key board, and drag Auto Fill handler over to other cells to apply this formula.

#3 select the cells in the helper column, and go to DATA tab, click Sort A to Z command under Sort&Filter group.

sort cells by specific words2

#4 check Expand the selection in the Sort Warning dialog. Then click Sort button.

sort cells by specific words4

#5 the source list data has been sorted by the number of “excel” word.

sort cells by specific words5

Related Functions

  • Excel Substitute function
    The Excel SUBSTITUTE function replaces a new text string for an old text string in a text string.The syntax of the SUBSTITUTE function is as below:= SUBSTITUTE  (text, old_text, new_text,[instance_num])….
  • Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…
  • Excel LEN function
    The Excel LEN function returns the length of a text string (the number of characters in a text string).The syntax of the LEN function is as below:= LEN(text)…
  • Excel SUM function
    The Excel SUM function will adds all numbers in a range of cells and returns the sum of these values. You can add individual values, cell references or ranges in excel.The syntax of the SUM function is as below:= SUM(number1,[number2],…)…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…

Highlight Rows

This post will teach you how to highlight rows in a table with conditional formatting in Excel. You will learn that how to change the color of the entire rows if the value of cells in a specified column meets your conditions, such as, if the value of cells is equal to or greater than a certain number or text values, then excel should be highlight entire rows or change a row color as you need.

Highlight rows based on a numeric value

Assuming that you have a table in range, and you want to highlight rows in that table where the value of cells in column B is greater than 5, and then you need to create the Conditional Formatting Rules and use a formula to apply conditional formatting, here you can use the formula:

=$B1>5

Let’s see the below detailed steps:

1# select the range of cells in your table

highlight rows1

2# on the HOME tab, click the Conditional Formatting command under Styles group. Then select New Rules… from the drop-down menu list.

highlight rows2

3# the New Formatting Rule window will appear.

4# select the Use a formula to determine which cells to format option under Select a Rule Type: box, and then enter the following formula in the Format values where this formula is true: box: =$B2>5

highlight rows3

Note: you can create your formulas to check a cell if meet your conditions. Such as, you can change the condition as $C2<0.

You also need to notice that the dollar sign $ before the cell’s reference, you need to keep it when the formula need to check in a specified column.

5# click the Format… button, then the Format Cells window will appear.

highlight rows4

6# in the “Format Cells” window, switch to the Fill tab, choose the background color, and then click OK button. You can also switch to other tabs to tweak the settings as you want.

highlight rows5

7# back in the New Formatting Rule window, you can see a preview of your rows background color. Then click OK button.

highlight rows6

8# you can see that the conditional formatting are beginning to take effect.

highlight rows7

Note:

If you want to highlight rows based on a text value, you can use the following generic formula to apply conditional formatting:

=$A2=”excel”

or

=SEARCH(“excel”,$B1)>0

highlight rows8

If you want to change a row color if the cell value in a specified column begin with a specific character or text string, you can use the following formula as the conditional formatting rule.

=LEFT($A2,2)=”ex”

highlight rows9

highlight rows9

So you can create additional formulas for your complex needs.

Related Functions

  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel LEFT function
    The Excel LEFT function returns a substring (a specified number of the characters) from a text string, starting from the leftmost character.The LEFT function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the LEFT function is as below:= LEFT(text,[num_chars])…t)…

Related Posts

  • Highlight Duplicate Rows
    this post will talk that how to highlight entire rows that are duplicates in excel 2016, 2013 or lower version. Or how to change the background color of duplicate rows..…
  • Find Duplicate Rows
    If you want to check the entire row that duplicated or not, if True, then returns “duplicates” value, otherwise, returns “no duplicates”. You can create a formula based on the IF function and the SUMPRODUCT function…
  • Highlight duplicate values
    this post will teach you how to highlight duplicate values in the range of cells in excel. Normally, you may be need to identify duplicate values with a range of cells in Excel. And there is one of the fasted way that is using conditional formatting feature in Microsoft Excel……
  • Combine Duplicate Rows and Sum the Values
    This post will teach you how to combine duplicate rows and sum the corresponding values or calculate numbers in specific column in excel. And how to merge duplicate rows and then sum the values with VBA macro in Excel..…

How to replace all characters after the first specific character

This post will guide you how to replace all characters after the first match of a specific character with a new text string in excel. How to replace all substrings after the first occurrence of the comma character with another substring in a text string using excel formula. How to replace all old_text with new_text in a text string.

Replace all characters after the first comma

If you want to replace text before the first match of the comma character in a text string in Cell B1, you need to get all characters after the first comma firstly. And how to extract text after the first comma? We talked the solution in the previous post. You need to use a combination of the MID function and the FIND function to create a formula.

