Force Byte - Finding data from Excel worksheet

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In this issue, we will teach you how to find data, including text, numbers, mathematical operators and punctuation marks, from an Excel worksheet. This will be very useful if you need to find a particular data from a large worksheet.

Steps:

1. Choose the 'Find' option from the 'Edit' menu or simply press and keys simultaneously. A 'Find' dialog box will appear.

    

2. Specify the string you want to search in the 'Find what:' field. You can use the wildcard symbols ('?' and '*') to search for a group of similar but not identical data.

   For example, '?' can be used to substitute a single character so that '100?' can be '1000', '100a', '100A' or '100%'. In other words, any string with only one character after '100' will be found.

   Meanwhile, '*' can be used to substitute one or more characters so that '1*' can be '10', '1a', '1A', '1%', or '1 Arsenal Street'. This means that any string beginning with '1' will be found.

   To search for a string that itself contains the punctuation mark '?' or the symbol'*', input "~" before '?' or '*'. For example, if you want to search for 'who?', input 'who~?' so that 'who?' but not 'whom' will be found.

    

3. Select 'By Rows' or 'By Columns' in the 'Search:' field.

   'By Rows' means to search for a string that is located to the right of the currently selected cell.

   'By Columns' means the string to be found is below the selected cell.

    

4. Select 'Formulas', 'Values' or 'Comments' in the 'Look in:' field .

   'Formulas' means Excel will search for a string that is contained in a formula.

   'Values' means Excel will search for a string that is contained in the displayed result of a formula.

   'Comments' means Excel will search for a string that is contained in the comment attached to a cell.

    

5. Select the 'Match Case' option if you wish to search for a string with characters in the same upper and lower cases as those of the input string.

    

6. Select the 'Find entire cells only' option to search for a string in a cell that exactly matches the specified string. For example, if you input '28' and select this option, only the cell contains '28' but not the cell contains '288' will be found.

    

7. Click the 'Find Next' button or press , search will begin. To close the dialog box, click the 'Close' button or press .

    

8. If you have already closed the 'Find' dialog box, press instead of 'Find Next' button to search for the next cell that contains the specified string in your worksheet.

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