PARSE

Macro Sheets Only

Distributes the contents of the current selection to fill several adjacent columns; the selection can be no more than one column wide. Use PARSE to reorganize data, especially data that you've read from files created by another application, such as a database.

Syntax

PARSE(parse_text, destination_ref)
PARSE?(parse_text, destination_ref)

Parse_text is the parse line in the form of text. It is a copy of the first nonblank cell in the selected column, with square brackets indicating where to distribute (or parse) text. If parse_text is omitted, Microsoft Excel guesses where to place the brackets based on the spacing and formatting of data.

Destination_ref is a reference to the upper-left corner of the range of cells where you want to place the parsed data. If destination_ref is omitted, it is assumed to be the current selection, so the parsed data will replace the original data.

Remarks

• In most cases, it's easier to record the Parse command than to enter the PARSE function manually.
• When you use the PARSE function, Microsoft Excel splits the first column into as many columns as you specify with parse_text and replaces any information in those columns.

Related Functions

List of Command-Equivalent Functions