Find action in Apple Numbers package

The Find action in the Apple Numbers package enables you to find a specific string within the active or specified table on the active sheet.

Settings

  • Use one of the following options to provide session name:
    • Session name: Enter the name of the session used to open the spreadsheet with the Open action.
    • Variable: Enter the session variable that you added in the Open action.
  • Enter the exact text you want to search for in the Find text field. For example, employee ID.
  • Use the following options to match the search criteria:
    • Match Case: Only matches with the same capitalization as find text (Case-sensitive matching).
    • Match whole words: Limits matches to whole-word instances (avoid partials).
  • Choose where to perform the search:
    • Active table: Uses the currently active or selected table in the sheet.
    • Specific table : Type the exact table name (For example, Table 11: CustomerData).
  • Specify the scope of the search in the Table range field.
    • From: Select from the following list to begin your search:
      • Beginning
      • End
      • Active cell
      • Specific cell
    • Till: Select from the following list to define the extent of your search in the specified table.
      • Beginning
      • End
      • Active cell
      • Specific cell
    Note: When you specify a search range, for example, from the active cell A4 to the specific cell C4, and then you select the green circle (known as the Row Handle) on the left side of the table, the active cell value changes to A1, which is the starting cell of the table. Consequently, the search will then cover the range from A1 to C4.
  • Choose from the following search options :
    • By Rows: Scans left to right across the first row, then the next row.
    • By Columns: Scans top to bottom down the first column, then the next column.
  • In the Store cell address field, select or create a list variable from the list to store the captured cell address(es) containing the found text.

When you specify the attributes mentioned above, the action will search the identified table for all occurrences of the specified Find text string. It will then store all found cell addresses in the designated List variable under the Store cell address detail. The Match case option will only match strings that have exactly the same capitalization; otherwise, the case will be ignored (for example, Roger is considered equal to roger and ROGER). The Match whole words criterion ensures that only whole words are matched, while sub-strings will be matched if this option is not selected. You can specify the Table range starting from either the beginning or end of the table. Additionally, you can define the range from a specific cell address to another or use a combination of start, end, and cell addresses.