Modifying VBA copy and paste code to search down rather than across - vba

Question

I have the following VBA code:
Sub test():
Dim NameValue As String, w1 As Worksheet, w2 As Worksheet
Dim i As Long, j As Long, k As Long, c As Long
Set w1 = Sheets("Sheet2"): Set w2 = Sheets("Sheet3")
GetNameValue: For i = 1 To w1.Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).row
If w1.Range("A" & i) = "NAME:" Then
If InStr(1, NameValue, w1.Range("B" & i)) Then GoTo GetNext
j = i + 1: Do Until w1.Range("A" & j) = "DATE OF BIRTH:": j = j + 1: Loop
NameValue = Trim(NameValue & " " & w1.Range("B" & i) & "|" & w1.Range("B" & j))
c = c + 1: End If
GetNext: Next i: NameValue = NameValue & " "
For k = 1 To c
i = InStr(1, NameValue, "|"): j = InStr(i, NameValue, " ")
w2.Range("A" & k) = Left(NameValue, i - 1): w2.Range("B" & k) = Mid(NameValue, i + 1, j - i)
NameValue = Mid(NameValue, j + 1, Len(NameValue) - j)
Next k
End Sub
To break down what this code does:
1) Set the first sheet that should be searched and the second sheet (output sheet) that the results should be appended to.
2) Search the first column for a certain string "NAME:" and once found take the value in the second column, place it in the output sheet go look for "DATE OF BIRTH:". Once "DATE OF BIRTH:" is found put it beside the value for "NAME:" in the output sheet.
3) Repeat until there are no more entries.
I'm sure this is a very simple modification, but what I'd like to do is check whether a certain string exists, if it does grab the entry directly BELOW it, and then continue searching for the next string and associated entry just like the code does already.
Can anyone point me to what I would need to change in order to do this (and preferably why)?
In addition, how might I be able to extend this code to run over multiple sheets while depositing the results in a single sheet? Do I need to set up a range running over the worksheets w_1....w_(n-1) (with output sheet w_n possibly in a different workbook)?
Removed Line continuations in code:
Sub test()
Dim NameValue As String, w1 As Worksheet, w2 As Worksheet
Dim i As Long, j As Long, k As Long, c As Long
Set w1 = Sheets("Sheet2")
Set w2 = Sheets("Sheet3")
GetNameValue:
For i = 1 To w1.Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
If w1.Range("A" & i) = "NAME:" Then
If InStr(1, NameValue, w1.Range("B" & i)) Then GoTo GetNext
j = i + 1
Do Until w1.Range("A" & j) = "DATE OF BIRTH:"
j = j + 1
Loop
NameValue = Trim(NameValue & " " & w1.Range("B" & i) & "|" & w1.Range("B" & j))
c = c + 1
End If
GetNext:
Next i
NameValue = NameValue & " "
For k = 1 To c
i = InStr(1, NameValue, "|")
j = InStr(i, NameValue, " ")
w2.Range("A" & k) = Left(NameValue, i - 1)
w2.Range("B" & k) = Mid(NameValue, i + 1, j - i)
NameValue = Mid(NameValue, j + 1, Len(NameValue) - j)
Next k
End Sub
UPDATE: Just to make sure we're all on the same page about what the output would look like. Suppose we are searching for the entry below A and the entry beside C:
INPUT
A 1
B
y 3
z 4
t
d
s 7
C 8
A 1
Z
y 3
z 4
t
d
s 7
C 12
OUTPUT
B 8
Z 12
.
.
.

