C: Concatenate Function in Excel

C is for Concatenate    [Advanced Function]

When creating a table it is good that each item, such as First Name and Last Name be in separate columns, but sometimes you need them together.
Another example is city and province or state. These two items should be in separate columns but sometimes we need them together.

Problem
The problem comes when you need to have the two names together. You can retype the names into the same column. You can copy and paste but that is also a hassle and for some people typing is faster.



#NoTears

Below is a table of students.
I want the students' first and last name together in column D and then in reversed order in column E.

Function Layout

=Concatenate(cell1&" "&cell2)

* Cell1: will add the contains of what is in cell1.
           It does not include the spaces after the last text of that cell.

* & is used like a + plus sign connecting the items before and after.

* The " " adds a space between the two texts. Whatever is inside the quotes will be added to the final concatenated text.

* Cell2: the address of the second cell.
You can add as many cells as you need with a & in between each cell or quoted items.

Try it out
Recreate the above table in an Excel spreadsheet or use this as an example for your table.

1. Click cell D3.
2. Type =Concatenate(A4&" "&B4)
3. Press ENTER.
    Cat Hat will appear in cell D3.

If I wanted Cat in the Hat then I would type in the following:
=Concatenate(A4&" in the "&B4)

Shortcut Note
As you are typing in the word Concatenate [after the = sign] you will see a list of functions that start with the letter C. The more you type of the word, the shorter the list becomes.
Once you can see the word Concatenate:
Hit ENTER.
The function and the opening bracket appears in the formula bar.
Enter the cell information for the function. Close the bracket.



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