matching specific string

[HWL]

Okay, I know how to use index(range,match(text,range,false),1) as a type of vlookup alternative but what I'm trying to do is look at a column and locate a specific string within the column that could be anywhere in the various cells of the column.

In theory, it would be like using index(range,match(search(text,range,1),range,false),1) but obviously that doesn't work.
Any ideas?

 

[HWL]

well I figured it out, wildcard, match(text&"*", range,0) however I have to make it work for Openoffice too and it seems OO doesn't like the wildcards -- I hate OO.

 

[Scott Huish]

You might have better luck finding an Open Office answer in an Open Office forum, try here:

http://www.oooforum.org/

 

[HWL]

thanks, but my business uses Excel and OO and I have to make my functions work with both.

 

[HWL]

You might have better luck finding an Open Office answer in an Open Office forum, try here:

http://www.oooforum.org/

aH-HA!!! LibreOffice is the "fork" continuation of the original concept of OO. There is a big drama about all of this, but suffice it to say, the best on-going FREE development is in LibreOffice, built on the OO core but with improvements such as:

• Basic macro interoperability
• autofilter more like Excel
• Delete like Excel instead of confirmation box.

<CITE>www.libreoffice.org</CITE>