Public Function Leftish(s As String)
'returns first n chars which fit pattern *nn?
Dim x As Long
Dim flag As Boolean
Dim a As String
For x = 1 To Len(s)
    a = a & Mid(s, x, 1)
    If IsNumeric(Right(a, 1)) Then flag = True
    If (flag And Not IsNumeric(Right(a, 1))) Then Exit For
Next x
Leftish = a

End Function