What is a String Function?
String functions are a set of tools in Access that allow users to manipulate text in a variety of ways. They are a powerful and useful tool for working with text data in Access, and can be used to perform a wide range of tasks.

Understanding the Basics of String Functions
String functions are used to manipulate text data in Access. They can be used to perform a variety of tasks, such as extracting part of a string, combining strings together, and formatting text. String functions are used in expressions, which are written in the expression builder in Access.

What Types of String Functions Are Available?
Access provides a range of string functions that can be used to manipulate text data. Some of the most commonly used string functions are listed below:

• Len: Returns the length of a string
• Left: Returns the leftmost characters of a string
• Right: Returns the rightmost characters of a string
• Mid: Returns a substring from a string
• UCase: Converts a string to uppercase
• LCase: Converts a string to lowercase
• Trim: Removes leading and trailing spaces from a string
• Replace: Replaces a substring with another substring
• InStr: Returns the position of a substring in a string
• StrComp: Compares two strings

Using Len to Find the Length of a String
Using the Len function, you can find the length of a string. The syntax for the Len function is as follows:

Len(string)

Where string is the string that you want to find the length of.

For example, if you wanted to find the length of the string “Hello World”, you would use the following expression:

Len(“Hello World”)

The result of this expression would be 11, as the string “Hello World” contains 11 characters.

Using Left to Extract the Leftmost Characters of a String
Using the Left function, you can extract the leftmost characters of a string. The syntax for the Left function is as follows:

Left(string, length)

Where string is the string that you want to extract characters from, and length is the number of characters that you want to extract.

For example, if you wanted to extract the first 5 characters of the string “Hello World”, you would use the following expression:

Left(“Hello World”, 5)

The result of this expression would be “Hello”, as the string “Hello World” contains 5 characters.

Using Right to Extract the Rightmost Characters of a String
Using the Right function, you can extract the rightmost characters of a string. The syntax for the Right function is as follows:

Right(string, length)

Where string is the string that you want to extract characters from, and length is the number of characters that you want to extract.

For example, if you wanted to extract the last 5 characters of the string “Hello World”, you would use the following expression:

Right(“Hello World”, 5)

The result of this expression would be “World”, as the string “Hello World” contains 5 characters.

Using Mid to Extract a Substring from a String
Using the Mid function, you can extract a substring from a string. The syntax for the Mid function is as follows:

Mid(string, start, length)

Where string is the string that you want to extract characters from, start is the position of the first character that you want to extract, and length is the number of characters that you want to extract.

For example, if you wanted to extract the substring “llo W” from the string “Hello World”, you would use the following expression:

Mid(“Hello World”, 3, 6)

The result of this expression would be “llo W”, as the string “Hello World” contains 6 characters starting at the 3rd position.

Using UCase and LCase to Convert Strings to Uppercase and Lowercase
Using the UCase and LCase functions, you can convert strings to uppercase and lowercase. The syntax for the UCase and LCase functions is as follows:

UCase(string)
LCase(string)

Where string is the string that you want to convert.

For example, if you wanted to convert the string “Hello World” to uppercase, you would use the following expression:

UCase(“Hello World”)

The result of this expression would be “HELLO WORLD”, as the string “Hello World” has been converted to uppercase.

Using Trim to Remove Leading and Trailing Spaces from a String
Using the Trim function, you can remove leading and trailing spaces from a string. The syntax for the Trim function is as follows:

Trim(string)

Where string is the string that you want to remove spaces from.

For example, if you wanted to remove the leading and trailing spaces from the string “ Hello World ”, you would use the following expression:

Trim(” Hello World “)

The result of this expression would be “Hello World”, as the leading and trailing spaces have been removed from the string.

Using Replace to Replace a Substring with Another Substring
Using the Replace function, you can replace a substring with another substring. The syntax for the Replace function is as follows:

Replace(string, find, replace)

Where string is the string that you want to replace characters in, find is the substring that you want to find, and replace is the substring that you want to replace it with.

For example, if you wanted to replace the substring “Hello” with the substring “Goodbye” in the string “Hello World”, you would use the following expression:

Replace(“Hello World”, “Hello”, “Goodbye”)

The result of this expression would be “Goodbye World”, as the substring “Hello” has been replaced with the substring “Goodbye”.

Using InStr to Find the Position of a Substring in a String
Using the InStr function, you can find the position of a substring in a string. The syntax for the InStr function is as follows:

InStr(string, find)

Where string is the string that you want to search, and find is the substring that you want to find.

For example, if you wanted to find the position of the substring “World” in the string “Hello World”, you would use the following expression:

InStr(“Hello World”, “World”)

The result of this expression would be 7, as the substring “World” is located at the 7th position in the string “Hello World”.

Using StrComp to Compare Two Strings
Using the StrComp function, you can compare two strings. The syntax for the StrComp function is as follows:

StrComp(string1, string2, compare)

Where string1 and string2 are the strings that you want to compare, and compare is an optional argument that specifies how the strings should be compared.

For example, if you wanted to compare the strings “Hello” and “World”, you would use the following expression:

StrComp(“Hello”, “World”)

The result of this expression would be -1, as the string “Hello” is less than the string “World”.

Conclusion
String functions are a powerful and useful tool for working with text data in Access. They can be used to perform a wide range of tasks, such as extracting part of a string, combining strings together, and formatting text. By understanding the basics of string functions, you can use them to manipulate text data in Access in a variety of ways.