Say this is my cell:

2013 *aaron e. pacheco*9743 2nd Avenue*Boca 33431 *pacheco*9049

how would i use the text function to extract the first, middle, and last names from a list of cells like the one above with differing name lengths? and possibly some without middle names?
I'm having trouble using the LEN and Right functions...

To extract the first, middle, and last names from a list of cells like the one you provided, you can use a combination of text functions including LEN, LEFT, RIGHT, and FIND. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. First Name:
You can use the LEFT function along with the FIND function to extract the first name. Use the following formula:
=LEFT(A1, FIND("*", A1) - 1)
This formula assumes that the cell containing the text is in cell A1 and that the text is enclosed within asterisks (*).

2. Last Name:
To extract the last name, you can use the RIGHT function with the FIND function. Use the following formula:
=RIGHT(A1, LEN(A1) - FIND("*", A1, FIND("*", A1) + 1) - 1)
This formula finds the position of the second asterisk (*) using the FIND function and subtracts it from the length of the cell value using the LEN function. This gives the number of characters to extract from the right side of the cell value using the RIGHT function.

3. Middle Name (if available):
To extract the middle name, you can use a combination of the RIGHT, LEFT, LEN, and FIND functions.
Assuming the middle name is enclosed within two asterisks (*), you can use the following formula:
=MID(A1, FIND("*", A1) + 1, FIND("*", A1, FIND("*", A1) + 1) - FIND("*", A1) -1)
This formula finds the position of the first and second asterisks (*) using the FIND function and extracts the text between them using the MID function.

By combining these formulas, you can extract the first, middle, and last names from your list of cells, even if the names have differing lengths or some cells don't have middle names. Just adjust the cell references and asterisk positions accordingly in the formulas.