Excel TEXTJOIN Function

Welcome to LearnExcel.io’s trusted advice on the Microsoft Excel TEXTJOIN function. This powerful feature is designed to simplify your work by combining text from multiple ranges and/or strings, separating them with a delimiter you specify. Its versatility makes it a staple for data compilation and report generation tasks.

Category: The TEXTJOIN function falls under “Excel Text Functions“. This class of functions manipulates text strings in various ways, making them indispensable for data analysis.

Excel TEXTJOIN Syntax

=TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], ...)

The TEXTJOIN function syntax comprises the following arguments:

• delimiter: The string that will be used to separate each of the text items in the result.
• ignore_empty: A logical value (TRUE or FALSE) that indicates whether to ignore empty cells in the range.
• text1, [text2], …: The text items to join. text1 is required, subsequent text items are optional.

Excel TEXTJOIN Parameters

Let’s delve into the parameters of TEXTJOIN:

• delimiter: This can be a text string, including space (” “) or comma (“,”). It can also be an empty text string (“”) for no delimiter.
• ignore_empty: Setting this to TRUE excludes any empty cells from the result. When FALSE, empty cells are included in the returned string.
• text1, [text2], …: These are the text items you’re joining. They can be cell references, or directly entered text strings.

Return Value

The TEXTJOIN function returns a single text string that is the concatenation of two or more text strings or arrays.

Examples

Here are a few examples of how to use the TEXTJOIN function:

• =TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A1:A10) – Combines the range A1:A10 into a single string, separated by commas, ignoring any empty cells.
• =TEXTJOIN("-", FALSE, "2023", "Project", "Summary") – Returns ‘2023-Project-Summary’, including the dashes as delimiters.

Use Cases

Common use cases for the TEXTJOIN function include:

• Creating easily readable lists from cell ranges.
• Compiling data from various cells into a single string for reports.

Tips for effective use:

• Use dynamic ranges with TEXTJOIN to automatically update your strings as your data changes.
• Combine TEXTJOIN with other functions like IF to create more complex, condition-based strings.

Common Errors

Users might encounter errors like:

• #VALUE! – This often happens if the resulting string exceeds 32,767 characters, which is the maximum limit.

To avoid errors, ensure your final string won’t exceed the character limit.

Compatibility

TEXTJOIN is available in Excel 2016 and later versions. It’s not available in older versions, which may limit its use in environments not using updated software.

Conclusion

The TEXTJOIN function is a versatile tool in Excel’s arsenal, perfect for when you need to combine data from multiple sources into a single string. By mastering TEXTJOIN, you unlock new possibilities for data manipulation and presentation. Remember, experimentation is key to discovering the full potential of any Excel function. Dive into your spreadsheets and start joining text in new and innovative ways with the guidance from LearnExcel.io.