Vba excel dictionary of dictionaries

I am creating unique collections from every column in my sheet under the column headings using dictionary object. Column headings are in Row 1.

Problem is my dictionaries contains unique items from previous columns. for example if call a dictionary of column 4, it contains all unique items and headings from columns 1,2,3. I need only unique items from that perticular column. Any idea how to correct this code?.

Sub cre_Dict()
Dim fulArr As Variant

Set d = CreateObject("scripting.dictionary")

With Sheets("Database")
        fulArr = .Range("A1:IO27") 'assign whole table to array
        For j = 1 To UBound(fulArr, 2) 'looping from 1st column to last column
            For i = 2 To UBound(fulArr, 1) 'looping from row2 to last row
                If Len(fulArr(i, j)) > 0 Then 'if not blank cell
                    d00 = d.Item(fulArr(i, j)) 'add to dictionary
                End If
            Next i
            d(fulArr(1, j)) = d.keys 'create dictionary under column heading
        Next j
End With

End Sub

Thanks

asked Nov 19, 2015 at 15:11

If I’ve got this correct, you have duplicates in different columns. So basically your keys in the dictionary are not unique as you iterate over columns. If that’s the case, when you add your keys to the dictionary, create a composite key. For example something like:

Dim sKey as string
sKey = «A~» & «ABCD»

This will then make the key unique for column A.
When processing the collection, you can strip out the «A~» part for each column.

answered Nov 19, 2015 at 15:59

Excel columns run from A to Z, AA to AZ, AAA to XFD. The last column is XFD.

Hi Everybody!

I’m new here and new with VBA as well. I’m trying to create a Dictionary of Dictionaries with the following code:

Dim dic As Dictionary, e, s
Set dic = New Dictionary ‘<- main dictionary
Set dic(a) = New Dictionary

where dic(a) stands for 100 baby dictionaries that I’m trying to fill by looping the variable a from 1 to 100. It turns out to be not feasible. Do I have to Set all dic(1), dic(2), dic(3)…dic(100) individually which works? Since using a variable for those baby ones would be extremely easy for downstream analysis, I’d really appreciate it if someone could help on this.

Thanks in advance.

Why would you want a dictionary of dictionaries, as opposed to a collection of dictionaries?

Thanks a lot shg! I got more sense about the keys of the baby dictionaries.

Why use a dictionary of dictionaries, instead of collection of dictionaries? Just based on what I know so far. By reading about this topic, I learned that a dictionary has many advantages and convenience over a collection. However, it is the first time for me to use dictionary. I really don’t know the difference when they have babies. Would you think a collection of dictionaries is better?

Great Kalak! This makes the layers clear. Thanks a lot. Would you recommend something to read about dictionary of dictionaries? I could not see much online. My next step is to identify similarities among the items in these baby dictionaries and have not really figured out what would be the best way to do it. Any suggestions?

Originally Posted by shg

You can access a collection by index; a dictionary only by key.

Thanks again. I’ll look into it.

Re: Creating Dictionary of Dictionaries

Last edited by Dodo123; 02-28-2014 at 02:06 AM.

Reiterative post — content was removed

Originally Posted by shg

You can access a collection by index; a dictionary only by key.

Please take a look at #9. Your suggestions are appreciated.

You describe the steps of an algorithm. More generally, what are you trying to do?

It seems there should be a much easier way.

Originally Posted by shg

You describe the steps of an algorithm. More generally, what are you trying to do?

It seems there should be a much easier way.

It is something like this: I have 10 rulers of 1000 cm, all labeled by 1001 distinct letters in a given order but not alphabetic, 1 cm/letter. That means you won’t be able to figure out the order of the letters by simply reading the letters. However, the letters are in the same order for all 10 rulers.

I chop each ruler into 100 segments at random points and mix the 100 segments together. I have a way to identify the letters in each mixture (not on the segments). After analyzing each mixture, I only know there are 1001 letters in it and won’t be able to know the order of the letters.

Now, if I divide the 100 segments into 10 subgroups for each of the 10 rulers. After identifying the letters in each subgroups, I should be able to recover the original order of the letters based on the fact that adjacent letters tend to «travel» together in the subgroups and based on the information of overlapping segments from different rulers (Note, no overlapping segments can be generated from the same ruler).

Interesting? Look forward to your suggestions.

Originally Posted by shg

Some kind of DNA alignment thing?

Haha, similar. Any suggestions?

Re: Creating Dictionary of Dictionaries

Last edited by Dodo123; 02-27-2014 at 12:39 PM.

Reason: format of tables cannot be kept

Originally Posted by shg

You can post a workbook.

Are those two examples side by side in each case, or two parts of a single example?

These are two samples side by side. I tried to post a workbook but could not find how. Now I know. Here we go (in Excel 2013)!

Is that two examples or one? If it’s two, please get rid of one, and show the steps that transmute one set of inputs to one output.

Then I’ll ask the logic applied at each step.

Please consider that only one of us has any clue of what you have or are trying to do.