After getting the text after the first comma, you still need to use the SUBSTITUTE function to replace it with new_text “excelhow” in text string in Cell B1. So you need to create a formula based on the SUBSTITUTE function, the MID function and the FIND function as follows:

=SUBSTITUTE(B1,MID(B1,FIND(",",B1)+1,LEN(B1)),"excelhow",1)

Let’s see how this formul works:

=LEN(B1)

The LEN function returns the number of characters in a text string in Cell B1. The returned result goes into the MID function as its num_chars argument.

 

=FIND(“,”,B1)+1

extract text after first comma11

The FIND function returns the position of the first comma character in Cell B1. It returns 6. And then add 1 to get the position of the first character after comma character. So this formula returns 7. The returned value goes into the MID function as its start_num argument.

 

=MID(B1,FIND(“,”,B1)+1,LEN(B1))

extract text after first comma1

So far, you got the values of the start_num and num_chars arguments from above FIND and LEN formula. And then the MID function extracts a substring based on the starting position and the number of the characters that you want to extract from a text string in Cell B1.

 

=SUBSTITUTE(B1,MID(B1,FIND(“,”,B1)+1,LEN(B1)),”excelhow”,1)

replace after first commas1

This formula will replace the first old_text returned by the LEFT function with new_text “excelhow” in a text string in Cell B1.

 

Replace all characters before a specific character using FIND&Select command

You can also use the Find and Replace command to replace all characters after a specified character, just refer to the following steps:

1# Click “HOME“->”Find&Select”->”Replace…”, then the window of the Find and Replace will appear.

Remove text using Find Select command1

Remove text using Find Select command1

2# click “Replace” Tab, then type ,* into the Find what: text box, and then type “,excelhow” string in the Replace with: text box.

replace after first commas2

3# click “Replace All”

replace after first commas3

you will see that all characters after the comma character are replaced with “excelhow” string.

Related Formulas

Related Functions

  • Excel Substitute function
    The Excel SUBSTITUTE function replaces a new text string for an old text string in a text string.The syntax of the SUBSTITUTE function is as below:= SUBSTITUTE  (text, old_text, new_text,[instance_num])….
  • Excel MID function
    The Excel MID function returns a substring from a text string at the position that you specify.The syntax of the MID function is as below:= MID (text, start_num, num_chars)….
  • Excel FIND function
    The Excel FIND function returns the position of the first text string (sub string) within another text string.The syntax of the FIND function is as below:= FIND(find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel LEN function
    The Excel LEN function returns the length of a text string (the number of characters in a text string).The LEN function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Text Function.The syntax of the LEN function is as below:= LEN(text)…

How to extract text before the second or nth specific character (space or comma)

Before we talked that how to extract text before the first space or comma character in excel. And this post will guide you how to extract a substring before the second or nth specific character, such as: space or comma character in excel.

Extract text before the second or nth specific character

If you want to extract a substring before the second or nth match of the comma character from a text string in Cell b1, and you need to know the position of the second occurrence of the comma character in text firstly, so you can use the SUBSTITUTE function to lookup the second comma and replace it with hash character, then use FIND function or SEARCH function to search the hash character in text that returned by the SUBSTITUTE function, and the returned value of the FIND function is the position of the second commas in text.Last, you can use the LEFT function to extract the leftmost characters before the position of the second comma.

So you can create a formula based on the LEFT function, the FIND function and the SUBSTITUTE function as follows:

=LEFT(B1,FIND(“#”,SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,2))-1)

Where the 2 number represents the comma instance number, and if you want to extract the nth match of the comma character, you need to replace number 2 to another number that you need.

Let’s see how this formula works:

=SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,2)

extract text before second comma1

This function replaces the second comma character with hash character in cell B1, and the returned result goes into the FIND function as its within_text argument.

 

=FIND(“#”,SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,2))-1

extract text before second comma2

You have got the within_text from the above SUBSTITUTE function and the FIND function will return the position of the first occurrence of the hash character in within_text string. Then subtract 1 to get the position before the second occurrence of the comma character in text. And it returns 10. It is fed into the LEFT function as its num_chars argument.

 

=LEFT(B1,FIND(“#”,SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,2))-1)

extract text before second comma3

This formula extract the leftmost 10 characters from a text string in Cell B1, and the returned string is what you want to extract, like this:

excel,word

 

If you want to extract a substring before the third occurrence of the comma character, you can use the following formula:

=LEFT(B1,FIND(“#”,SUBSTITUTE(B1,”,”,”#”,3))-1)

extract text before second comma4

If you want to extract a substring before the nth occurrence of the space character or others specific characters, you just need to replace comma symbol to space or other characters that you need.

