The MID and MIDB functions in Excel are essential tools for manipulating text strings. They allow users to extract a particular portion of a string based on provided parameters, making data handling more efficient, especially when working with textual information.

Syntax

MID(text, start_num, num_chars)

• text: The original text string from which you want to extract characters.
• start_num: The position in the text string where the extraction begins. The first character in the string is at position 1.
• num_chars: The number of characters to extract from the text string, starting at the designated position.

Example #1

MID("Excel Functions", 7, 8)

This function extracts 8 characters from the string “Excel Functions”, starting at the 7th position, resulting in “Functions”.

Example #2

MID("Data Analysis", 6, 6)

In this example, the function extracts 6 characters from “Data Analysis”, starting from position 6, yielding “Analysis”.

Example #3

MID("Hello, World!", 8, 5)

Here, the function pulls 5 characters from the string “Hello, World!”, starting at the 8th position, which results in “World”.

Error handling

• VALUE!: This error occurs if the start_num is less than 1 or greater than the length of the text string.
• NUM!: This error shows up when num_chars is less than 0, or if start_num indicates a position that is non-existent in the text string.
• REF!: This error appears if the specified start_num and the combination with num_chars exceeds the limits of the text string.

Conclusion

In summary, the MID and MIDB functions are valuable for extracting characters from a string based on specific start positions and length. Understanding and effectively using these functions can greatly enhance the manipulation of textual data in Excel, providing improved efficiency and accuracy.