Work with the example
Why does one label keep a gap after TRIM? Open the Calc workbook and compare the source in A with the two prepared columns. A6 contains a nonbreaking space U+00A0 between North and desk; A5 uses ordinary spaces. These are display labels, not customer identities.
| Source | TRIM only | Prepared C |
|---|---|---|
| Two leading/trailing spaces; three inside | North desk | North desk |
| North + U+00A0 + desk | U+00A0 remains | North desk |
Edit the working cells
B5 uses =TRIM(A5). C5 uses =TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A5;UNICHAR(160);" ")). Fill both down. Change A5 to " South desk ": C5 becomes South desk. Three ordinary spaces alone produce empty text. D uses EXACT to show whether the original and prepared strings are identical; both baseline rows areFALSE.
Check the failure case
TRIM alone leaves the stated U+00A0 character. This formula does not promise to remove every Unicode space, zero-width character or identity difference. Keep A unchanged so the proposed label can be reviewed.
If A5 contains only spaces, does empty C5 establish that a required label was supplied?
Show the worked answer
No. The display cleanup returns empty text; required-field rules need their own check.