Excel allows us to return multiple match result of a lookup using the TEXTJOIN and IF functions. This step by step tutorial will assist all levels of Excel users to learn how to return multiple match results in Excel.
Figure 1. The final result of the formula
Syntax of the TEXTJOIN Formula
The generic formula for the TEXTJOIN function is:
=TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], ...)
The parameters of the TEXTJOIN function are:
- delimiter – a string that will be used as a separator between the text items
- ignore_empty – TRUE for ignoring empty cells
- text1, [text2] – text strings that will be joined
Syntax of the IF Formula
The generic formula for the IF function is:
=IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false)
The parameters of the IF function are:
- logical_test – a logical expression that we want to check
- value_if_true – a value which the function returns if a logical_test is TRUE
- value_if_false – a value which the function returns if a logical_test is FALSE.
Setting up Our Data for the Example
Our table consists of 3 columns: “Month” (column B), “Product” (column C) and “Amount” (column D). In the cell F3, we have the lookup month, while in the cell G3 we want to get all products from column C with a matching month.
Figure 2. Data that we will use in the example
Return Multiple Match Results of the Lookup Using the TEXTJOIN and IF Functions
In the cell G3, we want to get all matching products from column C, which have a month equal to January.
The formula looks like:
=TEXTJOIN(",", TRUE, IF(B3:B13=F3, C3:C13, ""))
The logical_test of the IF function is B3:B13=F3. The value_if_true is C3:C13 and the value_if_false is “”. The text1, [text2] parameters are the results of the IF function. The delimiter is “,“, while the ignore_empty is TRUE.
To apply the formula, we need to follow these steps:
- Select cell E3 and click on it
- Insert the formula:
=TEXTJOIN(",", TRUE, IF(B3:B13=F3, C3:C13, "")) - Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to enter the array function.
If we evaluate the formula, we can see that he result of the IF function is the following array:
Figure 3. Evaluate the formula
Figure 4. Using the formula to return multiple match results
The resulting array of the IF function is the text parameter for the TEXTJOIN function. Therefore, the result of the whole formula in G3 is “Product A,Product C,Product D,Product E”.
Most of the time, the problem you will need to solve will be more complex than a simple application of a formula or function. If you want to save hours of research and frustration, try our live Excelchat service! Our Excel Experts are available 24/7 to answer any Excel question you may have. We guarantee a connection within 30 seconds and a customized solution within 20 minutes.
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