Pass a Range as a Function Parameter - vba

I am writing a function that needs to pass a specified range into it, but I keep getting an error whenever I call the function. Here's some example code--the code in the function is unimportant, as all I want to do is be able to use the passed in range for anything within.
My Declaration:
Sub exampleFunction (exampleRange as Range)
exampleRange.Borders(xlEdgeLeft).Weight = xlMedium
End Sub
But when I try to call the function with this code:
Dim myRange As Range
Set myRange = Sheet1.Range ("C2")
exampleFunction (myRange) ' <-- This is what doesn't work
I get an error that says "Compile Error: Expected: =".
What do I need to do to pass in myRange correctly during the function call?

exampleFunction (myRange)
should be
exampleFunction myRange
or for multiple arguments:
exampleFunction myRange, myString, myInt
You only use () when your method returns a value or when using the Call keyword.
If you wrap your argument in () - and you're not calling a Function or using Call - then VBA will first evaluate the argument before passing it to your method - you often don't want that.
You can see the impact of this evaluation in the Immediate window:
? typename( Range("A1") ) '>> "Range"
? typename( (Range("A1")) ) '>> "Double" (if A1 has a numeric value)
' "String" (if A1 has a text value)

Related

Pass name created in Name Manager Excel to Function VBA

I created a name in Name Manager. How to pass the name "MyRange1" parameter for my function in VBA code?
In Excel:
=MyFunction(MyRange1)
MyFunction is:
Public Function MyFunction(nameDefined As Variant) As String
'How get value of nameDefined ??
End Function
There are two ways to pass a Named Range:
as a String
as a Range Object
so a UDF() in a worksheet cell would have either:
=myudf("Name1")
or
=myudf(Name1)
Naturally, the UDF() would have to be coded to expect one or the other,
Note that there could be volatility problems with using only a String.
EDIT#1:
Here is an example of passing a Range rather than a String. Say we create MyRange1 like:
and the UDF() is like:
Public Function MyFunction(rng As Range) As String
Dim r As Range
For Each r In rng
MyFunction = MyFunction & "..." & r.Text
Next r
End Function
Then we can use it in a worksheet cell like:
=MyFunction(MyRange1)
Once the UDF() has the range, it can get the list of items contained therein.
To figure out similar questions, you can put a Breakpoint in the code and analyse the Locals window:
From the Locals window you can notice that you can access "Str2" with nameDefined(2,1)
( or in your version of Excel it might be nameDefined(2) for horizontal array )
You can also check the run-time type with some of the VBA functions:
t = VBA.TypeName(nameDefined) ' t = "Variant()"
v = VBA.VarType(nameDefined) ' v = vbArray + vbVariant ( = 8204 )
b = VBA.IsArray(nameDefined) ' b = True ( also True for range with more than one cell )

Using character as argument to function

I would like to be able to only pass q as argument to a function, so that the user does not have to enter a string "q".
I have a function defined in a module
Function doThis(val As Variant)
MsgBox CStr(val)
' Here is a comparison of val with other strings and additional code
End
I call it from my worksheet:
=doThis(q)
And the messagebox returns
Error 2029
I have tried with String and Boolean as value type as well, but only variant fires the function.
Is it possible to receive a q as argument?
Quite simple. First create a Defined Name for q
Secondly in a standard module:
Function doThis(val As Variant)
MsgBox CStr(val)
doThis = ""
End Function
Finally in the worksheet:

