Is there a split formula similar to what one uses in google docs or excel?

Question

I'm new to the Mac Word and Numbers. I'm quick with excel and am getting frustrated in trying to quickly split up a cell using a formula in numbers.
Is there a formula to break up an address based on spaces that is in one cell? For example, a cell contains this information:
1234 Main Street Anytown, VA 12345
I'd like to take split up to in two different ways:
First, I'd like the results to look like this in:
Column 1: 1234 Main Street
Column 2: Anytown, VA 12345
Second, I'd like to results to look like this:
Column 1: 1234
Column 2: Main
Column 3: Street
Column 4: Anytown
Column 5: VA
Column 6: 12345
Is there a simple formula or wizard to use besides the right and left formula's?
I hope this makes sense. I've been struggling for an hour and know I could do it in minutes in an excel spreadsheet.
Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

No need to use extraneous applications.
AppleScript is our friend for this kind of task.
Here are two scrips, one for each case.
--[SCRIPT expandAddress #1]
Save the script as a Script, an Application or an Application Bundle: expandAdress.xxx
Move the newly created application into the folder:
<startup Volume>:Users:<yourAccount>:Library:Scripts:Applications:Numbers:
Maybe you would have to create the folder Numbers and even the folder Applications by yourself.
select the cell containing the original address
menu Scripts > Numbers > expandAdress
the script will insert the expanded address.
--=====
The Finder's Help explains:
To make the Script menu appear:
Open the AppleScript utility located in Applications/AppleScript.
Select the "Show Script Menu in menu bar" checkbox.
+++++++
Yvan KOENIG (Vallauris, FRANCE)
24 avril 2009
on run
tell application "Numbers"
set {current_Range, current_table, current_Sheet, current_Doc} to my getSelection()
set aRef to item 1 of my decoupe(current_Range, ":")
set original to value of cell aRef of table current_table of sheet current_Sheet of document current_Doc
end tell
set l1 to my decoupe(original, ",")
set l2 to my decoupe(item 1 of l1, space)
set col1_1 to my recolle(items 1 thru -2 of l2, space)
set col2_1 to item -1 of l2 & "," & item 2 of l1
set result1 to col1_1 & tab & col2_1
set the clipboard to result1
set {col_num, row_num} to my decipher(aRef)
set aRef2 to my refEnLettres(row_num, col_num + 1)
tell application "Numbers"
tell document current_Doc to tell sheet current_Sheet to tell table current_table
set selection range to range (aRef & ":" & aRef2)
end tell
my shortCut(name, "v") (* paste the result *)
end tell
end run
--=====
on getSelection()
local _, theRange, theTable, theSheet, theDoc, errMsg, errNum
tell application "Numbers" to tell document 1
repeat with i from 1 to the count of sheets
tell sheet i
set x to the count of tables
if x > 0 then
repeat with y from 1 to x
try
(selection range of table y) as text
on error errMsg number errNum
set {_, theRange, _, theTable, _, theSheet, _, theDoc} to my decoupe(errMsg, quote)
return {theRange, theTable, theSheet, theDoc}
end try
end repeat -- y
end if -- x>0
end tell -- sheet
end repeat -- i
end tell -- document
return {missing value, missing value, missing value, missing value}
end getSelection
--=====
on decipher(n)
local colnum, rowNum, letters
set letters to "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
if (character 2 of n) as text > "9" then
set colnum to (offset of (character 1 of n) in letters) * 64 + (offset of (character 2 of n) in letters)
set rowNum to (text 3 thru -1 of n) as integer
else
set colnum to offset of (character 1 of n) in letters
set rowNum to (text 2 thru -1 of n) as integer
end if
return {colnum, rowNum}
end decipher
--=====
on refEnLettres(rowNum, colnum)
set letters to "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
set seuil to 26
if colnum > seuil then
set n1 to colnum div seuil
set n2 to colnum - (n1 * seuil)
set enLettre to character n1 of letters & character n2 of letters & rowNum
else
set enLettre to character colnum of letters & rowNum
end if
return enLettre
end refEnLettres
--=====
on decoupe(t, d)
local l
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
set l to text items of t
