totn Access Functions

MS Access: Replace Function

This MSAccess tutorial explains how to use the Access Replace function with syntax and examples.

Description

The Microsoft Access Replace function replaces a sequence of characters in a string with another set of characters (a number of times).

Syntax

The syntax for the Replace function in MS Access is:

Replace ( string1, find, replacement, [start, [count, [compare]]] )

Parameters or Arguments

string1
The string to replace a sequence of characters with another set of characters.
find
The string that will be searched for in string1.
replacement
The string to replace find in string1.
start
Optional. This is the position in string1 to begin the search. If this parameter is omitted, the Replace function will begin the search at position 1.
count
Optional. This is the number of occurrences to replace. If this parameter is omitted, the Replace function will replace all occurrences of find with replacement.
compare

Optional. This can be one of the following values:

Parameter Value Description
vbUseCompareOption Compares based on the Option Compare statement
vbBinaryCompare Binary comparison
vbTextCompare Textual comparison
vbDatabaseCompare Performs a comparison based on information in your database

Applies To

The Replace function can be used in the following versions of Microsoft Access:

  • Access 2019, Access 2016, Access 2013, Access 2010, Access 2007, Access 2003, Access XP, Access 2000

Example

Let's look at how to use the Replace function in MS Access:

Replace("alphabet", "bet", "hydro")
Result: "alphahydro"

Replace ("alphabet", "a", "e")
Result: "elphebet"

Replace("alphabet", "a", "e", 2)
Result: "lphebet"

Replace("alphabet", "a", "e", 1, 1)
Result: "elphabet"

Example in VBA Code

The Replace function can be used in VBA code in Microsoft Access.

For example:

Dim LResult As String

LResult = Replace ("alphabet", "a", "e")

In this example, the variable called LResult would now contain the value "elphebet".

Example in SQL/Queries

You can also use the Replace function in a query in Microsoft Access.

For example:

Microsoft Access

In this query, we have used the Replace function as follows:

Expr1: Replace([name],"a","e")

This query will replace all "a" characters in the name field with "e" characters. The results will be displayed in a column called Expr1. You can replace Expr1 with a column name that is more meaningful.

For example:

ModifiedName: Replace([name],"a","e")

The results would now be displayed in a column called ModifiedName.