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Match comparing characters not the cell value

  1. #1
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    Match comparing characters not the cell value

    Hello,

    I am looking for a way to compare cells with each other.
    Often there is a space, punctuation mark or typo in the cell. therefore vloolup , match e.g. ends up in a #N/B.

    Is there a way, maybe with a loop in VBA, to find the cell which contains the most comparing characters.
    Got a list with names that are correct and a bigger list with available users.

    Examples:
    "Arjan Busger op Vollenbroek" (from list of names) does not match "Arjan Busger opollenbroek" (from list of users) therefore resolves in #N/B but has 25 the same characters and therefore matches 93%
    "John Doe" (from list of names)does not match "John W. Doe" (from list of users) but has 8 matching characters and therefore matches 73%.

    So for every name in the list I need to find the cell (or cell value) with the most comparing characters, the last check can be done visualy by hand, to avoid anagrams.

    Anyone an idea?

    Best Regards,

    Arjan B. Busger op Vollenbroek
    a.ka. ABBOV

  2. #2
    Forum Expert XOR LX's Avatar
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    Re: Match comparing characters not the cell value

    Hi.

    I think you need to rethink your definition of "matching characters".

    For example, if we were to simply compare the number of occurrences of each character within one string and the number of occurrences of those same characters within another string, then, for:

    "John Doe"

    and:

    "Eod Nhoj"

    we would obtain a result of 100%.

    Surely position (or relative position) needs to be taken into account also? However, since this is your post I'll leave it to you to further refine your definition.

    Regards
    Click * below if this answer helped

    Advanced Excel Techniques: http://excelxor.com/

  3. #3
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    Re: Match comparing characters not the cell value

    Quote Originally Posted by XOR LX View Post
    Hi.

    I think you need to rethink your definition of "matching characters".

    For example, if we were to simply compare the number of occurrences of each character within one string and the number of occurrences of those same characters within another string, then, for:

    "John Doe"

    and:

    "Eod Nhoj"

    we would obtain a result of 100%.

    Surely position (or relative position) needs to be taken into account also? However, since this is your post I'll leave it to you to further refine your definition.

    Regards
    Hello Xor,

    Thank for your quick answer, the (relative) position would sure be nice, but makes it more complicated.
    As mentioned in the original post, "the last check can be done visualy by hand, to avoid anagrams."

    Best Regards

    ABBOV

    This would help me sort out a list

  4. #4
    Forum Expert XOR LX's Avatar
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    Re: Match comparing characters not the cell value

    Ok. You've posted in the Formulas & Functions subforum, not the VBA one. Would you therefore prefer a non-VBA solution if possible (which it is, though perhaps not as efficient)?

    Regards

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