Answer 1

Assuming I understand your desire correctly, you can use the .Offset method with your current range to get to the cell below it. You would need to add a dim, so here's my stab at what you're trying to accomplish:
Sub test()
Dim NameValue As String, w1 As Worksheet, w2 As Worksheet
'new local variable
Dim newValue as string
Dim i As Long, j As Long, k As Long, c As Long
Set w1 = Sheets("Sheet2")
Set w2 = Sheets("Sheet3")
GetNameValue:
For i = 1 To w1.Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
'assuming your string is in column A
If w1.Range("A" & i) = "FIND ME" Then
newValue = w1.Range("A" & i).Offset(1,0).Value
End If
If w1.Range("A" & i) = "NAME:" Then
If InStr(1, NameValue, w1.Range("B" & i)) Then GoTo GetNext
j = i + 1
Do Until w1.Range("A" & j) = "DATE OF BIRTH:"
j = j + 1
Loop
NameValue = Trim(NameValue & " " & w1.Range("B" & i) & "|" & w1.Range("B" & j))
c = c + 1
End If
GetNext:
Next i
NameValue = NameValue & " "
For k = 1 To c
i = InStr(1, NameValue, "|")
j = InStr(i, NameValue, " ")
w2.Range("A" & k) = Left(NameValue, i - 1)
w2.Range("B" & k) = Mid(NameValue, i + 1, j - i)
NameValue = Mid(NameValue, j + 1, Len(NameValue) - j)
Next k
End Sub
Then you could do anything you desired with the newValue string, including putting it in w2 like so: w2.Range("D1").value = newValue
UPDATED ANSWER
I am now 89% sure I know what you are trying to accomplish :) thanks for your clarifying example.
To search a range for your search string, you need to set up a range you are looking in:
dim searchRange as range
dim w1,w2 as worksheet
Set w1 = Sheets("Sheet1")
Set w2 = Sheets("Sheet2")
set searchRange = w1.Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
Then you search the searchRange for both of your search strings (which I'm saying are "A" for the first and "C" for the second). As long as both strings are found in the searchRange, it will create a new Dictionary entry for the two values, having the value below "A" as the key and the value beside "C" as the item.
dim rng as range
dim valueBelowFirstSearch as string
dim resultsDictionary as object
dim i as integer
dim c, d as range
dim cAddress, dAddress as string
set resultsDictionary = CreateObject("scripting.dictionary")
with searchRange
set c = .Find("A", lookin:=xlValues)
set d = .Find("C", lookin:=xlValues)
if not c Is Nothing and not d Is Nothing then
cAddress = c.address
dAddress = d.address
resultsDictionary.add Key:=c.offset(1,0).value, Item:=d.value
Do
set c = .FindNext(c)
set d = .FindNext(d)
Loop While not c is nothing and not d is nothing and c.address <> cAddress and d.address <> dAddress
end if
end with
Now that we have all of the results in the resultsDictionary, we can now output the values into another place, which I'm choosing to be w2.
dim outRange as range
dim item as variant
set outRange = w2.Range("A1")
for each item in resultsDictionary
outRange.Value = item.key
set outRange = outRange.Offset(0,1)
outRange.Value = item.item
set outRange = outRange.Offset(1,-1)
next item

