LEFTB

Returns a specified number of bytes from the start of a text string. Useful for multibyte character sets or languages with characters represented by multiple bytes.

Syntax πŸ”—

=LEFTB(text, num_bytes)

text The text string from which you want to extract the bytes.
num_bytes The number of bytes you want to extract from the start of the text string.

About LEFTB πŸ”—

Use the LEFTB function to extract a specific number of bytes from the start of a text string. This is particularly useful when working with languages that use multibyte characters, such as Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. It helps ensure accurate text handling in these contexts by allowing precise data extraction.

Examples πŸ”—

To extract the first 4 bytes from the text in cell A1, which contains Japanese characters '
こんにけは', use the formula: =LEFTB(A1, 4). This will return '
こ'.

For text in cell B1 containing Korean characters '
μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”', to get the first 6 bytes, apply the formula: =LEFTB(B1, 6). This will result in '
μ•ˆλ…•'.

Notes πŸ”—

Use the LEFTB function to accurately extract bytes in languages with multibyte characters. Pay attention to byte positions to ensure correct extraction.

Questions πŸ”—

In what scenarios is the LEFTB function most beneficial?

The LEFTB function is highly beneficial when working with text data that features multibyte characters, such as in languages like Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, where each character can be represented by multiple bytes. It ensures accurate byte extraction for precise text manipulation.

How does the LEFTB function differ from the LEFT function in Excel?

The LEFT function in Excel extracts a specified number of characters from the beginning of a text string, while the LEFTB function is specifically designed for extracting a certain number of bytes from the start of a text string, which is crucial when dealing with multibyte characters or complex character encoding.

What should be considered when using the LEFTB function with multibyte characters?

When working with multibyte characters, it's important to be aware of the byte representation of each character and ensure that the number of bytes specified in the LEFTB function aligns with the intended character extraction. Incorrect byte count may result in truncated or incorrect text extraction.

LEFT
RIGHT
MID
LEN
FIND

Leave a Comment