Extract Sheet Number from Drawing ID
As an architect, I often work with large drawing schedules where each drawing has a unique, often lengthy, ID (e.g., 'A-101-PLN-001', 'S-205-SEC-002'). I need to pull the first 3 characters (e.g., 'A-1', 'S-2') from these drawing IDs to quickly identify the drawing discipline or primary sheet number. This helps in sorting, filtering, and summarizing drawing lists efficiently for project management and coordination.
=LEFT(A2,3) How it works: The LEFT function extracts a specified number of characters from the beginning (left side) of a text string. In this formula, `A2` refers to the cell containing the full drawing ID (e.g., 'A-101-PLN-001'), and `3` is the `num_chars` argument, specifying that we want to extract the first three characters from the left of that string. This effectively isolates the primary identifier for the drawing discipline or initial sheet number, such as 'A-1' for Architectural or 'S-2' for Structural.
Data Setup
| Drawing ID | Description |
|---|---|
| A-101-PLN-001 | Ground Floor Plan |
| S-205-SEC-002 | Section View A-A |
| E-301-DET-003 | Electrical Detail 1 |
| L-400-LND-001 | Landscape Plan |
| C-501-SITE-001 | Civil Site Plan |
Step-by-Step Guide
Select the cell where you want the extracted sheet number to appear (e.g., cell B2, next to your first drawing ID).
Type the formula: `=LEFT(A2,3)`
Press Enter to apply the formula.
Click on cell B2 again, then drag the fill handle (the small green square at the bottom-right corner of the cell) down to apply the formula to the rest of your drawing IDs in column A.