Here is one more code. As a side product, function TextSplitToNumbersAndOther can be used independently as a formula to achieve the same effect.
To prevent accidental firing of the macro in a wrong sheet or a wrong column and overwriting neighbouring columns with scrap, named range "Start_point" should be defined by a user. Below this range in the same column, all data will be processed till the first blank row.
Spreadsheet example: http://www.bumpclub.ee/~jyri_r/Excel/Extracting_symbols_into_columns.xls
Option Explicit
Sub ExtractSymbolsIntoColumns()
Dim rng As Range
Dim row_processed As Integer
Dim string_to_split As String
Dim columns_needed As Long
Dim counter As Long
row_processed = 1
counter = 0
Set rng = Range("Start_point")
While rng.Offset(row_processed, 0).Value <> ""
string_to_split = rng.Offset(row_processed, 0).Value
columns_needed = TextSplitToNumbersAndOther(string_to_split)
For counter = 1 To columns_needed
rng.Offset(row_processed, counter).Value = _
TextSplitToNumbersAndOther(string_to_split, counter)
Next
row_processed = row_processed + 1
Wend
End Sub
Function TextSplitToNumbersAndOther(InputText As String, _
Optional SplitPieceNumber As Long) As Variant
Dim piece_from_split(100) As Variant
Dim char_from_input As String
Dim word_count As Long
Dim counter As Long
Dim char_type(100) As Variant
InputText = Trim(InputText)
If Not IsNull(InputText) Then
word_count = 1
piece_from_split(word_count) = ""
For counter = 1 To Len(InputText)
char_from_input = CharFromTextPosition(InputText, counter)
char_type(counter) = CharTypeAsNumber(char_from_input)
If counter = 1 Then
piece_from_split(word_count) = char_from_input
Else
If (char_type(counter - 1) = char_type(counter)) Then
piece_from_split(word_count) = piece_from_split(word_count) & char_from_input
'Merge for the same type
Else
word_count = word_count + 1
piece_from_split(word_count) = char_from_input
End If
End If
Next
End If
If SplitPieceNumber = 0 Then
TextSplitToNumbersAndOther = word_count
Else
If SplitPieceNumber > word_count Then
TextSplitToNumbersAndOther = ""
Else
TextSplitToNumbersAndOther = piece_from_split(SplitPieceNumber)
End If
End If
End Function
Function CharTypeAsNumber(InputChar As String, Optional PositionInString As Long) As Long
If PositionInString = 0 Then PositionInString = 1
If Not IsNull(InputChar) Then
InputChar = Mid(InputChar, PositionInString, 1)
Select Case InputChar
Case 0 To 9
CharTypeAsNumber = 1
Case "a" To "z"
CharTypeAsNumber = 2
Case "A" To "Z"
CharTypeAsNumber = 3
Case Else
CharTypeAsNumber = 4
End Select
Else
CharTypeAsNumber = 0
End If
End Function
Function CharFromTextPosition(InputString As String, TextPosition As Long) As String
CharFromTextPosition = Mid(InputString, TextPosition, 1)
End Function