alphabetical list

ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying to do
is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I click
sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to ignore
those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"

Create a helper column and add this formula to it

=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A20,"The ",""),"A ","")

Then sort both columns by the helper column

--
HTH

Bob Phillips

"Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying to
do
> is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I
click
> sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to
ignore
> those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"

You need a helper column by which to sort.
=left(a1,5)
will give you the 5 leftmost characters

Sort on the helper column (to bring together cells that will need to be
changed) and amend any unwanted characters to give 5 significant characters

As a refinement you could highlight the helper column and click on
<Edit><Copy><Edit><Paste special><Values><OK> to change the output of all
formulas to text.

Now use this column to sort.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying to
> do
> is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I
> click
> sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to
> ignore
> those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"

Actually you don't want to pick off a trailing A on a word, so make that

=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(" " & A20 & " ", " The "," ")," A "," ")

note the space inserted before and after the cell to be tested
and the space before and after the words that are to be removed
and the single space for the replacement. Accept the spaces
remaining when finished because trimming would add another
nesting level.

When you determine all of the words you want to remove and
depending on their location and removal of punctuation you might
be looking at a user defined function since you can only go to
seven nesting levels in a worksheet formula.

But the original question may have only be removal of a
leading The and a Leading A.

=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE("^" & A20 & "^", "^The "," "),"^A ","^")
again only used for sorting so it doesn't matter what it looks like.

Might be more suitable for the use of Regular Expressions.
---
HTH,
David McRitchie, Microsoft MVP - Excel [site changed Nov. 2001]
My Excel Pages: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm
Search Page: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/search.htm

"Bob Phillips" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Create a helper column and add this formula to it
>
> =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A20,"The ",""),"A ","")
>
> Then sort both columns by the helper column
>
> --
> HTH
>
> Bob Phillips
>
> "Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying to
> do
> > is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I
> click
> > sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to
> ignore
> > those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"
>
>

I'm new with excell.......so could you be REALLY specific

"Bill Ridgeway" wrote:

> You need a helper column by which to sort.
> =left(a1,5)
> will give you the 5 leftmost characters
>
> Sort on the helper column (to bring together cells that will need to be
> changed) and amend any unwanted characters to give 5 significant characters
>
> As a refinement you could highlight the helper column and click on
> <Edit><Copy><Edit><Paste special><Values><OK> to change the output of all
> formulas to text.
>
> Now use this column to sort.
>
> Regards.
>
> Bill Ridgeway
> Computer Solutions
>
> "Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying to
> > do
> > is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I
> > click
> > sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to
> > ignore
> > those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"
>
>
>

I'm new with excell....could you be REALLY specific

"David McRitchie" wrote:

> Actually you don't want to pick off a trailing A on a word, so make that
>
> =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(" " & A20 & " ", " The "," ")," A "," ")
>
> note the space inserted before and after the cell to be tested
> and the space before and after the words that are to be removed
> and the single space for the replacement. Accept the spaces
> remaining when finished because trimming would add another
> nesting level.
>
> When you determine all of the words you want to remove and
> depending on their location and removal of punctuation you might
> be looking at a user defined function since you can only go to
> seven nesting levels in a worksheet formula.
>
> But the original question may have only be removal of a
> leading The and a Leading A.
>
> =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE("^" & A20 & "^", "^The "," "),"^A ","^")
> again only used for sorting so it doesn't matter what it looks like.
>
> Might be more suitable for the use of Regular Expressions.
> ---
> HTH,
> David McRitchie, Microsoft MVP - Excel [site changed Nov. 2001]
> My Excel Pages: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm
> Search Page: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/search.htm
>
> "Bob Phillips" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > Create a helper column and add this formula to it
> >
> > =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A20,"The ",""),"A ","")
> >
> > Then sort both columns by the helper column
> >
> > --
> > HTH
> >
> > Bob Phillips
> >
> > "Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying to
> > do
> > > is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I
> > click
> > > sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to
> > ignore
> > > those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"
> >
> >
>
>
>

I'm new with excell....could you be REALLY specific


"Bob Phillips" wrote:

> Create a helper column and add this formula to it
>
> =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A20,"The ",""),"A ","")
>
> Then sort both columns by the helper column
>
> --
> HTH
>
> Bob Phillips
>
> "Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying to
> do
> > is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I
> click
> > sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to
> ignore
> > those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"
>
>
>

Go to the first free cell to the right of data in the spreadsheet
Type -
=left(a1,5)
Copy the formula to all cells in the column
Sort on that column

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

"Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm new with excell.......so could you be REALLY specific
>
> "Bill Ridgeway" wrote:
>
>> You need a helper column by which to sort.
>> =left(a1,5)
>> will give you the 5 leftmost characters
>>
>> Sort on the helper column (to bring together cells that will need to be
>> changed) and amend any unwanted characters to give 5 significant
>> characters
>>
>> As a refinement you could highlight the helper column and click on
>> <Edit><Copy><Edit><Paste special><Values><OK> to change the output of all
>> formulas to text.
>>
>> Now use this column to sort.
>>
>> Regards.
>>
>> Bill Ridgeway
>> Computer Solutions
>>
>> "Ronnie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > ok...I have complied a list of my DVD collection and what I am trying
>> > to
>> > do
>> > is alphabatize the list. What problem I have when doing it is when I
>> > click
>> > sort button it always groups words like "A" and "The". I want it to
>> > ignore
>> > those words and focus on the word after "A" or "The"
>>
>>
>>