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
return l
end decoupe
--=====
on recolle(l, d)
local t
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
set t to l as text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
return t
end recolle
--=====
on shortCut(a, t)
tell application a to activate
tell application "System Events" to tell application process a
repeat with i from 1 to count of t
keystroke ((character i of t) as text) using {command down}
end repeat
end tell
end shortCut
--=====
--[/SCRIPT]
--[SCRIPT expandAddress #2]
Save the script as a Script, an Application or an Application Bundle: expandAdress.xxx
Move the newly created application into the folder:
<startup Volume>:Users:<yourAccount>:Library:Scripts:Applications:Numbers:
Maybe you would have to create the folder Numbers and even the folder Applications by yourself.
select the cell containing the original address
menu Scripts > Numbers > expandAdress
the script will insert the expanded address.
--=====
The Finder's Help explains:
To make the Script menu appear:
Open the AppleScript utility located in Applications/AppleScript.
Select the "Show Script Menu in menu bar" checkbox.
+++++++
Yvan KOENIG (Vallauris, FRANCE)
24 avril 2009
on run
tell application "Numbers"
set {current_Range, current_table, current_Sheet, current_Doc} to my getSelection()
set aRef to item 1 of my decoupe(current_Range, ":")
set original to value of cell aRef of table current_table of sheet current_Sheet of document current_Doc
end tell
set l1 to my decoupe(original, ", ")
set l2 to my decoupe(item 1 of l1, space)
copy my decoupe(item 2 of l1, space) to end of l2
set the clipboard to my recolle(l2, tab)
set {col_num, row_num} to my decipher(aRef)
set aRef2 to my refEnLettres(row_num, col_num + 6)
tell application "Numbers"
tell document current_Doc to tell sheet current_Sheet to tell table current_table
set selection range to range (aRef & ":" & aRef2)
end tell
my shortCut(name, "v") (* paste the result *)
end tell
end run
--=====
on getSelection()
local _, theRange, theTable, theSheet, theDoc, errMsg, errNum
tell application "Numbers" to tell document 1
repeat with i from 1 to the count of sheets
tell sheet i
set x to the count of tables
if x > 0 then
repeat with y from 1 to x
try
(selection range of table y) as text
on error errMsg number errNum
set {_, theRange, _, theTable, _, theSheet, _, theDoc} to my decoupe(errMsg, quote)
return {theRange, theTable, theSheet, theDoc}
end try
end repeat -- y
end if -- x>0
end tell -- sheet
end repeat -- i
end tell -- document
return {missing value, missing value, missing value, missing value}
end getSelection
--=====
on decipher(n)
local colnum, rowNum, letters
set letters to "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
if (character 2 of n) as text > "9" then
set colnum to (offset of (character 1 of n) in letters) * 64 + (offset of (character 2 of n) in letters)
set rowNum to (text 3 thru -1 of n) as integer
else
set colnum to offset of (character 1 of n) in letters
set rowNum to (text 2 thru -1 of n) as integer
end if
return {colnum, rowNum}
end decipher
--=====
on refEnLettres(rowNum, colnum)
set letters to "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
set seuil to 26
if colnum > seuil then
set n1 to colnum div seuil
set n2 to colnum - (n1 * seuil)
set enLettre to character n1 of letters & character n2 of letters & rowNum
else
set enLettre to character colnum of letters & rowNum
end if
return enLettre
end refEnLettres
--=====
on decoupe(t, d)
local l
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
set l to text items of t
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
return l
end decoupe
--=====
on recolle(l, d)
local t
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
set t to l as text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
return t
end recolle
--=====
on shortCut(a, t)
tell application a to activate
tell application "System Events" to tell application process a
repeat with i from 1 to count of t
keystroke ((character i of t) as text) using {command down}
end repeat
end tell
end shortCut
--=====
--[/SCRIPT]
Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE vendredi 24 avril 2009 19:56:54)