In Excel, the `RIGHT` and `RIGHTB` functions are used to extract a specified number of characters from the end (right side) of a text string. Here’s how each function works and how to use them:
RIGHT Function
RIGHT(text, [num_chars])
- Purpose: Extracts a given number of characters from the right end of a text string.
- Syntax:
- `text`: The text string from which you want to extract characters.
- `[num_chars]`: (Optional) The number of characters to extract. If omitted, it defaults to `1`.
Example Usage:
- Formula: `=RIGHT(“Excel”, 2)`
- Result: `”el”`
- Explanation: Extracts 2 characters from the right end of “Excel”.
- Formula: `=RIGHT(“Excel”)`
- Result: `”l”`
- Explanation: Extracts the last character from “Excel” as the `num_chars` is omitted and defaults to 1.
RIGHTB Function
RIGHTB(text, [num_bytes])
- Purpose: Extracts a specified number of bytes from the right side of a text string. This is particularly useful for languages that use a double-byte character set (DBCS), such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
- Syntax:
- `text`: The text string from which to extract bytes.
- `[num_bytes]`: (Optional) The number of bytes to extract. If omitted, it defaults to `1`.
Note: In non-DBCS settings, `RIGHTB` behaves the same as `RIGHT` because each character is considered one byte.
Example Usage:
- Formula: `=RIGHTB(“Excel”, 2)`
- In a single-byte language, the result is `”el”`.
- In a multi-byte setting, this extracts the characters up to 2 bytes from the right.
Keep in mind:
- If the `num_chars` or `num_bytes` is greater than the length of the text string, the full text string is returned.
- The `RIGHTB` function is mainly applicable in languages that use DBCS, and its behavior might not differ from `RIGHT` in languages like English.
These functions are especially handy for text parsing and manipulation in spreadsheets, where you need to extract fixed portions of text from the right side of entries.
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