Formulas and Functions

Related Topics
For related functions and additional information, see:
“LEFT” on page 314
“MID” on page 316
“Listing of Text Functions” on page 306
“Value Types” on page 36
“The Elements of Formulas” on page 15
“Using the Keyboard and Mouse to Create and Edit Formulas” on page 26
“Pasting from Examples in Help” on page 41
SEARCH
The SEARCH function returns the starting position of one string within another,
ignoring case and allowing wildcards.
SEARCH(search-string, source-string, start-pos)
 search-string: The string to nd. search-string is a string value.
 source-string: A string. source-string is a string value.
 start-pos: An optional argument that species the position within the specied
string at which the action should begin. start-pos is a number value that must be
greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to the number of characters in
source-string.
Usage Notes
Wildcards are permitted in  search-string. In search-string, use an * (asterisk) to match
multiple characters or a ? (question mark) to match any single character in source-
string.
Specifying  start-pos permits you to begin the search for search-string within, rather
than at the beginning of, source-string. This is particularly useful if source-string may
contain multiple instances of search-string and you wish to determine the starting
position of other than the rst instance. If start-pos is omitted, it is assumed to be 1.
To have case considered in your search, use the FIND function. Â
320 Chapter 11 Text Functions