Article summary
Find out whether the digits are merely hidden on screen or missing from the file. Then separate the phone numbers ready for a Facebook check from records that need a better source.
If the asterisks are stored in the cell, stop at the input
A value such as “138****1234” is incomplete. Many phone numbers could share the visible digits. Removing the asterisks or filling in guesses will not restore the original number. AppShai's Facebook registration task accepts phone numbers and returns a result for the number actually submitted.[1]
A number can look incomplete for several reasons. Inspect a few rows before running the whole file.
- Look at the stored value. Widen the column and check the formula bar. If the complete value appears, the display is the issue. If the stored value still contains asterisks, the digits are missing from that copy.
- Check for conversion during import. An apparent omission might be a missing leading zero rather than redaction. Excel may remove leading zeros when it treats an entry as a number.[2] Formatting the converted value as text cannot restore lost digits. Retrieve them from the original source.
- Find out where redaction happened. Some colleagues only have access to a masked view. Ask the authorized record owner whether the job can use the complete numbers. Match on the original customer reference rather than the final digits.
Complete the portion with usable inputs
Suppose 56 of 80 records have complete numbers and the other 24 are masked. If the 56 need checking, build the submission from those numbers. State that 56 records had inputs and 24 are waiting. Summarize the registered, unregistered, and unresolved results for the part actually screened.
If someone needs a report on the entire batch, make the missing inputs visible. Add them to a later job if authorized complete numbers become available. You can then match those results to the original rows without resubmitting the numbers already checked.
Sources
- AppShai Facebook registration check · Phone-number input and registration result.
- Microsoft Support · Format numbers as text · How numeric formatting can remove leading zeros.
