Excel Duplicate Directory List

[barndtaa]

Hello,
I've been working on an excel code to try and determine if an input already exists in our directory, however excel is spitting me out incorrect data. Say, I am looking to input a new name in the directory and want to input "0788-CREPE-SP" but "pr:0788-CREPE-SP" already exists. I want excel to ignore the "pr:" and ":av" and still tell me that this input exists. Currently I am using the code:
=VLOOKUP(A10,Directory!A:A,TRUE)
but this code doesn't even give me remotely what I'm looking for even when i keep the "pr:"s and ":av"s. It gives random name that are on the list that don't anything like this one or just "#N/A".

Help if you can,
Thanks!

 

[Comfy]

=VLOOKUP("*"&A10&"*",Directory!A:A,1,FALSE)

try that.

 

[barndtaa]

Hey thanks! Could you possibly explain what those asterixes do? Just so I know in case I ever run into a problem like this again (I'm kind of new to excel).

 

[Comfy]

They act as wildcards.

Wildcard characters - Excel