Searching Excel files

[Jack W]

I am using Office X

I have Excel files that I want to search for character strings.
The files each include a whole bunch of monthly spreadsheets in Tabs.

The tabs are monthly financial spreadsheets.

Some items get paid annually, or only once every few years.

Is there a way I can tell Excel to search all of these sub files for the character string?

Or do I have to select each tab in the spreadsheet and do individual searches?

What a pain-in-the-neck (or other parts of the anatomy) to have to do this!

Please tell me there is a way to shortcut.

Thanks

- Jack

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

What a pain-in-the-neck (or other parts of the anatomy) to have to do this!

Are you saying that Excel cannot search for text, even in a formula?! Your "pain-in-the-neck" is why most of us use a financial program for financial matters. Especially ones that pay/post these types of things automatically, no matter what the schedule. Well worth the money to pay a developer for doing the "pain-in-the-neck" stuff! Save the spreadsheet for whatever they are good for, if you can find one!

But, you could probably download Text Wrangler, a free and extremely powerful text processor and use its search functions. That and a few AppleScripts could probably also make the correct tab open for you.

What it sounds like you are doing is a perfect use for a database, also. And all those, that I know about, will have extremely good search functions built in. Of course, they will usually cost more than Quicken...

[Jack W]

Jim,

Excel does a fine job for what I am using it for.

Simple for simple minds like mine. (This will certainly draw comments).

I sure don't need a database program for what I am doing.

I only would like an easier method of searching.

[kbeartx]

IIRC, the Finder search function [Cmd-F] can search inside files for occurrences of specified text.  

I've never used that feature mice-elf, but I wonder if you've tried that, and whether it will produce the results you seek?

Kb