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When working with the names dataset in Excel, often there is a need to slice and dice the dataset and extract a part of it.

One common task many Excel users have to do is to extract the last name from the full name.

While it may seem like an easy task, it can get complicated (especially when you’re dealing with data that is not consistent).

In this tutorial, I will show you five different ways to extract the last name from the full name in Excel. I will cover different scenarios, where you only have the first and the last name in the dataset, or the first, middle, and last name.

So let’s get started!

Extracting the last name from a full name essentially means you’re replacing everything before the last name with a blank.

And this can easily be done using Find and Replace in Excel (and it takes less than 3 seconds).

Below I have a names data set from which I want to extract only the last name.

Below are the steps to use Find and Replace to remove everything before the last name:

Copy the name data from Column A and paste it in Column B. I am doing this to keep the original data intact. If you only need the last name, you can skip this step.

Select all the names in column B

Hold the Control key and press the H key (Command + H if using Mac). This will open the Find and Replace dialog box.

In the Find and Replace dialog box, enter the following in the Find what field: * (an asterisk symbol followed by a space character)

Leave the Replace with field empty/blank

The above steps food remove anything before the last space character, which would leave us with the last names only.

The above method would also work in case you have an inconsistent names dataset. For example, if you have names that may or may not have a middle name/initial, or may have a prefix such as Mr or Ms. The only condition is that the last name should be at the end of the name

How does this work?

In the ‘Find what’ field in the Find and Replace dialog box, I have used an asterisk sign (*) followed by a space character.

Asterisk is a wild card character that represents any number of characters in Excel.

So when I ask it to find an asterisk followed by the space character, it will find the last space character in the cell and everything before that space character would be considered a part of the asterisk.

And when I replace it with a blank, everything before the last space character is removed.

Note: For this method to work you need to make sure that there are no trailing spaces in your data. In case there is a space character after the last name, doing the above Find and Replace operation would remove everything from the cell. To make sure there are no trailing spaces, you can use the TRIM formula (read – how to remove trailing spaces in Excel)

Suppose you have a data set as shown below where you have the first name and the last name in column A, and you only want to extract the last name from it.

Below is the formula that will do that:

Let me quickly explain how this formula works.

The above formula uses the FIND function to get the position of the space character in the name.

Since the position of the space character would be between the first and the last name, once we have the position of the space character, we can use that to extract everything to the right of it (which would be the last name)

But how many characters from the right should it extract?

Since we have the position of the space character, we can subtract that value from the length of the name (which is given by the LEN function). This tells us how many characters are there after the space character in the name.

And this value is then used in the RIGHT formula to extract the last name from the full name.

Note that I have used TRIM(A2) instead of A2 in this formula. This is because there is a possibility that the cells containing the names may have leading, trailing, or double spaces in them. Using the TRIM function makes sure that all these extra spaces are ignored and only one space character between the first name and the last name is considered.

In case you have the first, middle, and last name, the formula becomes a little bit longer.

Below I have a data set where I have the first, middle, last name in column A, and I want to extract the last name from it.

Here is a formula that can do that:

The above function uses the same concept where we have to find out the position of the last space character, and then extract everything to the right of that space character.

But since there are two space characters, in this case, the challenge is to find out the position of this second space character.

To do this, I have used the below-nested SEARCH function (i.e., Search function within a search function)

This part of the formula gives us the position of the second space character, which is then used within the RIGHT formula to extract the last name.

Note that this formula would only work when you have a consistent names dataset – i.e., all the names have the first, middle, and last names.

In case you have a mix of names where some may have middle names but some may not, this formula is not going to work.

If that is the case, use the formula in the next section.

Below I have a named data set where the format is not consistent – in some cells, we only have the first and last name, and in some cells, there are a middle name and/or prefixes as well.

While you can still use excel formulas to extract the last name in this case, the formula we’ll get a little bit complicated.

