EXACT()

Syntax. EXACT(text1,text2)

Definition. This function checks whether two strings are exactly the same and returns the logical value TRUE or FALSE.

Arguments

• text1 (required). The first string to be compared.

• text2 (required). The second string to be compared.

Background. You can use the EXACT() function in an array expression to check whether a list contains certain strings. With EXACT(), you can also validate text entered into a form.

This function is case-sensitive but ignores formats.

Example. Assume that after you have entered a list of data, you want to examine the array to check whether it contains a specific character string. The list is entered in the cell range B23:B48, and cell D22 contains the search string. Enter the following formula in a cell:

=OR(EXACT(D22,B23:B48))

and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. The formula looks like this (see Figure 8-3):

{=OR(EXACT(D22,B23:B48))}

If you use the function as an array expression, you need the OR() function to return a single value from the list.

Figure 8-3. Using logical functions to determine whether a column contains a string.

Here are a few further examples:

• =EXACT("Microsoft Excel","Microsoft excel") returns FALSE.

• =EXACT("steamboat","steamboats") returns FALSE.

• =EXACT("gazelle","gazelle") returns TRUE.

• =EXACT("John Smith","Jeff Smith") returns FALSE.

See Also

DELTA(), LEN(), SEARCH()

Sample Files

Use the EXACT worksheet in the Text_Data.xls or Text_Data.xlsx sample file. The sample files are found in the Chapter08 folder. For more information about the sample files, see the section titled Using the Sample Files.