The data I'm starting with:1 Hello  2 Just another 22 line  300 Yeah, the first step is to admit you need helpI want the finished version to look like:(1) Hello  (2) Just another (22) line  (300) Yeah, the first step is to admit you need helpTo recap: surround any numbers with parentheses.I can identify the numbers easily in the REGEXREPLACE find section, with [0-9]+I am completely lost in the replace section. How do I retain the matched string?
Using regexreplace to surround numbers by parentheses
google spreadsheets;regex
If your text is in cell A1, then =regexreplace(A1, ([0-9]+), ($1))will do the job. The term you were looking for is capturing: the parentheses around [0-9]+ capture the matched substring, i.e., it gets recorded somewhere. In the substitution string, the commands $1, $2, ... can be used to refer to the 1st, 2nd, etc captured string. So, the command says: find a string of consecutive digits (greedily, i.e., grab all consecutive ones), and replace it by the same string surrounded by parentheses. And being a global search-and-replace, regexreplace does the above to every matched substring. 