Below is the formula that will extract the last name in this inconsistent data set:

Another really fast way to extract the last name from full names is by using the Flash Fill feature in Excel.

Introduced in Excel 2013, Flash Fill works by identifying patterns based on user input and giving you the same results for all the cells in the column.

Below I have a data set where I have the names in column A and I want to extract the last name in column B.

Here are the steps to do this Flash Fill:

In cell B2, manually enter the last name from the name in cell A2

Select the range in column B where you want the last names (B2:B10 in this example)

Hold the Control key and press the E key (or Command + E if using Mac)

The above steps would fill the selected range with the last names from names in Column A.

As I mentioned, Flash Fill works by identifying the pattern in one or two cells where you have manually entered the data and then replicates it for all the other select cells.

In this example, when I entered “Hans” in cell B2, and then used Flash Fill, it recognized that I’m trying to extract the last word from the text string in column A. So we did the same for all the cells I selected.

In case you have a dataset where you have a mix of names with and without a middle name, you can still use Flash Fill to extract the last name.

This is because the pattern that the flash fill has identified is to extract the last word from the text string, so it doesn’t matter how many words are there, it will give you the last name in any case.

Caution: While the flash fill method has worked perfectly in our case, its accuracy is dependent on how well it can identify the pattern. In some cases, it may not be able to identify the right pattern, so it’s important that you double-check the data to make sure it’s correct. In some cases, you may need to enter the data in two or three cells for flash fill to identify the pattern correctly

Compared with the formula method covered above, the flash fill method is a lot faster and more convenient.

One big difference however is that the result of the formula method is dynamic, which means that in case you change the original name, the result in the cell that has the formula would also update.

In the case of Flash Fill, you will have to repeat the same process again to get the updated data

If you want to automate the process of extracting the last names from full names, Power Query is the way to go.

Below I have a data set of names and I want to extract the last name from these. Note that I have a mix of names where there are middle names and prefixes in some of the cells.

To convert your data into an Excel Table, select the data and use the keyboard shortcut Control + T (or Command + T if using Mac)

Below are the steps to use Power Query to get the last name from this dataset:

Select any cell in the dataset

Go to the ‘Split Column’ option

In the ‘Split Column by Delimiter’ dilaog box, select Space as the delimiter (if not selected already)

In the Split at options, select ‘Right-most delimiter’

Rename the columns the way you want (I am going with ‘Full Name’ and ‘Last Name’)

The above steps would insert a new worksheet in your workbook that would have the resulting table.

Note that in the above example, the first name column has the first name as well as the middle name in some cases. In case you only want the last names, you can delete the first column in Power Query, so it will only give you the last name column as the result in the worksheet.

Now if you’re thinking that this is a long method and you’re better off using Flash Fill or formula method instead, you’re probably right.

The scenario where Power Query really shines is when you get a file that has the data and you need to do multiple modifications to it (say delete some columns, delete blank rows, extract the last name, etc).

The next time you get a new file, you won’t have to repeat all these steps again. simply connect your query to the new file and refresh the query.

In such scenarios, Power Query is a far better solution than using flash fill or formulas or even VBA.

So these are three different methods that you can use to extract the last name from full name in Excel. Personally, I prefer using the Flash Fill method in most cases, as it’s fast and quite reliable.

I hope you found this tutorial useful!

Other Excel tutorials you may also like:

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4 Ways To Change Computer Name In Windows 10 – Webnots

Windows 10 comes with many great features that improve user experience. However, one of its few shortcomings is that it generates a random computer name during installation. The OS assigns a name with “DESKTOP” prefix followed by a combination of numbers and letters like “DESKTOP- 8DGNCKM”. This can be confusing when you need to identify your computers, especially if you have more than one Windows 10 PCs. Therefore, finding and renaming your computer name is not all about personalization but also enhances efficiency. A unique name identifies the PC on a network as well as makes it easy to manage multiple devices.

Related: 11 ways to secure Windows 10 PC.

