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Subject: Re: [office-comment] Re: Very Weak String Support in ODF


Leonard Mada:
> #1: FINDEX() and SEARCHEX() as already proposed in a feature request on 
> the OOo site

The problem with FINDEX, SEARCHEX, etc. is that there are many other functions that ALSO return NA() where perhaps you'd like something else (0 or "") instead.

So instead, I think people are thinking of adding an IFERROR(expr; value) function... if expr results in an error, it returns value instead, else it returns expr.  So you could use:
IFERROR(FIND(...);0) to do what you want.

I can imagine that an IFNA(expr;value) would be very useful as well, and would avoid overcatching errors.  That might be a good idea.

> One thing in common that every study on human errors has brought to 
> light is that errors increase as formulas get more complex. The 
> workaround for the FIND/SEARCH()-problem makes the formula definitely 
> more complex, what do you think?
>   1.)     = OR( FIND("a"; ...) ; FIND("b"; ...) )
>   2.)     = OR( IF( ISERR( FIND("a"; A1) );  0 ; FIND("a"; A1) ) ; IF( 
> ISERR( FIND("b"; A1)) ;  0 ; FIND("b"; A1) ) )

There's no need for the "IF(..)", or for the duplicated FIND statements, with an IFERROR(...) construct.

I _think_ that an IFERROR(...) would solve your problem, though slightly differently than you proposed, for #1.  Yes?

--- David A. Wheeler


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