Search function

To use this function, choose Calc > Calculator.

Identifies the initial position of a string of text within another string of text. Search is similar to Find, except that Search is not case-sensitive; for example, it does not distinguish between b and B.

Syntax

SEARCH(find_text,within_text,[start_num])

For find_text, specify the text string you want to find. For within_text, specify the column of text to search. By default, Minitab searches from the first position of each text entry. You can also specify a different initial position (the location in the string from where to start the search) by inserting a number for start_num, the optional third argument of the function.

You can use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard character that represents a string of one or more characters. The question mark (?) is also a wildcard character, but it represents only one character instead of a string of characters. To reference the "*" or "?" character within a text string, use the tilde (~) before the symbol.

Examples

Column Calculator expression Result
C1 contains "234B75" SEARCH("b7",C1) 4 (because B7 begins at the 4th position in the text)
C1 contains "depreciate" SEARCH( "c*t",C1) 6
C1 contains "Item# C-222-T" SEARCH( "c*t",C1) 7
C1 contains "defective" SEARCH( "c*t",C1) 5
C1 contains "814*231*2682" SEARCH( "~*",C1) 4