PlanMaker 2026 · Find and replace · Beginner
Find and Replace Values Safely in PlanMaker 2026
Replace selected PlanMaker constants while preserving formulas, case-sensitive exceptions and other worksheets, with an auditable practice fixture.
Official 2026 documentation reviewed; native application verification pending · Editorial standards
Replace a legacy status code without touching its occurrence in a comment-like note or inside a formula. The important decision is which cells and which kinds of cell content are eligible, before choosing Replace all.
Build a small audit sheet
Create a disposable workbook and enter this table at A1. Enter the two expressions in column D as formulas, not text. Leave the other D cells empty.
| Row | A: ID | B: Status | C: Note | D: Formula check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | R01 | HOLD | HOLD for audit | ="HOLD" |
| 3 | R02 | HOLDOVER | Keep literal | =2+2 |
| 4 | R03 | hold | Lowercase exception | |
| 5 | R04 | HOLD | Release approved | |
| 6 | R05 | READY | HOLD in note |
In F1 enter Outside selection; in F2 enter HOLD. Save as status-before.pmdx, then use File → Save as to make status-working.pmdx. The untouched file is the recovery point. On this exercise only B2 and B5 should become REVIEW. D2 should still contain ="HOLD" and display HOLD; D3 should remain 4. F2 and both notes containing HOLD must remain unchanged.
Define the selection and options
- Make sure only this worksheet tab is selected. The documented search scope can include several selected worksheets, even when Whole document is off.
- Select B2:B6, then choose Home → Search group → Replace. A range selected before opening the command limits the operation; without a selection the worksheet is searched.
- Enter HOLD in Search for and REVIEW in Replace with. Choose Enlarge to expose the additional settings.
- Set Search in to Cells. Enable Values, disable Formulas, and disable Whole document.
- Enable Whole cell match and Case-sensitive. These exclude HOLDOVER and lowercase hold. Search by column changes traversal order, not the eligible meaning of a match.
- Choose Search, inspect the highlighted cell, and choose Replace only for B2 or B5. Continue until both approved cells are changed; use Search again to skip an unexpected match. Close the dialog before auditing.
If the first result is outside B2:B6, stop and rebuild the selection and settings rather than continuing. This controlled pass makes it possible to catch a scope mistake before a bulk edit. A separate repeat on a fresh working copy may use Replace all, but only after the same search options and expected two-cell count have been checked.
Check the result independently
Read the five statuses from top to bottom: REVIEW, HOLDOVER, hold, REVIEW, READY. Count two REVIEW cells and no uppercase whole-cell HOLD within B2:B6. Inspect D2 in the input line to verify its formula text, rather than relying only on the displayed HOLD. Confirm F2 and C2/C6 are unchanged. Save the working file only after these checks.
A replacement count by itself is insufficient: two wrong cells could have been changed. Record the addresses and contents, and compare them against the untouched copy. If the result is wrong, close the working copy without saving and reopen the before file; if already saved, create another working copy from the untouched file. Do not use Undo as a recovery plan after closing and reopening a document.
Change the requirement deliberately
For a second exercise, start again from the before file and disable Case-sensitive while retaining Whole cell match. The intended matches now number three: B2, B4 and B5. HOLDOVER still must not change. For the growth test, reopen status-before.pmdx and use File → Save as to create a new working copy. Add R06 in A7 and HOLD in B7. Select B2:B7, reopen Replace, re-enable Case-sensitive, and retain the original other settings: Search in = Cells, Values enabled, Formulas and Whole document disabled, and Whole cell match enabled. Search for HOLD and replace with REVIEW. This case-sensitive version now has three intended matches: B2, B5 and B7. Extending the records does not prove an old selection expanded.
An advanced search-only check illustrates a crucial PlanMaker distinction. Search for 4 in D2:D3 with Results enabled and Formulas/Values disabled: D3 is the intended calculated-result match. Results is available for Search, not Replace. To change that calculation, edit its inputs or formula consciously; do not try to replace a displayed result as though it were a stored constant.
Troubleshooting and safe extensions
- Too many matches: check Whole cell match, case sensitivity, selection, selected worksheet tabs and Whole document.
- A formula was eligible: reopen Enlarge and inspect Formulas. Values means fixed entries; it is not the same as calculated results.
- A wildcard behaves unexpectedly: PlanMaker’s Special menu uses
^?for one arbitrary character and^*for multiple characters.^^searches for a caret. Do not import wildcard or regular-expression assumptions from another spreadsheet. - Search all is missing: it is documented for Search in = Cells. Use it to inspect matches before replacing, not as a guarantee that the replacement scope is unchanged.
- Need to edit formulas: use a separate backed-up exercise and inspect each formula. See trace a wrong formula result before changing references in bulk.
Scope, verification and sources
PlanMaker 2026 paid desktop, English ribbon interface; documentation-backed instructions, native application execution pending. NX builds require matching controls; compatibility with every NX build is not established here. FreeOffice 2024 and Android/iOS are outside this tutorial scope.
The fixture values and expected arithmetic were checked independently. The new application steps have not been executed in a native PlanMaker GUI. No native screenshot is supplied; neither calculated fixtures nor website rendering prove application behavior. Check the stated acceptance results in your installed build before relying on the workflow.