Description
The CODE function returns a numeric code for the first character in a text string.
The returned code corresponds to the character set used by your computer.
| Operating environment | Character set |
|---|---|
| Macintosh | Macintosh character set |
| Windows | ANSI |
If you want to return the character specified by the code number, please use CHAR Function.
Syntax
CODE(text)Parameters
Text Required. The text for which you want the code of the first character.
Examples
Example 1
The example may be easier to understand if you copy the example data (include header) in the following table, and paste it in cell A1 of a new Excel worksheet. If you need to, you can adjust the column widths to see all the data.
| Formula | Result | Description |
|---|---|---|
=CODE("Excel") |
69 | Displays the numeric code for Excel (the first character, 69) |
=CODE("E") |
69 | Displays the numeric code for E (69). |
=CODE("e") |
101 | Displays the numeric code for e (101) |
=CODE("€") |
128 | Displays the numeric code for € (128) |
If you remember the code of a symbol, you can fast input it with follow tip, For example:
you know the code of € is 128 (CODE("€")=128), hold down the ALT key, type 1 2 8 on the number pad, then releasing ALT, it will enter € symbol.
Example 2: Data validation - check for alphabetic characters only
If cell A1 contains a text string, the below formula will check it is all alphabetic characters:
=AND(N(CODE(RIGHT(UPPER(A1),ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&LEN(A1)))))>{64,90})={1,0})Note that this is a array formula, please end this formula with CTRL SHIFT ENTER.