LEFT

Formulas / LEFT
To extract text from the left of a text string.
LEFT(text, [num_chars])
  • text - the string with the characters to extract
  • num_chars - [OPTIONAL] the number of characters to extract

Examples

  • =LEFT("January",3)

    The LEFT function returns "Jan" and this is because the function is only returning the first three characters of the string "January".

  • =LEFT("ABC")

    The LEFT function returns "A" and this is because the function is only returning the first character of the string "ABC".

  • =LEFT("apple",100)

    This LEFT function returns "apple"

  • =LEFT(1000,3)

    The LEFT function returns "100"Tlike above this is because the function is returning the first three characters of the numeric value 1000. These characters are "100".

  • =LEFT(text,FIND("@",text)-1)

    The LEFT function can be used with the FIND function to split a string at a specific character and will return everything to the left of the "@" symbol in a string:

Summary

The LEFT function allows you to extract text from the left side of a string and returns one or more characters.

  • The LEFT function in Sourcetable is a function that is used to extract characters from the left side of a string.
  • The num_chars argument is optional, and the default for num_chars is 1.
  • LEFT extracts characters from both numbers and text. LEFT does not extract or count number formatting.


Frequently Asked Questions

Does the LEFT function work in every language?
No, the LEFT function may not be available in every language.
How does the LEFT function count characters?
LEFT counts every character as 1.
What are the arguments that LEFT takes?
The LEFT function takes two arguments. The first argument is text and the second is num_chars. The text argument is required, while the num_chars argument is optional?
How many characters does LEFT extract by default?
By default, LEFT extracts 1 character if num_chars is omitted as an argument.

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