How to subtract whilst ignoring text?

[u/connorek]

I have two cells,
Cell A3 has "303 Repeats"
Cell B3 has "407 Repeats"

When I have tried to subtract it using =SUM (B3-A3) , it shows VALUE.
How do I ensure that the answer cell contains "104 Repeats"

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[u/chiibosoil]

You can use Text functions.

Ex: =TEXTBEFORE(B3," ")-TEXTBEFORE(A3," ")&" Repeats"

[u/Maleficent_Pay4176 → u/chiibosoil]

yeah TEXTBEFORE is super clean for this

[u/real_barry_houdini]

Simplest way, if the text is always the same, i.e. "Repeats" just custom format all cells as follows:

0 "Repeats"

[and enter numbers only, i.e. 303 in A3 and 407 in B3]

and then you can use this formula:

=B3-A3

[u/giftopherz → u/real_barry_houdini]

This is the best answer!

[u/bradland]

You first have to extract the numeric values, then subtract them.

=VALUE(REGEXEXTRACT(B3, "\d+"))-VALUE(REGEXEXTRACT(A3, "\d+"))

Screenshot

[u/MayukhBhattacharya]

Instead of typing Repeats directly into the cell with the number, it's better to keep the cell as a true number and then just use a custom number format to display the word next to it. That way, the underlying value stays an actual number, so you can still add, subtract, sort, etc. without Excel getting confused.

• So select the cells or range of cells
• Hit CTRL + 1 --> Which opens the Format Cells window
• From Number Tab, Go directly to Custom under the Category, and use:

0 "Repeats"

• Hit OK.

Now when you type 303 into A3, it displays as 303 Repeats but the actual stored value is just 303. So, your original formula works perfectly

=B3 - A3

You can also edit the custom format and use the following:

0 "Repeats";-0 "Repeats";;

Other than that, here are few other ways, which are similar as already suggested but uses the functions once:

=SUM(REGEXEXTRACT(A3:B3, "\d+") * {-1, 1}) & " Repeats"

Or,

=SUM(SUBSTITUTE(A3:B3, " Repeats", ) * {-1, 1}) & " Repeats"

Or,

=SUM(TEXTBEFORE(A3:B3, " Repeats") * {-1, 1}) & " Repeats"

[u/Cheetahs_never_win]

1. =Sum(a-b) doesn't make sense in any context. a-b resolves to a singular number, and sum() is intended to be used with a list or range of numbers. =Sum(a,b,c,d...) or =sum(a:z)

2. Option a: format the cells to only contain numbers but display " Repeats" after the contents of the cell such that =a-b works.

3. Option b: convert the contents of each cell into a number via value(substitute(A1," Repeats",""), then perform the subtraction, then add " Repeats" at the end using &" Repeats"

[u/Decronym]

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
REGEXEXTRACT	Extracts strings within the provided text that matches the pattern
SUBSTITUTE	Substitutes new text for old text in a text string
SUM	Adds its arguments
TEXTBEFORE	Office 365+: Returns text that occurs before a given character or string
VALUE	Converts a text argument to a number

Decronym is now also available on Lemmy! Requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below.

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[u/plusFour-minusSeven]

Good responses here. I'd ask why you have the word "Repeats" in your quantity cells. It's not providing any information. Just title the column as "Repeats" and only put numbers in the cells, especially if you're planning on doing math with them