The string comparison is quite fast, even with very long strings.
For example, even with a 32K string,

S = Application.WorksheetFunction.Rept("A", 32000) & _
"asdf2006-12-05asdf2005-07-04" ' whatever

the code I posted runs without visible pause.


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Pearson Software Consulting, LLC
www.cpearson.com



wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks Chip. I guess I had just blocked that from my mind from
the
start because I thought it would take forever with the length
of the
strings I'm working with. They're actually html files that I'm
trying
to manipulate & clickthrough.

e.g.
http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-ed...company&CIK=ge