MS Office Forum / Excel / New Users / September 2006
NEED TO FIND FIRST " " FROM RIGHT
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tootsuite@gmail.com - 29 Sep 2006 23:35 GMT Help - I have a column in excel that contains names, such as:
Joe Smith Joe E. Smith Joe Edward Smith, esq. etc
I need to isolate the LAST WORD in the column, for example:
Smith Smith esq.
The only way I know how to do this is to search for the first " " - but I need to start the search from the RIGHT, not the LEFT. As far as I know, FIND function starts the search from the right... which isn't what I want.
Can someone please tell me how to accomplish this task.
THANK YOU
Dave Peterson - 29 Sep 2006 23:43 GMT =RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND("^^",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",LEN(A1) -LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))))
> Help - I have a column in excel that contains names, such as: > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > THANK YOU
 Signature Dave Peterson
tootsuite@gmail.com - 29 Sep 2006 23:55 GMT Thanks Dave - I have NO idea how this works, but it works
> =RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND("^^",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",LEN(A1) > -LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))) [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > > > THANK YOU Dave Peterson - 30 Sep 2006 00:21 GMT I stole it from Peo Sjoblom. I'm not sure from whom he stole it <bg>.
but if you break it down into smaller pieces, it's not too bad.
Say you have "Joe Edward Smith, esq." in A1.
=substitute(a1," ","") returns JoeEdwardSmith,esq. (all the spaces are gone) =len(substitute(...)) will give 19
and len(a1) will give 22
Then =SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")) is the same as: =SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",22-19) or =SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",3) So this says to replace the 3rd space character with ^^.
So =SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")) is essentially just doing:
This portion: =FIND("^^",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))) will return 18 since ^^ is the 18th (and 19th) character in that string: Joe Edward Smith,^^esq. (go ahead and count, I did!)
So it's really just saying: =right(a1,len(a1)-18) or =right(a1,22-18) or =right(a1,4) which is esq.
Would I have come up with this?
Heck no! But lots of people have and I've stolen their answers.
> Thanks Dave - I have NO idea how this works, but it works > [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > > > Dave Peterson
 Signature Dave Peterson
Bob Umlas - 30 Sep 2006 17:27 GMT He either: 1) created it himself (likely) 2) stole it from me (also likely) 3) stole if from someone else (less likely) -- Bob Umlas
>I stole it from Peo Sjoblom. I'm not sure from whom he stole it <bg>. > [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] >> > >> > Dave Peterson Dave Peterson - 30 Sep 2006 17:35 GMT Could have come from John Walkenbach, too.
He has an explanation of how to build the formula: http://www.j-walk.com/ss/excel/usertips/tip079.htm
> He either: > 1) created it himself (likely) [quoted text clipped - 84 lines] > > > > Dave Peterson
 Signature Dave Peterson
Ragdyer - 30 Sep 2006 19:58 GMT It seems no one wants to believe me when I say that it came from Leo Heuser, way back in 2001!
http://tinyurl.com/g2ca7
http://tinyurl.com/k9lzb
 Signature Regards,
RD
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> Could have come from John Walkenbach, too. > [quoted text clipped - 89 lines] > > > > > > Dave Peterson Dave Peterson - 30 Sep 2006 20:37 GMT I believe you.
I just don't remember it. (And I still say that I got it from Peo!)
> It seems no one wants to believe me when I say that it came from Leo Heuser, > way back in 2001! [quoted text clipped - 111 lines] > > > > Dave Peterson
 Signature Dave Peterson
tootsuite@gmail.com - 30 Sep 2006 00:05 GMT Oops - I forgot to mention, I also need to isolate the "other" part of the name:
Joe Joe E. Joe Edward Smith,
I can't really decipher your formula enough to extrapolate the reverse of this.
Thanks
> =RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND("^^",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",LEN(A1) > -LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))) [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > > > THANK YOU tootsuite@gmail.com - 30 Sep 2006 00:10 GMT Actually, I figured it out. I just took the length of the last word, then use LEFT function... thanks
tootsu...@gmail.com wrote:
> Oops - I forgot to mention, I also need to isolate the "other" part of > the name: [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > > > > > THANK YOU Traveller - 30 Sep 2006 00:28 GMT BRILLIANT!! (Both of you)
Dave, could you please explain the use of "^^"?
> Actually, I figured it out. I just took the length of the last word, > then use LEFT function... thanks [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > > > > > > > THANK YOU tootsuite@gmail.com - 30 Sep 2006 01:19 GMT I believe it is just a substitute character for the space - so that the the last space, the one before the last word, is ^^, not " " - so as to differentiate it from just a plain " "
me thinks anyways
> BRILLIANT!! (Both of you) > [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > > > > > > > > > > THANK YOU Pete_UK - 30 Sep 2006 01:42 GMT Yeah, I think you are right - you are not likely to get that character combination in any normal text. Dave often uses $$ in Find and Replace operations, so I suppose if he hadn't "lifted" if from Peo, then you might have found that combination of characters in the formula. <g>
Pete
> I believe it is just a substitute character for the space - so that the > the last space, the one before the last word, is ^^, not " " - so as to [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > > > > > > > > > > > > THANK YOU Traveller - 30 Sep 2006 02:18 GMT I get it now. Thanks again.
> Yeah, I think you are right - you are not likely to get that character > combination in any normal text. Dave often uses $$ in Find and Replace [quoted text clipped - 53 lines] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > THANK YOU Dave Peterson - 30 Sep 2006 02:26 GMT Actually, I think I would have used char(1).
The ^^ could show up in a cell. But I don't recall seeing anyone use char(1) in any worksheet.
> Yeah, I think you are right - you are not likely to get that character > combination in any normal text. Dave often uses $$ in Find and Replace [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] > > > > > > > > > > > > Dave Peterson
 Signature Dave Peterson
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