=LEFT(B1,FIND(“#”,SUBSTITUTE(B1,” “,”#”,Nth))-1)

Related Formulas

  • Extract Text between Parentheses
    If you want to extract text between parentheses in a cell, then you can use the search function within the MID function to create a new excel formula…
  • Extract Text between Brackets
    If you want to extract text between brackets in a cell, you need to create a formula based on the SEARCH function and the MID function….
  • Extract Text between Commas
    To extract text between commas in Cell B1, you can use the following formula based on the SUBSTITUTE function, the MID function and the REPT function…..
  • Extract word that starting with a specific character
    Assuming that you have a text string that contains email address in Cell B1, and if you want to extract word that begins with a specific character “@” sign, you can use a combination with the TRIM function, the LEFT function, the SUBSTITUTE function ….
  • Extract text before first comma or space
    If you want to extract text before the first comma or space character in cell B1, you can use a combination of the LEFT function and FIND function….
  • Extract text after first comma or space
    If you want to get substring after the first comma character from a text string in Cell B1, then you can create a formula based on the MID function and FIND function or SEARCH function ….

Related Functions

  • Excel LEFT function
    The Excel LEFT function returns a substring (a specified number of the characters) from a text string, starting from the leftmost character.The syntax of the LEFT function is as below:= LEFT(text,[num_chars])….
  • Excel FIND function
    The Excel FIND function returns the position of the first text string (sub string) within another text string.The syntax of the FIND function is as below:= FIND(find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel Substitute function
    The Excel SUBSTITUTE function replaces a new text string for an old text string in a text string.The syntax of the SUBSTITUTE function is as below:= SUBSTITUTE  (text, old_text, new_text,[instance_num])….

 

Check if Cell Contains Certain Values but do not Contain Others Values

In the previous post, we only talked that how to check a cell if contains one of several values from a range in excel. And this post explains that how to check a cell if it contains certain values or contains one of several values but do not contain other certain values in another range or a list in excel.

Check if Cell Contains Certain Values but do not Contain Others Values

Supposing that you have a list of text strings in the range B1:B3 and you need to check each Cell that if it contains one of several values in a range D2:D4 but do not contains any of values in range E2:E3.  If TRUE, then returns TRUE value, otherwise, returns FALSE value.

To check a cell to see if it contains certain string but do not contain others. You can use a combination of the AND function, the COUNT function and the SEARCH function to create a new array formula as follows:

=AND(COUNT(SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1))>0, COUNT(SEARCH($E$2:$E$3,B1))=0 )

Let’s see how this formula works:

= SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1)

The SEACH function returns position of the first character of find_text in a text string. And this formula will search each value in the range D2:D4 inside within_text in Cell B1, then returns position of each text string in Cell B1, so it will return an array result like this:

{1;7;12}

 

= SEARCH($E$2:$E$3,B1)

This SEARCH formula will search each value in range E2:E3 inside within_text in Cell B1, and then returns position of the first position of each find_text in Cell B1. When no match is found, the SEARCH function will return the #VALUE error. So it will return an array result like this:

{#VALUE!;#VALUE!;1}

 

=COUNT(SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1))>0

The COUNT function will count the number of cells that contain numbers in an array returned by the SEARCH function. If it is greater than 0, then it indicated that at least one values is found in Cell B1.

 

=COUNT(SEARCH($E$2:$E$4,B1))=0

If the number of cells that contain numbers is equal to 0, then it means that none of values can be found in Cell B1.

 

=AND(COUNT(SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1))>0, COUNT(SEARCH($E$2:$E$4,B1))=0 )

If both two COUNT function return TRUE value, the AND function returns TRUE. And if either COUNT function is FALSE, this formula returns FALSE.

contains certain values but do not contain1

Related Formulas

Related Functions

  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel COUNT function
    The Excel COUNT function counts the number of cells that contain numbers, and counts numbers within the list of arguments. It returns a numeric value that indicate the number of cells that contain numbers in a range…
  • Excel AND function
    The Excel AND function returns TRUE if all of arguments are TRUE, and it returns FALSE if any of arguments are FALSE.The syntax of the AND function is as below:= AND (condition1,[condition2],…)…

 

How to get last match that cell contains one of several values in a range

This post explains that how to check a cell that contains one of several values in another range, and then return the last match value.  And we talked that how to test a cell to see that if it contains one of several values in a list in the previous post. And this post will guide you how to get the last match value in the range.

