TRIM not trimming

[Guest]

I have thousands of rows of data that I have used the "Text to Columns"
function on so that they are now two columns instead of one (text in A,
numbers in B).

However, there are leading and trailing spaces in both columns, and when I
used the =TRIM function to remove them, it doesn't work. Even when I use TRIM
in column D, then copy that value into Notepad, I can still see the spaces.

What's wrong?


-- Thanks,
-Kim

 

[Peo Sjoblom]

If you are using data from the web there might be non space html characters

http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#trimall

is a macro that will clean these


here's how to install macros

http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/formula.htm#install

 

[Harlan Grove]

However, there are leading and trailing spaces in both columns, and
when I used the =TRIM function to remove them, it doesn't work. Even
when I use TRIM in column D, then copy that value into Notepad, I
can still see the spaces.

....

I'd guess your cell data comes from an HTML source, and it contains
nonbreaking spaces (decimal character code 160). You need to replace
them with ASCII/breaking spaces, then apply TRIM.

=TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(x,CHAR(160)," "))

 

[Guest]

if there are still apperant spaces you can use code(mid(...)) to identify the
code to use in the char() formula

 

[ilia]

Try using CLEAN() alongside TRIM().

 

[Peo Sjoblom]

It will not work for invisible html characters, just non printable
characters