For whatever reasons you would like to know or change your PC unique identifier, this article will take you through how you can view or change Windows 10 computer name in various ways. If you have Mac, learn how to change computer name of your Mac.

What is the Name of Your Windows 10 PC?

To view your computer name in Windows 10;

System Menu

This will open the “About” page, which shows basic information about your computer.

More Details

A new window opens with all the basic information regarding your PC. You will see your PC identification details under “Computer name, domain and workgroup settings” heading.

You can use any of the following four methods to rename your PC to a descriptive name that is easy to recognize and remember.

PC Settings.

Control Panel.

Command Prompt.

PowerShell.

Rename PC

You can choose either “Restart now” or “Restart later” options from the prompt. The changes will take place once you restart your computer.

Reboot Computer

System Info

Reboot Computer

Search for and open “Command Prompt” as admin. To view the existing computer name, type “host name” and hit “Enter”.

Then type the following Command to rename the computer and press “Enter”.

CMD Option

Restart your computer to implement the changes.

Right “Yes” to allow the application to make changes to your PC.

PowerShell uses the same command as Command Prompt to display the current PC name (Step 1 of method 3 above).

Type the following command and press “Enter” on your keyboard:

PowerShell Option

Restart the computer.

Note: You can use a combination of letters, numbers and hyphens when renaming your computer, but you should avoid spaces between the characters. For example, you can rename your computer to “SALES-DEPT-PC”.

A computer name is a unique identity for your PC on a network. Can you recognize your PC from multiple devices on the network? Would you like your current PC name to something more descriptive and memorable? You may want to rename your computer for many reasons. Whether you want to give your PC a fancy name, for easy identification on a network or allow smooth device connectivity, no need to worry. Windows 10 provides the above four simple methods for changing your PC identity. However, you need to follow the system-naming format and restart your PC to effect the changes. Windows offers the option to restart immediately or later. Moreover, you should ensure that your name is easy to remember, preferably not more than 15 characters.

5 Quick And Easy Ways To Fix Error Code 12 On Sims 3

5 Quick and Easy Ways to Fix Error Code 12 on Sims 3 Get the game up and running in minutes

Sims 3

‘s E

rror

Code 12 is a common issue when

players

try to

save

the

game’s progress

The unavailability of system resources is one of the common reasons behind the error.

To fix things, try clearing up some RAM by terminating programs or increasing the virtual memory, amongst other methods here.

INSTALL BY CLICKING THE DOWNLOAD FILE

To fix Windows PC system issues, you will need a dedicated tool

Fortect is a tool that does not simply cleans up your PC, but has a repository with several millions of Windows System files stored in their initial version. When your PC encounters a problem, Fortect will fix it for you, by replacing bad files with fresh versions. To fix your current PC issue, here are the steps you need to take:

Download Fortect and install it on your PC.

Start the tool’s scanning process to look for corrupt files that are the source of your problem

Fortect has been downloaded by

readers this month.

However, unlike other errors, this one is easily fixable and wouldn’t require much of your time and effort. So, let’s find out how you can fix Error Code 12 in Sims 3.

Users reported encountering Sims 3 Error Code 12 while saving their game’s progress. And it’s usually due to two reasons: there aren’t enough free system resources to save the game, or Sims 3 has hit the threshold of memory consumption.

Other than that, outdated graphics drivers or the game’s built-in graphics setting can also be an underlying cause. So, let’s find out the solutions and a few workarounds for Error Code 12 in Sims 3.

First, free up more RAM for Sims 3 before playing it by closing programs presently running on the computer. Then, make sure that you don’t terminate any critical ones.

Then close background processes for third-party programs listed under Background processes. The best processes to terminate there are those for UWP Windows 10 apps, such as Edge, Photos, Skype, Mail, etc.

Once done, verify if Error Code 12 in Sims 3 is fixed. If not, head to the following method.

Expert tip:

Overriding the saved file persistently has also caused the error for many. Instead, experts recommend that you keep progress on different files or change the title.