vba - properly passing range value to a function

in my application i call a function and pass 4 values to calculate a cell adress:
nettowertadresse = searchAdress(Dateiname, CurrentSheet, "Nettowert", Range("A1:C60"))
function:
Function searchAdress(inputworkbook As String, inputsheet As String, inputsearchtext As String, inputrange As Range) As Range
With Workbooks(inputworkbook).Sheets(inputsheet).Range(inputrange)
Set searchAdress = .Find(inputsearchtext, LookIn:=xlValues)
End With
End Function
now the problem is that i get error 1004 "application defined or object defined error" and i think that maybe the range is not properly passed because the debugger shows no value for the variable "inputrange" when jumping to the function. please give some advice on how to make this function work. thanks.
Your function, searchAddress, declares inputrange as Range. This means that the object inside your function is a Range object.
So you should not be using it as .Range(inputrange). Instead try using this code, which treats it correctly as a Range object:
Function searchAdress(inputworkbook As String, inputsheet As String, inputsearchtext As String, inputrange As Range) As Range
With Workbooks(inputworkbook).Sheets(inputsheet)
Set searchAdress = inputrange.Find(inputsearchtext, LookIn:=xlValues)
End With
End Function
Also note that there is another bug in your code that calls this function. You need to use the keyword Set when assigning the return value to your nettowertadresse variable:
Set nettowertadresse = searchAdress(Dateiname, CurrentSheet, "Nettowert", Range("A1:BA2"))
Otherwise you will experience Run-time error '91', which you mention in your follow-up question.
you add a Range to a rangeobject in your function, your function looks like this then:
With Workbooks(inputworkbook).Sheets(inputsheet).Range(Range("A1:C60"))
Set searchAdress = .Find(inputsearchtext, LookIn:=xlValues)
End With
You should change this:
Function searchAdress(inputworkbook As String, inputsheet As String, inputsearchtext As String, inputrange As String) As Range
With Workbooks(inputworkbook).Sheets(inputsheet).Range(inputrange)
Set searchAdress = .Find(inputsearchtext, LookIn:=xlValues)
End With
End Function
And then pass this to the function:
nettowertadresse = searchAdress(Dateiname, CurrentSheet, "Nettowert", "A1:C60")

Syntax options creating errors in VBA Macro for Excel

I'm having some trouble with syntax options while writing a VBA Macro for Excel. In VBA you can call a method on an object in two different ways:
foo.bar(arg1, arg2)
or
foo.bar arg1, arg2
I absolutely detest the second sort of syntax because I find it lacks any sort of clarity, so I normally adhere to the first option. However, I've come across a situation where using the first option creates an error, while the second executes fine. (This may perhaps be an indicator of other problems in my code.) Here is the culprit code:
Function GetFundList() As Collection
Dim newFund As FundValues
Range("A5").Select
Set GetFundList = New Collection
While Len(Selection.Value)
Set newFund = New FundValues
' I set the fields of newFund and move Selection
The problem is in this next line:
GetFundList.Add newFund
Wend
End Function
FundValues is a class I created that is essentially just a struct; it has three properties which get set during the loop.
Basically, when I call GetFundList.Add(newFund) I get the following error:
Run-time error '438':
Object doesn't support this property or method
But calling GetFundList.Add newFund is perfectly fine.
Does anyone understand the intricacies of VBA well enough to explain why this is happening?
EDIT: Thanks much for the explanations!
Adding items to a collection is not defined as a function returning a value, but as a sub routine:
Public Sub Add( _
ByVal Item As Object, _
Optional ByVal Key As String, _
Optional ByVal { Before | After } As Object = Nothing _
)
When calling another sub routine by name and sending arguments (without adding the "Call" statement), you are not required to add parentheses.
You need to add parentheses when you call a function that returns a value to a variable.
Example:
Sub Test_1()
Dim iCnt As Integer
Dim iCnt_B As Integer
Dim iResult As Integer
iCnt = 2
iCnt_B = 3
fTest_1 iCnt, iResult, iCnt_B
End Sub
Public Function fTest_1(iCnt, iResult, iCnt_B)
iResult = iCnt * 2 + iCnt_B * 2
End Function
Sub Test_2()
Dim iCnt As Integer
Dim iCnt_B As Integer
Dim iResult As Integer
iCnt = 2
iCnt_B = 3
iResult = fTest_2(iCnt, iCnt_B)
End Sub
Public Function fTest_2(iCnt, iCnt_B)
fTest_2 = iCnt * 2 + iCnt_B * 2
End Function
Let me know if not clear.
This Daily Dose of Excel conversation will be helpful.
When you use the parentheses you are forcing VBA to evaluate what's inside them and adding the result to the collection. Since NewFund has no default property - I assume - the evaluation yields nothing, so can't be added. Without the parentheses it evaluates to the instance of the class, which is what you want.
Another example. This:
Dim coll As Collection
Set coll = New Collection
coll.Add Range("A1")
Debug.Print coll(1); TypeName(coll(1))
and this ...
coll.Add (Range("A1"))
Debug.Print coll(1); TypeName(coll(1))
... both yield whatever is in A1 in the debug.window, because Value is Range's default property. However, the first will yield a type of "Range", whereas the type in the 2nd example is the data type in A1. In other words, the first adds a range to the collection, the 2nd the contents of the range.
On the other hand, this works:
Dim coll As Collection
Set coll = New Collection
coll.Add ActiveSheet
Debug.Print coll(1).Name
... and this doesn't:
coll.Add (ActiveSheet)
Debug.Print coll(1).Name
because ActiveSheet has no default property. You'll get an runtime error 438, just like in your question.
Here's another way of looking at the same thing.
Let assume that cell A1 contains the string Hi!
Function SomeFunc(item1, item2)
SomeFunc = 4
End Function
Sub Mac()
' here in both of the following two lines of code,
' item1 will be Variant/Object/Range, while item2 will be Variant/String:
SomeFunc Range("A1"), (Range("A1"))
Let i = SomeFunc(Range("A1"), (Range("A1")))
'this following is a compile syntax error
SomeFunc(Range("A1"), (Range("A1")))
' while here in both the following two lines of code,
' item1 will be Variant/String while item2 will be Variant/Object/Range:
SomeFunc ((Range("A1")), Range("A1")
Let j = SomeFunc((Range("A1")), Range("A1"))
'this following is a compile syntax error
SomeFunc((Range("A1")), Range("A1"))
Set r = Range("A1") ' sets r to Variant/Object/Range
Set r = (Range("A1")) ' runtime error 13, type mismatch; cannot SET r (as reference) to string "Hi!" -- Strings are not objects in VBA
Set r = Range("A1").Value ' runtime error (same)
Let r = Range("A1") ' set r to "Hi!" e.g. contents of A1 aka Range("A1").Value; conversion to value during let = assignment
Let r = (Range("A1")) ' set r to "Hi!" e.g. contents of A1 aka Range("A1").Value; conversion to value by extra ()'s
Let r = Range("A1").Value ' set r to "Hi!" by explicit use of .Value
End Sub
I only add this to help illustrate that there are two things going on here, which could be conflated.
The first is that the () in an expression that converts the item to its Value property as stated above in other answers.
The second is that functions invoked with intent to capture or use the return value require extra () surrounding the whole argument list, whereas functions (or sub's) invoked without intent to capture or use the return value (e.g. as statements) must be called without those same () surrounding the argument list. These surrounding () do not convert the argument list using .Value. When the argument list has only one parameter, this distinction can be particularly confusing.

