How to Use the FIND, FINDBs Function in Excel
Today, we’re going to delve into the essential Excel and Google Sheets functions: FIND and FINDB. These functions are invaluable for identifying the location of a specific substring within a larger text string. We will cover their syntax, practical applications, and provide sample implementations.
The Syntax
Grasping the syntax of FIND and FINDB is crucial for their effective application in your spreadsheets.
- FIND: =FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])
- FINDB: =FINDB(find_text, within_text, [start_num])
find_text: The substring that you are looking to find.
within_text: The text string within which the search for ‘find_text’ will occur.
start_num (optional): Specifies the character position from which the search begins. If this parameter is omitted, the search starts at the first character.
Use Cases
FIND and FINDB are typically used in scenarios where pinpointing specific information within a text cell is necessary. Below are some common applications for these functions:
- Identifying the position of a character in a text string.
- Extracting the domain from a URL.
- Locating a specific word within a text string.
Examples
We will now look at a few examples to demonstrate how the FIND and FINDB functions operate in Excel and Google Sheets.
Example 1: Finding the Position of a Character
For instance, imagine the text “Hello, World!” is in cell A1, and you need to determine where the comma ‘,’ is located.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| Hello, World! | =FIND(“,”, A1) |
In this instance, the FIND function will return 6, as the comma is positioned at the 6th character of the string.
Example 2: Extracting the Domain from a URL
If you possess a list of URLs in column A and aim to extract the domain name from each, employing the FIND function with others like MID or LEFT can be particularly effective.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| https://www.example.com | =MID(A1, FIND(“://”, A1) + 3, FIND(“/”, A1, FIND(“://”, A1) + 3) – FIND(“://”, A1) – 3) |
This formula isolates “www.example.com” from the URL “https://www.example.com”.
By mastering FIND and FINDB functions, you can significantly advance your data manipulation and extraction skills in both Excel and Google Sheets.
More information: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/find-findb-functions-c7912941-af2a-4bdf-a553-d0d89b0a0628