Press Windows + E to open File Explorer and navigate the following path:C:UsersUsernameDocumentsElectronic ArtsThe Sims 3Saves

Next, select all folders in Saves that include a .bad extension at the end of their titles, and hit the Del key.

Now, select folders that have your saved game’s title with a .sims3 or .backup extension, and move them to a new folder named Backup on the desktop.

Deleting game save folders that end with a .bad extension might also fix Error Code 12 for some Sims 3 players. This has worked for many, and we recommend giving it a try. If the problem remains unresolved, head to the final method.

Players can also minimize Sims 3’s RAM consumption by lowering graphics settings. And if nothing else has worked, this is probably the only solution to Error Code 12 in Sims 3.

The game usually runs fine for most users, but some have reported that Sims 3 keeps crashing in Windows 10. For many, it could be incompatibility, or the system requirements for Sims 3 are not met.

Also, corrupt game files or misconfigured system settings are likely reasons behind the crash. Finally, some users reported running an outdated version of the game or the OS, which caused the crash. Besides, removing the recently installed mods did the trick for many.

That’s all there’s to Error Code 12 in Sims 3 regarding the game crashing in Windows. By the time you are done with the guide, the error should be long gone, along with other minor issues with the game.

Also, find out how to seamlessly install Sims 4 mods on Windows and Mac.

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How To Feather A Shape In Photoshop (3 Easy Ways)

Unlike other selections or brushes, knowing how to feather a shape in Photoshop is a bit confusing. Although it’s simple, once you know what to do, you likely feel at a loss trying to figure out how to make it happen initially.

Luckily, in this guide, you’ll learn three ways to feather the edge of your chosen shape. Each method is easy to do, but each method also has its pros and cons, which I’ll detail below. By the end of this guide, you’ll know two ways to feather all the edges of a shape and one way to feather a single edge.

Let’s get started!

One of Photoshop’s easiest ways to feather the edge of a shape is with the Marquee Tools. However, there is a downside. This option will only add a feather in a rectangular or circular shape. So you‘ll be limited to only using this option with those two shapes.

To add a shape to your canvas, hold down the Shape Tool (U) to open up the fly-out menu. Choose either the Rectangle Tool or the Ellipse Tool.

Use the Shape Tool to draw out your shape.

Rectangle Shape Ellipse Shape

Before you feather the edge of your shape, you should make sure the shape looks exactly how you want it.

Now that your shape looks how you need it select the Marquee Tool (M). Hold down on the Marquee button and choose either the Rectangular Marquee Tool or the Elliptical Marquee Tool.

Once you’ve selected your Marquee Tool, you must adjust the feather amount before using it.

To do this, add the number of pixels you want the edge of your shape to feather out. You may not know the exact number of pixels you need, but that’s okay. For now, just make an educated guess, and you can change the amount later.

An amount between 10 and 15 pixels is usually a good amount to start with.

After setting the amount of feather needed, you can now figure out where to place your Marquee tool.

Doing this will involve some trial & error, as every project is different.

Depending on your project, you will either find that the edges of your shape are perfectly feathered or not nearly feathered at all, and you can still see the edges.

There’s a good chance that the placement of your Marquee Tool did not result in the effect that you wanted. To adjust your feathering, first press Control + Z (Win) or Command + Z (Mac) as often as you need to. Undo up until using the Marquee Tool.

Then, use the Marquee Tool again, this time using it farther into your shape, about an inch or two from the edge. You may also want to adjust the amount of feather as well.

If you still don’t get the desired effect, repeat this step as often as required. Just remember to adjust your Marquee Tool placement and the amount of feathering.

This option may be the fastest way to blur the edges if you’re working with a shape with one solid color. However, this is not a good option if your shape contains patterns or an image.

If you don’t already have a shape on your canvas, you can add one with the Shape Tool (U).

Using this method, you can hold down on the Shape button and choose any of the shape options available.

