Compare two strings and output the differences

Dear Jindon:

As per your instructions, I am creating a new thread for this topic. For all readers, the original thread is here: http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...05#post3313305

I am in receipt of your updated VBA function but I am having two problems with it:

1. Unable to access the VBA code for copying into my live workbook
2. The output is odd when there are punctuation characters in the strings

Would appreciate your help in resolving these two issues. Please advise. Samples attached from previous thread for convenience.

Here's the file.

just having one more error if you can please advise...

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Thanks! This is working great. Last question/tweak is: there are only some errors/artifacts on lines that have other punctuation marks contained in the description. If you can provide me a bit of guidance, I can tweak the code myself, or if you want to add handling for these situations, that would be the final great help in this project! The weird formula outputs occur when one of the following punctuation marks occur in the "original" string:

• #
• (
• "
• &

As you will see in the sheet attached for your convenience. Putting in handling for these items would also help me compare your previous code to your update and I can learn by seeing what changes you did, too! Thanks in advance!

I hate this....

I don't like the way you ask the question.

Feel like you are testing me.

maybe this option

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Thanks nilem, that worked PERFECTLY!!!!

And jindon, don't get the wrong impression, was just trying to get the thing to work and learn something from your skills along the way. Thanks to both of you!

As a side note, if you guys have any tutorials/references that you can point me to that helped you learn, that would be great so one day maybe I can be helping folks just like you do!

Hey Nilem - I've found that this script works great, but for one issue: when the strings appear in a different order, it flags them as "different." Do you know any way to fix this so it is comparing for those strings anywhere in the main string except for in the order it expects for them to be in?

Example:

Bic Pens 1CT Blue
Bic Pens Blue 1CT

Still returns 1CT as the "string difference."

Thanks in advance for your advice.

-aliastx

Hi aliastx,
see attachment

Hi Nilem, sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. Your code helped a TON. There were still a few weird things going on with slashes and dashes and stuff in the description but THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! I really appreciate it, and I'm 100% sure this is applicable across so many different projects! I'm going to try and compile some examples of the dash and slash errors so that I can learn from you how to deal with them (will update here tonight or tomorrow), but I just wanted to say THANKS and you're AWESOME!