How to convert a String to a Range Object

Is there anyway to convert a string value to a Range object ? I'm having a function which takes a Range object as a argument and need to pass a single string parameter to it
Thank You
A string with a cell address? if so:
Dim r As Range: Set r = Range("B3")
MsgBox r.ColumnWidth
I don't like this one bit, but if you can't change the function that requires a range, you could create a function that converts a string to a range. You'd want to be sure that the only thing the first function cares about is the Value or Text properties.
Function FuncThatTakesRange(rng As Range)
FuncThatTakesRange = rng.Value
End Function
Function ConvertStringToRange(sInput As String) As Range
Dim ws As Worksheet
Set ws = Workbooks.Add.Sheets(1)
ws.Range("A1").Value = sInput
Set ConvertStringToRange = ws.Range("A1")
Application.OnTime Now + TimeSerial(0, 0, 1), "'CloseWB """ & ws.Parent.Name & """'"
End Function
Sub CloseWb(sWb As String)
On Error Resume Next
Workbooks(sWb).Close False
End Sub
Use in the Immediate Window like
?functhattakesrange(convertstringtorange("Myvalue"))
Here is my solution that involves no need for a new function.
1.Make dynamic string variable first
2.Then finalize it by creating a range object out of this string via a range method: Set dynamicrange= range (dynamicstring)
You can manipulate dynamicstring as you want to, I just kept it simple so that you can see that you can make range out of a string variable.
Sub test()
Dim dynamicrangecopystring As String
Dim dynamicrangecopy As range
dynamicrangecopystring = "B12:Q12"
Set dynamicrangecopy = range(dynamicrangecopystring)
End Sub
Why not change the function argument to a variant and then in the function determine Using VarType etc) if you have been passed a Range and use error handling to check for a string which can be converted to a range or a string that cannot be converted to a range ?
This simple function will convert string arguments into a range object, usable in other excel functions.
Function TXT2RNG(text) As Variant
Set TXT2RNG = Range(text)
End Function
Let's say Sheet1!A1 has the text value "Sheet1!B1" and Sheet1!B1 has the value "1234". The following code will use the range address stored as text in A1 as an input and copy the range B1 to A2:
Sub Tester()
Sheet1.Range(Range("A1")).Copy
Sheet1.Range("A2").PasteSpecial xlPasteAll
End Sub