Also, choose the color for the Stroke and Fill for your shape.

After adding your shape to your canvas, you simply have to add a Gaussian blur.

When attempting to add a Gaussian Blur to your shape, you will be prompted to either convert the shape layer to a smart object or rasterize it. Make sure to select Convert To Smart Object so that you can edit the shape at any stage.

After converting your layer, you will see a smart object icon in the corner of the layer’s thumbnail.

Once you apply your gaussian blur and convert the shape layer to a smart object, you will automatically be able to adjust how strong the blur should be. You can do this by changing the Radius slider.

While adjusting the Radius slider, keep in mind that moving the slider a little goes a long way. Even a blur as small as 20 to 25 px is enough to blur out your shape completely.

Most of the time, adjusting the radius of the blur to around 5 px is enough to create a good feathering effect. It all depends on your project, of course.

The main thing to remember when using this option is that the shape must be a solid color. If your shape has a pattern on it, the entire pattern will be blurred, not just the edges.

Now that your shape is a smart object, you won’t be able to change the color as you usually would.

After saving your changes, you can close out the new tab and return to the original project. Your color will be the new color you picked, and your feather effect will remain the same.

If you have a shape that only needs a single edge to be feathered, you can do this with the help of a Layer Mask and the Brush Tool.

If you don’t already have your shape on your Canvas, use the Shape Tool (U). If you want to use a custom shape, pick the Custom Shape Tool and choose your shape from the Options Bar.

To feather the edge of your shape, you’ll need to use the Brush Tool (B), which you can find in the Toolbar.

In the Options Bar, adjust the brush size where you need it, and select the Soft Round Brush.

Finally, ensure that your Foreground Color is Black.

Now you’re ready to apply the feather effect.

Now, simply paint the edge that you need to feather.

This may be difficult to do with your mouse, but if you paint slowly, you should be able to create a nice-looking feather effect, such as I have done at the bottom of the boat.

Before After

This final method is definitely more tedious than others, but gets the job done when you only need a single edge blurred from your shape. Now to take your skills further, check out this guide on blurring the edges of images in Photoshop since it follows a slightly different process!

How To Draw Curved Lines In Photoshop (2 Easy Ways)

The Line Tool is great, but it doesn’t offer much when you need to draw a curved line in your Photoshop projects. Luckily there are two simple ways to create curved lines in Photoshop with the help of a path. The first method you’ll learn here is the fastest way of doing things, while the second gives you some more creative freedom with how your curved line looks with the help of brushes.

The first method we’ll use to curve a line is with the Pen Tool (P) set to Shape Mode. This is the easiest method and will allow you to quickly create simple curved lines and make some basic adjustments to the appearance.

Start with an open project or new document and head to the Pen Tool (P) in the Toolbar.

You’ll see the Options Bar change to reflect the Shape settings.

This will ensure the shape fill is transparent.

You can then set the line’s thickness in pixels by entering a number or dragging the toggle along the width slider.

You can go back and further edit the appearance of the line once you’ve drawn it on your document.

The line will appear with the stroke settings you chose.

You can alter the appearance of the line once it’s created by heading to the Options bar and further adjusting the stroke settings.

For instance, if I want to change the color and thicken the line, I can change the stroke fill and increase the thickness within the stroke width setting box. Now the line looks totally different despite still following the same path as before.

The other method of curving a line uses the Brush Tool (B) to set the brush’s appearance. While the first method is generally simpler and faster to use, using the brush tool will give you more options for how your line looks.

For instance, lines made with the Brush Tool can have a rounded end, while otherwise, you’d only have a boxy end. You can also decrease the brush’s Hardness to give the line a softer edge.

Now, head to the Options bar. Rather than setting the mode to Shape as in our previous example, we want to set it to Path for this method (if it isn’t already).

This will allow you to create the line as a Path, which you can then apply brush settings to.