Get Last Match that cell contains one of several values

If you want to check a cell that if it contains one of several values in a range, you can use the SEARCH function to search find_text in a range inside a text string. Then we can use the LOOKUP function to get the last match values.

For example, you have a list of text strings in the range B1:B4 and you need to check each cell if it contains one of several values in the range D2:D4, if TRUE, then return the last match values from the range D2:D4. You can write down the following formula:

=LOOKUP(2,1/SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1), $D$2:$D$4)

Let’s see how this formula works:

= SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1)

This  formula will search each value from the range D2:D4 inside within_text in Cell B1, if it find the matched string, then return the position of the first character in Cell B1, if not, it returns the #VALUE error.  So this formula will return an array result like this:

{1;7;12}

 

=1/SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1)

The array result returned by the SEARCH function is divided by number 1, then this formula returns another new array result that is composed of the #VALUE! Error and decimal values. If the item is a decimal value, then it indicates that one value found. The array is like this:

{1;0.142857142857143;0.0833333333333333}

The returned array result goes into the LOOKUP function as its lookup_vector argument.

 

=LOOKUP(2,1/SEARCH($D$2:$D$4,B1), $D$2:$D$4)

get last match1

You can see that the value of lookup vector will never larger than 1, and the lookup value is set to 2. So the lookup value is not able to be found. So the LOOKUP function will match the last numeric value in the array result of the lookup_vector, then return the value from the same position in the range D2:D4.

Related Formulas

  • Check If Cell Contains All Values from Range
    If you want to check if a cell contains all values in a list, you can use a combination of the SEARCH function, the SUMPRODUCT function, the ISNUMBER function and COUNTA function…
  • Get first match that cell contains one of several values in a range
    You can use a combination of the INDEX function, the MATCH function, the ISNUMBER function and the SEARCH function to create a new excel array formula to get first match cell contains…
  • Check if Cell contains one of many values from range
    Assuming that you have a list of text strings in the range B1:B3 and you want to check each text string if it contains one of several values in a range E1:E3. If it contains any of text string in range E1:E3, then it should be return TRUE value, otherwise, it should return FALSE….

Related Functions

  • Excel LOOKUP function
    The Excel LOOKUP function will search a value in a vector or array.The syntax of the LOOKUP function is as below:= LOOKUP (lookup_value, lookup_vector, [result_vector])…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…

 

How to get first match that cell contains one of several values in a range

This post explains that how to get the first match that cell contains one of several values from another range or a list in excel. before we talked the way that how to check a cell to see that if it contains one of several values in a range or list using the SEARCH function with ISNUMBER function. So now we still need to get the first match that found in the range or list.

Get First Match that Cell Contains one of several values

Assuming that you have a list of text strings in the range B1:B3 and you want to check each text string if it contains one of several values from the range E1:E3. If it contains any of text string in range E1:E3, then it should return the first match value found in the range E1:E3, otherwise, it should return the #N/A error. you can use a combination of the INDEX function, the MATCH function, the ISNUMBER function and the SEARCH function to create a new excel array formula as follows:

=INDEX($E$1:$E$3, MATCH(TRUE, ISNUMBER( SEARCH($E$1:$E$3,B1)),0))

Let’s see how this formula works:

=SEARCH($E$1:$E$3,B1)

The SEACH function returns position of the first character of find_text in a text string. And this formula will search each value in the range E1:E3 inside within_text in Cell B1, if it found the match, then returns position of each text string in Cell B1, otherwise, it will return the #VALUE! Error. So it will return an array result like this:

{1;7;12}

The returned result goes into the ISNUMBER function as its argument.

 

=ISNUMBER(SEARCH($E$1:$E$3,B1))

The ISNUMBER function will check if a cell contains a numeric value, and this formula will check each items of array result returned by the SEACH function, if the item is a numeric value, then return TRUE, otherwise, returns FALSE. So it will return another array result like this:

{TRUE;TRUE;TRUE}

 

=MATCH(TRUE, ISNUMBER( SEARCH($E$1:$E$3,B1)),0)

get first match1

The MATCH function will search the first value that is exactly equal to the lookup_value “TRUE”, then return the position of the first match. So this formula returns 1. It goes into the INDEX function as its row_num argument.

 

=INDEX($E$1:$E$3, MATCH(TRUE, ISNUMBER( SEARCH($E$1:$E$3,B1)),0))

get first match2

The index function will extract a value from the range E1:E3 based on the position number returned by the MATCH function. So it should be returned the first match value as “excel”.

