The LEFTB function in Google Sheets is a useful tool for string manipulation. It allows users to extract a specified number of bytes from the left side of a text string, which can be particularly beneficial for handling multi-byte character sets, like those found in languages such as Chinese or Japanese. This function aids in efficient data management by enabling precise substring extraction based on byte length.

Syntax

LEFTB(text, num_bytes)

• text: The original text string from which the left portion will be extracted.
• num_bytes: The total number of bytes to extract from the left of the text string.

Example #1

=LEFTB("Hello, World!", 5)

This function call extracts the leftmost 5 bytes from the string “Hello, World!”, yielding “Hello” as the result. Even though there are 13 characters in total, some may represent multiple bytes depending on the encoding.

Example #2

=LEFTB("你好, 世界!", 6)

In this example, it extracts 6 bytes from the string “你好, 世界!”. The result is “你好”, as each Chinese character typically requires 3 bytes.

Example #3

=LEFTB("ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ", 10)

This function call retrieves the first 10 bytes from the English alphabet string, resulting in “ABCDEFGHIJ” as the output.

Error handling

• VALUE!: This error occurs if the num_bytes argument is non-numeric or less than zero, as the function cannot extract a nonexistent value.
• N/A: This error indicates that the num_bytes exceeds the actual byte length of the text, leading to an attempt to retrieve more bytes than are available.
• REF!: A reference error arises when the text string is not recognized, potentially because the cell reference is invalid or deleted.

Conclusion

The LEFTB function serves as a powerful utility in Google Sheets, especially when working with diverse languages and specific byte-length requirements. By understanding its syntax and behavior, users can effectively manage their text data and perform precise substring operations to enhance their data processing tasks.