Using Excel's SEARCH() Function

 The SEARCH() function in Excel is used to find the position of a specified substring within a text string. Here's how to use it:

Syntax: SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num])

find_text: The substring you want to find within the within_text.

within_text: The text string in which you want to search for the find_text.

[start_num] (optional): The position within within_text where the search should begin. If omitted, the search starts from the beginning of the text string.

The SEARCH() function returns the position of the first character of the find_text within the within_text. If the find_text is not found, it returns the #VALUE! error.

Example:

Suppose you have the text string "apple" in cell A1, and you want to find the position of the substring "pl" within it. You would use the following formula:

=SEARCH("pl", A1)

"If "pl" is found within "apple", this formula would return the position of "p" within "apple", which is 2. If "pl" is not found, the formula would return an error.

The SEARCH() function is useful for various tasks, such as extracting parts of text strings, validating data, or performing text-based analysis.