# Insert one character into a text string

**URL:** <https://community.make.com/t/insert-one-character-into-a-text-string/44819>\
**Category:** Beginner Questions\
**Tags:** arrays, functions\
**Created:** [July 5, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.make.com/t/insert-one-character-into-a-text-string/44819 "2024-07-05T17:31:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![StewC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@StewC](https://community.make.com/u/StewC)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.make.com/t/insert-one-character-into-a-text-string/44819/1 "2024-07-05T17:31:14Z")

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I’m trying to handle a case where the (Account Number) text string is 9 characters long, and I want to insert a single character (single dash) between the second and third characters. In other languages I would break into 2 substrings and concatenate 3 strings (with, say, ‘&’ as the concat operator.) And could do it in a single statement.

As a relative newbie to Make, all I see suggests I have to create the 2 substrings using text function, ADD() both to an empty array, then apply JOIN() that array using the “-” as the separator. Is that really the simplest way? Seems like a relative mouthful. thx.  
Stew

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**Author:** ![Donald\_Mitchell](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.make.com/donald_mitchell/32/8749_2.png) [@Donald\_Mitchell](https://community.make.com/u/Donald_Mitchell)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://community.make.com/t/insert-one-character-into-a-text-string/44819/2 "2024-07-05T17:43:20Z")

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Hello @StewC,

I do believe the easiest way is to use two substring functions to split the string into two parts then contact them.  
Something like this:

substring(account number;0;2)&substring(account number;2;9)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![StewC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@StewC](https://community.make.com/u/StewC)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.make.com/t/insert-one-character-into-a-text-string/44819/3 "2024-07-05T19:38:49Z")

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Hi @Donald_Mitchell ,

Thanks! Yes, I _thought_ there must be a simple way. I substituted the “ampersand” in your example for the dash that I wanted. Ah, there’s no operator required between substrings…got it.

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**Author:** ![Make\_Bot](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.make.com/make_bot/32/14661_2.png) [@Make\_Bot](https://community.make.com/u/Make_Bot)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://community.make.com/t/insert-one-character-into-a-text-string/44819/4 "2024-07-19T19:49:02Z")

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