Question

VBA macro to find text strings in excel cells

Asked by: jss56

Hi, I have a macro that goes down through a column in a document and if a cell has the word "check" in it, it'll check the row of that cell and check it out. How I want to "check" it is to see if one of the cells in the row has certain text like "drive," "street," "avenue," etc (this is an address correction program), and if it's adjacent cell has "dr" or "st" or "ave" etc.

The code I currently have gives me a "mismatch" error, and I'm somewhat of a novice in visual basic so I don't understand what's wrong. Whenever I see that one row of cells has "street" in a cell and in the next one is a "st" then I want to change the active cell from "check" to "exact match."

On a similar note, is there anyway to ignore punctuation in a cell when scanning the cells for discrepancies? Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Sub ErrorRateAnalysis()
 
 
Set excelReport = ActiveWorkbook
 
 
Range("R2").Select
 
Do While Not ActiveCell.Value = ""
    rng = ActiveCell.Address
    ActiveCell.EntireRow.RowHeight = 15
    If ActiveCell.Offset(0, -13).Value = "check" Then
        If ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value = ActiveCell.Offset(0, -11).Value Then
            If ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value = ActiveCell.Offset(0, -12).Value Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "drive", "road") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "dr", "rd") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "street", "avenue") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "st", "ave") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "boulevard", "place") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "blvd", "pl") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "lane", "court") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "ln", "ct") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "northeast", "northwest") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "ne", "nw") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "north", "south") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "n", "s") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "southeast", "southwest") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "se", "sw") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "east", "west") Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "e", "w") Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
            
        End If
        
        
    End If
    
    If ActiveCell.Value = "check" Then
        ButtonMacro (rng)
    End If
    
 
    ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
Loop
 
End Sub

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Asked On: 2009-09-16 at 07:58:06ID24736530
Tags: excel
,; vba
,; macro
,; text
,; strings
,; cells
,; visual basic
Topics: Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Software
,; Visual Basic v1.0.5.x
,; Microsoft Office Suite
Participating Experts: 1
Points: 500
Comments: 10

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Answers

by: dandrakaPosted on 2009-09-16 at 08:29:20ID: 25346687

Could you attach a small portion of the file 3-4 rows with sample data? to be able to test this?

by: dandrakaPosted on 2009-09-16 at 08:40:00ID: 25346819

I think your instr are wrong

try:

ElseIf InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "drive") > 0 Or _
               InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value, "road") > 0 Then
            If InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "dr") > 0 Or _
               InStr(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value, "rd") > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"

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by: jss56Posted on 2009-09-16 at 09:55:18ID: 25347664

It compiles now, but the code doesn't work in the sense that it's not correcting any of the addresses. I attached a sample of the spreadsheet, with the macro in place. The first row is fine, and the rest of them should all be corrected by the macro if it was working properly.

example.xls
- 58 KB
example spreadsheet

by: dandrakaPosted on 2009-09-17 at 08:11:45ID: 25357091

Hey there...I see your problem.
Use the UCASE in front of all values to be compared when the case of the text does not matter.

Hope this helps.

Sub ErrorRateAnalysis()
Set excelReport = ActiveWorkbook
Range("R2").Select
Do While Not ActiveCell.Value = ""
    rng = ActiveCell.Address
    ActiveCell.EntireRow.RowHeight = 15
    If ActiveCell.Offset(0, -13).Value = "check" Then
        If ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value = ActiveCell.Offset(0, -11).Value Then
            If UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value) = UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -12).Value) Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("drive")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("road")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("dr")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("rd")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("street")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("avenue")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("st")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("ave")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("boulevard")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("place")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("blvd")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("pl")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("lane")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("court")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("ln")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("ct")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("northest")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("northwest")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("ne")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("nw")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("north")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("south")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("n")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("s")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("southeast")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("southwest")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("se")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("sw")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        ElseIf InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("east")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value), UCase("west")) > 0 Then
            If InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("e")) > 0 Or _
               InStr(UCase(ActiveCell.Offset(0, -14).Value), UCase("w")) > 0 Then
                ActiveCell.Value = "exact match"
            End If
        End If
    Else
        ActiveCell.Value = "Exact match"
    End If
    
    If ActiveCell.Value = "check" Then
        'ButtonMacro (rng)
    End If
    ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
Loop
End Sub

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by: jss56Posted on 2009-09-17 at 08:50:23ID: 25357540

Great, that worked much better. On a similar note, likewise to ignoring case, is there a way to ignore punctuation here too? It would make the results even more efficient.

by: dandrakaPosted on 2009-09-21 at 05:38:35ID: 25382252

with the instr punctuation should not matter, since it is looking for an instance ie dr or DR or dR or Dr (with the UCASE) and does not care about punctuation marks - ie dr. or dr would be the same. Anyway, a D.r. would be wrong, correct?

by: jss56Posted on 2009-09-21 at 07:24:10ID: 25383140

Correct, but I want to eventually expand the code you gave me to only look for instances of dr or st etc ONLY when the rest of the address is exactly the same, so I will eventually have to ignore punctuation too.

by: dandrakaPosted on 2009-09-21 at 08:14:48ID: 25383743

Ok...I see...you will have to include to your code a subfunction that eliminates all the punctuation marks and compares the strings without that...something like this:

(1) you will need to set the current value of the cell to a string variable
ie. mycell1 = ActiveCell.Offset(0, -15).Value
(2) eliminate any punctuation marks from this string (mycell1) using a subfunction like below (use a subfunction because you are going to call it in a number of occasions)
ie. mycell1 = removepuncmarks(mycell1)
(3) compare in the instr mycell1 instead of the value

That should do your trick! Hope you have everything in order now...its my advice to ignore SPACES too, they tend to create different strings without any meaning of difference (1 space or 2). However you can do that with TRIM in Excel to avoid deleting the spaces between the address and the DR or AVE part of your addresses.

sub removepuncmarks(S1)
'S1 is the string passed on from the main macro
'initialize string
xtr =""
For J = 1 To Len(S1)
'here you can have as many punctuation marks as you want with 
'consecutive ANDs - here have period, underscore, dash
If (Not Mid(S1, J, 1) = ".") And (Not Mid(S1, J, 1) = "_") And (Not Mid(S1, J, 1) = "-")Then xtr = xtr + Mid(S1, J, 1)
Next
S1 = xtr
removepuncmarks=S1
End sub

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by: jss56Posted on 2009-09-21 at 08:50:27ID: 25384197

Great, that works fine. Thank you!

by: dandrakaPosted on 2009-09-21 at 08:54:00ID: 25384238

Glad that worked for you!

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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VBA macro to find text strings in excel cells

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