Using the InStr Function in Excel

Yes, you can use the InStr function in a formula in Excel. The InStr function is used to find the position of a substring within a string.

Here's an example of how to use the InStr function in a formula:

1. Let's say you have a string of text in cell A1, and you want to find the position of the word "apple" within that string. You can use the following formula:
   
   
   Formula:

   =InStr(A1,"apple") 

2. This will return the position of the first occurrence of "apple" within the string in cell A1. If "apple" is not found within the string, the function will return a value of 0.
   
3. You can also use the InStr function in combination with other functions to perform more complex operations. For example, you could use the LEFT function to extract a portion of a string that comes before a certain substring. Here's an example:
   
   
   Formula:

   =LEFT(A1,InStr(A1,"apple")-1) 

4. This will return the portion of the string in cell A1 that comes before the first occurrence of "apple". The -1 at the end of the formula is used to exclude the position of "apple" itself from the result.