Then, add additional anchor points to create the curve you want. For my curve, I’ll add two more anchor points parallel to the first and drag them up, then down, to make the curve.

Next, head to the Brush Tool (B) in the Toolbar.

The Options Bar will change to show the brush settings.

For my purposes, I’ll choose a Hard Round brush with the Hardness set to 100. Feel free to adjust this if you’d like a more feathered line.

You also want to ensure the line doesn’t end up too thick by setting the width of the brush stroke. You want something relatively small. This will dictate the thickness of your line.

The Paths Panel will open in your workspace.

If you’d like to, you can further adjust the look of your line by returning to the Brush Settings and adjusting the appearance of the brush. This allows you to further change the color, hardness, brush type, and size.

Creating curved lines has nothing to do with the regular Shape Tools in Photoshop, which has always surprised me. Luckily with the help of the Pen Tool, they are still quick and easy to draw on any project!

3 Easy Ways To Create A Table In Adobe Indesign

Creating a basic table is pretty straightforward, but there are some additional ways to create a table in InDesign that can save you a lot of time on complex projects, so let’s get started!

3 Ways to Create a Table in InDesign

There are three main ways to create a table in InDesign: using the Create Table command, converting some existing text into a table, and creating a table based on an external file.

Method 1: Create a Basic Table

In the Create Table dialog window, the options are self-explanatory. You can use the Body Rows and Columns settings to specify the size of the table, and you can also add Header Rows and Footer Rows that will span the entire width of the table.

If you’ve already established a Table Style, you can also apply it here (more on this later in the Using Table and Cell Styles section).

Method 2: Convert Text into a Table

For this to work, you need to have the data for each cell separated consistently into rows and columns. Typically, this is done using a comma, tab space, or paragraph break between each cell’s data, but InDesign allows you to specify any character that you might need to use as a separator.

Column separators and row separators MUST be different characters, or InDesign won’t know how to structure the table properly.

Select the appropriate separator character for Rows and Columns from the dropdown menu, or just type in the correct character if your data uses a custom separator. You can also apply a Table Style here, but I’ll discuss the details later.

Method 3: Create a Table Using an Excel File

Note: InDesign sometimes gives the error message Cannot place this file. No filter found for the requested operation. if the Excel file was generated by a third-party program such as Google Sheets. If this happens, open the file in Excel and save it again without making any changes, and InDesign should read the file normally.

In most situations, your best bet is to use the Unformatted Table setting, which allows you to apply a custom Table Style using InDesign (again, more on that later – no, really, I promise!).

However, if your Excel file uses custom cell colors, fonts, and so on, select the Formatted Table option, and your Excel formatting choices will be carried over into InDesign.

You can specify the number of decimal places that will be imported if you want to create a more streamlined version of your table for your InDesign document, and also choose whether or not you want standard computer quote marks to be converted into proper typographer’s quote marks.

When the Excel file is updated, InDesign will detect the changes in the source file and prompt you to refresh the table data.

How to Edit and Customize Tables in InDesign

If you need to adjust the structure of your table by adding or removing rows, there are two options: you can use the Table Options window, or you can open the Tables panel.

The Table Options method is more comprehensive and also allows you to style your table, while the Tables panel is better for quick adjustments. Curiously, though, the Tables panel also has a few options that are unavailable in the Table Options window.

The various options are quite self-explanatory, and they allow you to apply almost any formatting that you can imagine to your table.

However, when configuring strokes and fills for your table, it’s usually a better idea to use styles to control formatting, especially if you have multiple tables in your document.

Using Table and Cell Styles

If you want to have ultimate control over the look of your tables, then you’ll need to use table styles and cell styles. This is mostly useful for longer documents that contain multiple tables, but it’s a good habit to cultivate.

A Final Word

That covers the basics of how to create a table in InDesign! The basics should be enough for most projects, although if you’re hungry for additional table knowledge, more complex tables can be created using data merges and interactive elements.

Happy tabling!

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