Related Formulas

  • Check If Cell Contains All Values from Range
    If you want to check if a cell contains all values in a list, you can use a combination of the SEARCH function, the SUMPRODUCT function, the ISNUMBER function and COUNTA function…
  • Get last match that cell contains one of several values in a range
    If you want to check a cell that if it contains one of several values in a range, you can use the SEARCH function to search find_text in a range inside a text string. Then we can use the LOOKUP function to get the last match values….
  • Check if Cell contains one of many values from range
    Assuming that you have a list of text strings in the range B1:B3 and you want to check each text string if it contains one of several values in a range E1:E3. If it contains any of text string in range E1:E3, then it should be return TRUE value, otherwise, it should return FALSE….

Related Functions

  • Excel INDEX function
    The Excel INDEX function returns a value from a table based on the index (row number and column number)The INDEX function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Lookup and Reference Function.The syntax of the INDEX function is as below:= INDEX (array, row_num,[column_num])…
  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel MATCH function
    The Excel MATCH function search a value in an array and returns the position of that item.The syntax of the MATCH function is as below:= MATCH  (lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])….
  • Excel ISNUMBER function
    The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if the value in a cell is a numeric value, otherwise it will return FALSE.The syntax of the ISNUMBER function is as below:= ISNUMBER (value)…

 

How to Extract Text between Parentheses

This post explains that how to extract text between the parentheses using the formula in excel.

Extract text between parentheses

If you want to extract text between parentheses in a cell, then you can use the search function within the MID function to create a new excel formula.

For example, to extract data between parentheses in cell B1, you can write down the following formula using the MID function and the SEARCH function:

=MID(B1, SEARCH(“(“, B1)+1, SEARCH(“)”,B1) – SEARCH(“(“,B1)-1)

Let’s see how this formula works:

=MID()

The MID function used to extract a specific number of characters from a text string at a specific position. And this position value will be returned by the SEARCH function.

=SEARCH(“(“, B1)+1

extract text between parenthesese1

This search formula returns the position of the first left parentheses character in a text string in Cell B1, and then add 1, it will be the starting position that you want to extract text. It goes into the MID function as its start_num argument.

 

=SEARCH(“)”,B1)

extract text between parenthesese2

This formula returns the position of the first right parentheses character in a text string in Cell B1.

 

=SEARCH(“)”,B1) – SEARCH(“(“,B1)-1

extract text between parenthesese3

This formula returns the length of the text between parentheses. And the returned value will go into the MID function as its num_chars argument.

 

=MID(B1, SEARCH(“(“, B1)+1, SEARCH(“)”,B1) – SEARCH(“(“,B1)-1)

So far, we got the both start_num value and num_chars value, then the text between parentheses will be extracted by the MID function, see below screenshot:

extract text between parenthesese4

Related Formulas

  • Check If Cell Contains All Values from Range
    If you want to check if a cell contains all values in a list, you can use a combination of the SEARCH function, the SUMPRODUCT function, the ISNUMBER function and COUNTA function…
  • Extract Text between Brackets
    If you want to extract text between brackets in a cell, you need to create a formula based on the SEARCH function and the MID function….

Related Functions

  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel MID function
    The Excel MID function returns a substring from a text string at the position that you specify.The syntax of the MID function is as below:= MID (text, start_num, num_chars)…

How to Extract Text between Brackets

We talked that how to extract data between parentheses in the previous post, and this post will guide you how to create similar formula to extract text between brackets in a cell.

Extract text between brackets

If you want to extract text between brackets in a cell, you need to create a formula based on the SEARCH function and the MID function.

The MID function will extract a specific number of characters at a specific starting position. You need to know how to get the starting position of text between brackets in a test string, you can use the SEARCH function to get the position of the first left/right bracket characters.

Next, you can get the starting position of the text that you want to extract and the length of the text. So we can write down the following excel formula:

=MID(B1, SEARCH(“[“, B1)+1, SEARCH(“]”,B1) – SEARCH(“[“,B1)-1)

excel text between brackets1

For more detailed information about this formula, you can continue to read the below post:  how to extract text between parentheses in excel.

 

Related Formulas

  • Extract Text between Parentheses
    If you want to extract text between parentheses in a cell, then you can use the search function within the MID function to create a new excel formula…
  • Check If Cell Contains All Values from Range
    If you want to check if a cell contains all values in a list, you can use a combination of the SEARCH function, the SUMPRODUCT function, the ISNUMBER function and COUNTA function…

Related Functions

  • Excel SEARCH function
    The Excel SEARCH function returns the number of the starting location of a substring in a text string.The syntax of the SEARCH function is as below:= SEARCH  (find_text, within_text,[start_num])…
  • Excel MID function
    The Excel MID function returns a substring from a text string at the position that you specify.The syntax of the MID function is as below:= MID (text, start_num, num_chars)…