Answer 2

Can anyone point me to what I would need to change in order to do this
(and preferably why)?
Basically you need to change the parts of which NameValue is composed.
Originally you took the value beside the first match as w1.Range("B" & i) and now you want the value below the first match, which is w1.Range("A" & i + 1).
Originally it was:
Trim(NameValue & " " & w1.Range("B" & i) & "|" & w1.Range("B" & j))
Now you need something like this:
Trim(NameValue & " " & w1.Range("A" & i + 1) & "|" & w1.Range("B" & j))
In addition, how might I be able to extend this code to run over
multiple sheets while depositing the results in a single sheet?
(with output sheet w_n possibly in a different workbook)?
To achieve that you can e.g. create an array of Sheets and let the code run for each Sheet of this array. Note that the array might contain 1-N Sheets.
' Set array of sheets for just one sheet
Dim searchedSheets As Sheets
Set searchedSheets = Workbooks("SomeBook.xlsx").Sheets(Array("Sheet1"))
' Set array of sheets for more sheets, e.g. "Sheet1" and "Sheet2" and "Sheet3"
Dim searchedSheets As Sheets
Set searchedSheets = Workbooks("SomeBook.xlsx").Sheets(Array("Sheet1", "Sheet2", "Sheet3"))
' Finally set the second sheet where the results should be appended
' to sheet in the same workbook as the searched sheets
Dim outputSheet As Worksheet
Set outputSheet = Workbooks("SomeBook.xlsx").Worksheets("ResultSheet")
' Or set the second sheet where the results should be appended to sheet
' in a different workbook then the searched sheets belong to
Dim outputSheet As Worksheet
Set outputSheet = Workbooks("SomeOtherBook.xlsx").Worksheets("ResultSheet")
The complete code might look like this (tested with data you provided).
Option Explicit
Public Sub main()
' String to search below of it
Dim string1 As String
string1 = "A"
' String to search beside of it
Dim string2 As String
string2 = "C"
' Set the sheets that should be searched
Dim searchedSheets As Sheets
Set searchedSheets = Workbooks("SomeBook.xlsx").Sheets(Array("Sheet1", "Sheet2"))
' Set the second sheet (outputSheet sheet) that the results should be
' appended to external sheet in different book
Dim outputSheet As Worksheet
Set outputSheet = Workbooks("SomeOtherBook.xlsx").Worksheets("ResultSheet")
SearchFor string1, string2, searchedSheets, outputSheet
End Sub
Public Sub SearchFor( _
string1 As String, _
string2 As String, _
searchedSheets As Sheets, _
output As Worksheet)
Dim searched As Worksheet
Dim NameValue As String
Dim below As String
Dim beside As String
Dim i As Long
Dim j As Long
Dim k As Long
Dim c As Long
Dim rowsCount As Long
For Each searched In searchedSheets
rowsCount = searched.Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
For i = 1 To rowsCount
' Search the first column for a 'string1'
If searched.Range("A" & i) = string1 Then
' once 'string1' was found grab the entry directly below it
below = searched.Range("A" & i + 1)
If InStr(1, NameValue, below) Then
' skip this 'below' result because it was found before
GoTo GetNext
End If
' Search the first column for a 'string2' starting at the
' position where 'below' was found
For j = i + 1 To rowsCount
If searched.Range("A" & j) = string2 Then
' once 'string2' was found grab the entry directly
' beside it
beside = searched.Range("B" & j)
Exit For
End If
Next j
' Append 'below' and 'beside' to the result and count the
' number of metches
NameValue = Trim(NameValue & " " & below & "|" & beside)
c = c + 1
End If
GetNext:
Next i
Next searched
' Write the output
NameValue = NameValue & " "
For k = 1 To c
i = InStr(1, NameValue, "|")
j = InStr(i, NameValue, " ")
output.Range("A" & k) = Left(NameValue, i - 1)
output.Range("B" & k) = Mid(NameValue, i + 1, j - i)
NameValue = Mid(NameValue, j + 1, Len(NameValue) - j)
Next k
End Sub
Note: I replaced the Do-Until loop with For-Next loop because the Do-Until might cause a Stack-Overflow :-) error if the string "DATE OF BIRTH:" does not exist in the first column. However I have tryied to keep your originall code structure so you still understand it. HTH.

Answer 3

Assuming that you want to find one value (Name:), then continue searching till to find the second one (Date Of Birth:)... Finally, you want to move these pair of data into another worksheet.
To achieve that, i'd suggest to use Dictionary object to get only distinct values. I strongly do not recommend to use string concatenation as you provided in your code!
Option Explicit
Sub Test()
Dim src As Worksheet, dst As Worksheet
Set dst = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet2")
For Each src In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
If src.Name = dst.Name Then GoTo SkipNext
NamesToList src, dst
SkipNext:
Next
End Sub
'needs reference to MS Scripting Runtime library
Sub NamesToList(ByVal srcWsh As Worksheet, ByVal dstWsh As Worksheet, _
Optional ByVal SearchFor As String = "NAME:", Optional ByVal ThenNextFor As String = "DATE OF BIRTH:")
Dim dic As Dictionary, i As Long, j As Long, k As Long
Dim sKey As String, sVal As String
On Error GoTo Err_NamesToList
Set dic = New Dictionary
i = 2
j = GetFirstEmpty(srcWsh)
Do While i < j
If srcWsh.Range("A" & i) = SearchFor Then
sKey = srcWsh.Range("B" & i)
If Not dic.Exists(sKey) Then
Do While srcWsh.Range("A" & i) <> ThenNextFor
i = i + 1
Loop
sVal = srcWsh.Range("B" & i)
dic.Add sKey, sVal
k = GetFirstEmpty(dstWsh)
With dstWsh
.Range("A" & k) = sKey
.Range("B" & k) = sVal
End With
'sKey = ""
'sVal = ""
End If
End If
SkipNext:
i = i + 1
Loop
Exit_NamesToList:
On Error Resume Next
Set dic = Nothing
Exit Sub
Err_NamesToList:
Resume Exit_NamesToList
End Sub
Function GetFirstEmpty(ByVal wsh As Worksheet, Optional ByVal sCol As String = "A") As Long
GetFirstEmpty = wsh.Range(sCol & wsh.Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row + 1
End Function
Sample output:
Name DateOfBirth:
A 1999-01-01
B 1999-01-02
C 1999-01-03
D 1999-01-04
E 1999-01-05