VBA - Split string into individual cells - vba

Question

I have a string compressed into one cell. I need to separate each part of the string into their own cell, while copying the data from the same row.
Here is my example data:
A | B
Row1 ABC ABD ABE ABF | CODE1
Row2 BCA DBA EBA FBA | CODE2
Row3 TEA BEF | CODE3
The result would be:
A B
ABC CODE1
ABD CODE1
ABE CODE1
ABF CODE1
BCA CODE2
DBA CODE2
EBA CODE2
FBA CODE2
TEA CODE3
BEF CODE3
I have about 2000 rows and would literally take 30 years to use the text to column function for this. So I am trying to write a vba macro. I think I am making this harder than it needs to be. Any thoughts or pushes in the right direction would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.

Answer 1

This will work, (but it's mighty inefficient unless you do it in an array... nevertheless for only 2000 rows, you won't even notice the lag)
Function SplitThis(Str as String, Delimiter as String, SerialNumber as Long) As String
SplitThis = Split(Str, Delimiter)(SerialNumber - 1)
End Function
Use it as
= SPLITTHIS("ABC EFG HIJ", " ", 2)
' The result will be ...
"EFG"
You will still need to put in a whole lot of extra error checking, etc. if you need to use it for a distributed application, as the users might put in values greater than the number of 'split elements' or get delimiters wrong, etc.

Answer 2

I like iterating over cells for problems like this post.
' code resides on input sheet
Sub ParseData()
Dim wksOut As Worksheet
Dim iRowOut As Integer
Dim iRow As Integer
Dim asData() As String
Dim i As Integer
Dim s As String
Set wksOut = Worksheets("Sheet2")
iRowOut = 1
For iRow = 1 To UsedRange.Rows.Count
asData = Split(Trim(Cells(iRow, 1)), " ")
For i = 0 To UBound(asData)
s = Trim(asData(i))
If Len(s) > 0 Then
wksOut.Cells(iRowOut, 1) = Cells(iRow, 2)
wksOut.Cells(iRowOut, 2) = s
iRowOut = iRowOut + 1
End If
Next i
Next iRow
MsgBox "done"
End Sub

Answer 3

Assuming your data is on the first sheet, this populates the second sheet with the formatted data. I also assume that the data is uniform, meaning there is the same type of data on every row until the data ends. I did not attempt the header line.
Public Sub FixIt()
Dim fromSheet, toSheet As Excel.Worksheet
Dim fromRow, toRow, k As Integer
Dim code As String
Set fromSheet = Me.Worksheets(1)
Set toSheet = Me.Worksheets(2)
' Ignore first row
fromRow = 2
toRow = 1
Dim outsideArr() As String
Dim insideArr() As String
Do While Trim(fromSheet.Cells(fromRow, 1)) <> ""
' Split on the pipe
outsideArr = Split(fromSheet.Cells(fromRow, 1), "|")
' Split left of pipe, trimmed, on space
insideArr = Split(Trim(outsideArr(0)), " ")
' Save the code
code = Trim(outsideArr(UBound(outsideArr)))
' Skip first element of inside array
For k = 1 To UBound(insideArr)
toSheet.Cells(toRow, 1).Value = insideArr(k)
toSheet.Cells(toRow, 2).Value = code
toRow = toRow + 1
Next k
fromRow = fromRow + 1
Loop
End Sub

Answer 4

Let me try as well using Dictionary :)
Sub Test()
Dim r As Range, c As Range
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim k, lrow As Long, i As Long
Set ws = Sheet1 '~~> change to suit, everything else as is
Set r = ws.Range("B1", ws.Range("B" & ws.Rows.Count).End(xlUp))
With CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
For Each c In r
If Not .Exists(c.Value) Then
.Add c.Value, Split(Trim(c.Offset(0, -1).Value))
End If
Next
ws.Range("A:B").ClearContents
For Each k In .Keys
lrow = ws.Range("A" & ws.Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
If lrow = 1 Then i = 0 Else i = 1
ws.Range("A" & lrow).Offset(i, 0) _
.Resize(UBound(.Item(k)) + 1).Value = Application.Transpose(.Item(k))
ws.Range("A" & lrow).Offset(i, 1).Resize(UBound(.Item(k)) + 1).Value = k
Next
End With
End Sub
Above code loads all items in Dictionary and then return it in the same Range. HTH.

Answer 5

Here is an approach using a User Defined Type, Collection and arrays. I've been using this lately and thought it might apply. It does make writing the code easier, once you get used to it.
The user defined type is set in a class module. I called the type "CodeData" and gave it two properties -- Code and Data
I assumed your data was in columns A & B starting with row 1; and I put the results on the same worksheet but in columns D & E. This can be easily changed, and put on a different worksheet if that's preferable.
First, enter the following code into a Class Module which you have renamed "CodeData"
Option Explicit
Private pData As String
Private pCode As String
Property Get Data() As String
Data = pData
End Property
Property Let Data(Value As String)
pData = Value
End Property
Property Get Code() As String
Code = pCode
End Property
Property Let Code(Value As String)
pCode = Value
End Property
Then put the following code into a Regular module:
Option Explicit
Sub ParseCodesAndData()
Dim cCodeData As CodeData
Dim colCodeData As Collection
Dim vSrc As Variant, vRes() As Variant
Dim V As Variant
Dim rRes As Range
Dim I As Long, J As Long
'Results start here. But could be on another sheet
Set rRes = Range("D1:E1")
'Get Source Data
vSrc = Range("A1", Cells(Rows.Count, "B").End(xlUp))
'Collect the data
Set colCodeData = New Collection
For I = 1 To UBound(vSrc, 1)
V = Split(vSrc(I, 1), " ")
For J = 0 To UBound(V)
Set cCodeData = New CodeData
cCodeData.Code = Trim(vSrc(I, 2))
cCodeData.Data = Trim(V(J))
colCodeData.Add cCodeData
Next J
Next I
'Write results to array
ReDim vRes(1 To colCodeData.Count, 1 To 2)
For I = 1 To UBound(vRes)
Set cCodeData = colCodeData(I)
vRes(I, 1) = cCodeData.Data
vRes(I, 2) = cCodeData.Code
Next I
'Write array to worksheet
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
rRes.EntireColumn.Clear
rRes.Resize(rowsize:=UBound(vRes, 1)) = vRes
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

Answer 6

Here is the solution I devised with help from above. Thanks for the responses!
Sub Splt()
Dim LR As Long, i As Long
Dim X As Variant
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
LR = Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
Columns("A").Insert
For i = LR To 1 Step -1
With Range("B" & i)
If InStr(.Value, " ") = 0 Then
.Offset(, -1).Value = .Value
Else
X = Split(.Value, " ")
.Offset(1).Resize(UBound(X)).EntireRow.Insert
.Offset(, -1).Resize(UBound(X) - LBound(X) + 1).Value = Application.Transpose(X)
End If
End With
Next i
Columns("B").Delete
LR = Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
With Range("B1:C" & LR)
On Error Resume Next
.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks).FormulaR1C1 = "=R[-1]C"
On Error GoTo 0
.Value = .Value
End With
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub