substituting text within text?

[fishoutofwater]

This problem is pretty perplexing to me...

In column a I have a list of names. In column b I have phrases that look like this:

b1 = "How are you today, !Name!?"
b2 = "Lovely weather !Name!, should we go outside?"
b3 = "Hey !Name! It looks like snow!"

If the names in column a are like this:
a1=fred
a2=joe
a3=sally

what I want in column c is
c1 = "How are you today, fred?"
c2 = "Lovely weather joe, should we go outside?"
c3 = Hey sally it looks like snow."

Is there anyway to do this?

 

[villy]

Try this...
[C1]=SUBSTITUTE(B1,"!Name!",A1)

 

[fishoutofwater]

Thanks! I had no idea it was so easy!!

 

[villy]

Thanks! I had no idea it was so easy!!

You're welcome...
Soon you'll be one of us giving /sharing what we have learnt.