Thread: Can You Output Differences Among Strings?

I am seeking to determine the value differences between two strings. For example if I had the following two entries:

MicrosoftExcelRocks
MicrosoftExcelAlwaysRocksNow

I want to be able to pull only the difference between the two entries, which are the characters "AlwaysNow"

Does anyone know how to go about doing this?

Thanks for any help!

As you describe it, it would be a fairly simple macro; however, what if the entries are reversed? Would

MicrosoftExcelAlwaysRocksNow
MicrosoftExcelRocks

provide the same output, or would it be blank?

what would you expect from

abcabcxabc
xx

Pauley

Originally Posted by Pauleyb

As you describe it, it would be a fairly simple macro; however, what if the entries are reversed? Would

MicrosoftExcelAlwaysRocksNow
MicrosoftExcelRocks

provide the same output, or would it be blank?

what would you expect from

abcabcxabc
xx

Pauley

I see what your saying. But could I sidestep the first question by saying that the order does not matter since I could create a new column and reverse the order that I look at the two entries?

I am not sure how to set up this macro. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks

The simplest method would be to go character by character and then track when they don't match. Something like (pseudo-code)

i = j = 1
holdstr=""
do
 if str(i) = str(j) then 
  i=i+1 
  j=j+1
 else
  holdstr=holdstr&str(i)
  i=i+1
 endif
until end of str1 or end of str 2

Pauley