![Extract usernames from E-mail IDs [using LEFT and FIND formulas in Excel]](https://chandoo.org/img/f/username-from-email-id-excel-formula.png)
Today we will learn to use Excel’s LEFT and FIND formulas. But what fun it is to learn a new formula on a Tuesday?
So, we will actually learn to use these formulas to solve the problem: “extract the username from an email ID”
How is an email ID structured?
Any email ID contains 2 parts – user name and domain name.
For eg. in my email id – chandoo.d@gmail.com – chandoo.d is user name and gmail.com is domain.
So how do we get the user name out?
As you can see, username always starts at left and goes up to the symbol “@”. So, If we write a formula to fetch all the characters up to “@” symbol, it will get us the user name.
This is where LEFT() and FIND() formulas enter the scene.
What does Excel LEFT formula do?
Excel LEFT formula will let you cut a portion of text from left. For eg. =LEFT("Long",2) will give you Lo. (syntax and examples)
So, to get the email username, we need to get all the letters in the left of email ID up to the location of “@” symbol. And how do we find the position of a symbol in a text?
We use FIND formula.
FIND formula gives the location of one text in another. For eg. =FIND("do", "chandoo") will give us 5 (the location of “do” in “chandoo”).
FIND will throw an error (#VALUE!) if the text you are trying to find is not available. For eg. =FIND("peace", "world") will throw #VALUE!
Armed with these 2 formulas, now let us get that user name out of email ID
Assuming cell A1 has the email id, the formula for getting user name is =LEFT(A1,FIND("@",A1)-1)
We have to use -1 as find actually tells the position of “@” and we need all the letters up to “@”, but not “@”.
This is how it works:
Your homework:
- How would you extract the domain out of email ID? (Hint: there is a right formula for everything)
Use comments to write your answers. Don’t cheat.
Learn more excel formulas:
- 51 Excel Formulas in Plain English – Syntax, Examples and Explanation
- Excel Formulas & Working with Text
- Excel Formula Examples & Tutorials
- Learn Excel Formulas using my e-book – it is in a fun format & easy to understand
13 Responses to “Data Validation using an Unsorted column with Duplicate Entries as a Source List”
Pivot Table will involve manual intervention; hence I prefer to use the 'countif remove duplicate trick' along with 'text sorting formula trick; then using the offset with len to name the final range for validation.
if using the pivot table, set the sort to Ascending, so the list in the validation cell comes back alphabetically.
Hui: Brillant neat idea.
Vipul: I am intrigued by what you are saying. Please is it possible to show us how it can be done, because as u said Hui's method requires user intervention.
Thks to PHD and all
K
Table names dont work directly inside Data validation.
You will have to define a name and point it to the table name and then use the name inside validation
Eg MyClient : Refers to :=Table1[Client]
And then in the list validation say = MyClient
Kieranz,
Pls download the sample here http://cid-e98339d969073094.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/data-validation-unsorted-list-example.xls
Off course there are many other ways of doing the same and integrating the formulae in multiple columns into one.
Pls refer to column FGHI in that file. Cell G4 is where my validation is.
Vipul:
Many thks, will study it latter.
Rgds
K
[...] to chandoo for the idea of getting unique list using Pivot tables. What we do is that create a pivot table [...]
@Vipul:
Thanks, that was awesome! 🙂
@Playercharlie Happy to hear that 🙂
Great contribution, Hui. Solved a problem of many years!
Thanks to you, A LOT
Hi Hui,
Greeting
hope you are doing well.
I'm interested to send you a private vba excel file which i need to show detail of pivot in new workbook instead of showing in same workbook as new sheet.
Please contact me on muhammed.ye@gmail.com
Best Regards