Replace function

Returns a String in which a specified substring has been replaced with another substring a specified number of times.

Syntax

Replace( expression, find, replace [, start ] [, count ] [, compare ] )

The Replace function syntax has these arguments:

Argument	Description
expression	Required. String expression containing substring to replace.
find	Required. Substring being searched for.
replace	Required. Replacement substring.
start	Optional. Position within expression where substring search is to begin. If omitted, 1 is assumed.
count	Optional. Number of substring substitutions to perform. If omitted, the default value is –1, which means make all possible substitutions.
compare	Optional. Numeric value indicating the kind of comparison to use when evaluating substrings. See Settings section for values.

Settings

The compare argument can have the following values:

Constant	Value	Description
vbUseCompareOption	–1	Performs a comparison using the setting of the Option Compare statement.
vbBinaryCompare	0	Performs a binary comparison.
vbTextCompare	1	Performs a textual comparison.
vbDatabaseCompare	2	Microsoft Office Access 2007 only. Performs a comparison based on information in your database.

Return Values

Replace returns the following values:

If	Replace returns
expression is zero-length	Zero-length string ("")
expression is Null	An error.
find is zero-length	Copy of expression.
replace is zero-length	Copy of expression with all occurences of find removed.
start > Len(expression)	Zero-length string. String replacement begins at the position indicated by start.
count is 0	Copy of expression.

Remarks

The return value of the Replace function is a string, with substitutions made, that begins at the position specified by start and concludes at the end of the expression string. It is not a copy of the original string from start to finish.

Example

Expression	Results
SELECT ProductID, Replace(ProductID,"PRO","Product") AS ReplacedID FROM ProductSales;	Returns the "ProductID", finds "PRO" in "ProductID" and replaces with "Product" and displays the result in column ReplacedID.

See Also

String functions and how to use them