search for multiple strings and replace them with the same string

**aaron85** · 07-14-2009, 02:26 AM

i need to change the contents of cells on a large scale. my problem is that what i need to change the data into is different on the sheet that needs to be changed. for example this is my sheet explaining all the records (in the first column) that need to be changed from there current name to state.
aa state
aa state
bb state
cc state
dd state
ee state
ff state
gg state

but in the second sheet where i need to make the change i have extra rows that don't need editing. eg
aa
qwerqw
aa
bb
qwer
cc
qwre
dd
qwerqw
ee
grtee
ff
fqwer
gg

so is there sometihng that i can use to say find aa or bb or cc etc and replace it with state? as i don't want to go through and individually replace the 1000 records.

**zbor** · 07-14-2009, 02:34 AM

Try this...

Book1.xls

**aaron85** · 07-14-2009, 03:42 AM

yes this is awsome thanks. is there any way you can highlight either the cells that are different so that i can run my eye over to see if there are any mistakes? because i have foound a couple up the top that don't seem to work because they are up the top i could tell which ones they were but i want to be sure that it is not the same somewhere in the middle of the docuemnt.

**zbor** · 07-14-2009, 03:50 AM

Something like this?

(this look if A1 nad B1 are different)

Book2.xls

**aaron85** · 07-14-2009, 04:24 AM

Originally Posted by zbor

Something like this?

(this look if A1 nad B1 are different)

Attachment 48320

thanks for that.
i ended up using col c and saying =$A1=$B1 then sorted by the false and highlighted them, it was a bit easier for me to check. but what you have put will prob come in handy for something else. thanks