--- title: "Use the STARTSWITH Function to Validate Starting Text" slug: "startswith-function" description: "Learn to use the STARTSWITH function to check if a Text begins with specific characters, allowing you to validate and organize Text entries in Pigment. " updated: 2025-05-30T09:42:22Z published: 2025-08-22T10:57:28Z canonical: "kb.pigment.com/startswith-function" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.pigment.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # STARTSWITH function ## ​​Description Determines whether a Text starts with a given Text. ## Syntax `STARTSWITH(Start Text, Text to Search [, Is Case Sensitive])` ## Arguments | Argument | Type | Dimensions | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | *Start Text* (required) | Text | Any Dimensions | Starting text to find. | | *Text to Search* (required) | Text | No Dimension or Dimensions of *Start Text* | Text to search in. | | *Is Case Sensitive* (optional) | Boolean | No Dimension or Dimensions of *Start Text* | Whether the search is done with case sensitivity. By default, the search is not case sensitive. | ## Returns | Type | Dimensions | | --- | --- | | Boolean | Dimensions of *Start Text* | `TRUE` if *Text to Search* starts with *Start Text*. `FALSE` if *Text to Search* does not start with *Start Text.* ## Examples | Formula | Result | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `STARTSWITH(“ab”, “abc”)` | `TRUE` | The Text “abc” starts with “ab”. | | `STARTSWITH(“b”, “abc”)` | `FALSE` | The Text “abc” does not start with “b”. | | `STARTSWITH(“A”, “abc”)` | `TRUE` | The search is not case sensitive by default. Searching for the Text “A” is equivalent to searching for the Text “a”. | | `STARTWITH(“A”, “abc", TRUE)` | `FALSE` | The search is case sensitive. “abc” does not start with “A”. | ## See also Related articles: [FIND](/v1/docs/find-function), [CONTAINS](/v1/docs/contains-function), [ENDSWITH](/v1/docs/endswith-function) > [!TIP] > More of a hands-on learner? > > Talk to your Customer Success Manager about downloading the Functions and Modifiers in Pigment Application into your workspace. It includes examples of every formula and modifier in Pigment!