Convert text numbers to numbers

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I just went through a labourous procedure of transfering data from Notepad
into Excel (PDF documents had previously been converted to Notepad to extract
text). I used the MID function to extract the specific number I needed from
all the extranious data from the copy/paste. I now have all this wonderful
data that I need to tabulate but I realize now it is all text that looks like
numbers. I cannot perform any math functions and when I try to format the
cells to convert to numbers it does not work.

Please tell me that there is a way to convert this text to real numbers!
 
Type the number 0 in some random cell and copy it. Select the range of
pseudo-numbers you need to convert, then Edit > Paste Special. Select the
radio buttons for 'add' and 'values' and click OK.
 
Put

+0 1* or -- in front of your mid formula, maybe also a trim to get rid of
unwanted spaces

=--(TRIM(your_formula))


--
Regards,

Peo Sjoblom

(No private emails please)
 
Hi!

Whenever you use the TEXT functions like Left, Right, Mid, and Substitute to
extract numbers from a string the returned value is always TEXT but you can
manipulate that value into a numeric number by using a simple math
operation.

A1 = 100 lbs.

You want to extract 100 and be able to use it in other calcs:

=LEFT(A1,3)*1

Biff
 
Back
Top