I have imported two similar lists of names into a worksheet, 1 from an excel
worksheet and 1 from an access data base when I ask a cell to search the
first list for a name from the second list it does not find it because the
list imported from access has spaces added behind the names so although the
name appears to look the same in the cell excel ignores it in a search. If I
type the same name into a diffrent cell and use the same formula it is
located. why are the spaces added on import when they are not in the original
data? how can I stop them being added or how can I search an array forcing
excel to ignore the spaces?

Better to remove the spaces. Put this in another column

=trim(A1) and drag down

The will remove all leading and trailing spaces and you can then query the
new column

"mlearner" wrote:

I have imported two similar lists of names into a worksheet, 1 from an excel
worksheet and 1 from an access data base when I ask a cell to search the
first list for a name from the second list it does not find it because the
list imported from access has spaces added behind the names so although the
name appears to look the same in the cell excel ignores it in a search. If I
type the same name into a diffrent cell and use the same formula it is
located. why are the spaces added on import when they are not in the original
data? how can I stop them being added or how can I search an array forcing
excel to ignore the spaces?

You could apply the TRIM( ) function to your column of imported names
to get rid of the extra spaces, or incorporate this into your search
function.

Hope this helps.

Pete

mlearner wrote:

I have imported two similar lists of names into a worksheet, 1 from an excel
worksheet and 1 from an access data base when I ask a cell to search the
first list for a name from the second list it does not find it because the
list imported from access has spaces added behind the names so although the
name appears to look the same in the cell excel ignores it in a search. If I
type the same name into a diffrent cell and use the same formula it is
located. why are the spaces added on import when they are not in the original
data? how can I stop them being added or how can I search an array forcing
excel to ignore the spaces?