The Google Sheets function REGEXEXTRACT is a powerful tool designed to extract text that matches a specified pattern defined by a regular expression. This makes it invaluable for data manipulation, especially when dealing with complex strings where you need to isolate specific components or elements.

Syntax

REGEXEXTRACT(text, regular_expression) 

• text: The input string from which you want to extract a match.
• regular_expression: The regular expression pattern that identifies the substring to extract.

Example #1

=REGEXEXTRACT("Email: example@mail.com", "[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}")

This function extracts the email address from the given string, resulting in: example@mail.com.

Example #2

=REGEXEXTRACT("Product ID: 12345AB", "\d+")

Here, the function extracts the numeric part of the product ID, returning: 12345.

Example #3

=REGEXEXTRACT("Total: $45.67", "\$([0-9]+\.[0-9]{2})")

This function isolates the monetary amount from the string, giving: 45.67.

Error handling

• N/A: Occurs when the regular expression does not match any part of the input text.
• VALUE! This error indicates that the input text or the regular expression is not valid.

Conclusion

In summary, the REGEXEXTRACT function is an essential feature in Google Sheets for anyone looking to enhance their data processing and analysis capabilities. By utilizing regular expressions, users can easily extract essential information from complex strings, paving the way for more efficient data management and reporting.