Those are two SAMPLES in one EXAMPLE. Remember, we have 10 rulers (two are shown in the spread sheet) each was chopped at random points into 100 segments. The 100 segments are mixed first and then subdivided into 10 subgroups (6 (columns) are shown here. There are should be an average of 10 segments in each subgroup. Only one segment in each group is shown in the sheet. The steps to transmute the input information to output would include the follows:

1. Ordinarily, we may take a pair of «letters» (say 121 and 123) identified from the same subgroup (a column in the worksheet) and then ask if they are co-present among the subgroups from other nine rulers. If their co-present rate is significantly greater than the expected based on random combination, they are considered to be from the same segment, and otherwise, from different segments.

2. After exhausting all pairwise tests, letters of the same segment origin can be identified and sorted into segment-like form like what you see in the left two panels in the 2nd sheet, «Output & Final.»

Note: The number of pairwise combinations is large. There should be method(s) similar to or better than the MATCH function that does not require pairwise test.

3. Run the same test for all subgroups from all 10 rulers so that letters in each group can be grouped based on their segment origins. At this point, you can only subdivide the letters based on their segment origins and don’t know the order of the segments.

4. Work out the order of the overlapping «segments,» for example

12 24 56 6 from one subgroup of ruler 1 and 56 6 897 25 from a subgroup of ruler 5 can be used to assemble the order of

12 24 56 6 897 254 based their overlapping letters of 56 and 6.

5. Extend the segment assembly until the entire order of the letters are worked out along the length of the entire ruler.

These steps are what I can imagine. There might be modifications as the programming goes.

Those are two SAMPLES in one EXAMPLE. Remember, we have 10 rulers (two are shown in the spread sheet) each was chopped at random points into 100 segments. The 100 segments are mixed first and then subdivided into 10 subgroups (6 (columns) are shown here. [shg] On what basis are they assigned to subgroups? The + in the column is the subgroup assignment?Why are the column orders different in the two samples?

There are should be an average of 10 segments in each subgroup. Only one segment in each group is shown in the sheet. The steps to transmute the input information to output would include the follows:

1. Ordinarily, we may take a pair of «letters» (say 121 and 123) identified from the same subgroup (a column in the worksheet) and then ask if they are co-present among the subgroups from other nine rulers. If their co-present rate is significantly greater than the expected based on random combination, they are considered to be from the same segment, and otherwise, from different segments.

[shg] Where do you see «121» or «123»? You mean the ID column? Are the IDs the same on all rulers?

2. After exhausting all pairwise tests, letters of the same segment origin can be identified and sorted into segment-like form like what you see in the left two panels in the 2nd sheet, «Output & Final.»

Note: The number of pairwise combinations is large. There should be method(s) similar to or better than the MATCH function that does not require pairwise test.

3. Run the same test for all subgroups from all 10 rulers so that letters in each group can be grouped based on their segment origins. At this point, you can only subdivide the letters based on their segment origins and don’t know the order of the segments.

4. Work out the order of the overlapping «segments,» for example

12 24 56 6 from one subgroup of ruler 1 and 56 6 897 25 from a subgroup of ruler 5 can be used to assemble the order of

12 24 56 6 897 254 based their overlapping letters of 56 and 6.

[shg] Where does 12 24 56 6 appear in a subgroup of ruler 1?

5. Extend the segment assembly until the entire order of the letters are worked out along the length of the entire ruler.

These steps are what I can imagine. There might be modifications as the programming goes.

[shg] I fear I am at sea. What’s the genesis of the problem?

Re: Creating Dictionary of Dictionaries

Last edited by Dodo123; 02-28-2014 at 01:08 AM.

I don’t think the description is very abstract. The issue is straightforward and clear — to figure out the order of the markers on a ruler that has been chopped into pieces. Only are markers within the same piece prevented from separation into different subgroups. Obviously, you may not be able to solve the problem with only one ruler. With 10 rulers having randomly generated pieces, you should be able to. I’m done my best to explain every point with an example. However, if you pursue the merit or value, that is something else, beyond the issue itself.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your patience.

Originally Posted by nilem

Hi Dodo123,
maybe something like this (for B2:I38 range on Data worksheet)

Hi nilem,

Thanks so much for the help. I’ve seen your post and digesting. I’ll get back to you with my thought after comprehend your sub (I’m new with VBA :-)). Have a nice evening there if I need more time before your bedtime.

Good morning nilem.

Thanks for your code that provides an interesting way to sort the markers «+» into an order.

However, the marker order has to be determined by their co-presence in the subgroups from all the 10 rulers. In this way, the IDs in the «Real Order» column can be sorted into clusters with neighboring markers in the same cluster. As shown in the 2nd sheet, markers in G1 are clustered with their real order IDs, R013 R014 R015 R016 R017 R018 R019. This indicates the success of computation.

Please note, there are should 100 segments for each column and only one is shown in the tables.

To all who have gone over this thread,

If you are interested in solving this issue, but don’t have time to work out the code, carefully going over the posts and provide algorithmic suggestions would be appreciated. Suggestions could include the effective way to storing a large number of data sets, handling a large number of comparisons point by point, scoring the number of subgroups in which a given pair of markers are present(I called «markers» as «letters» in the previous posts), etc.

Many thanks to those who have offered help so far regardless how much you dug into it. I know it is a very challenging issue, yet very interesting.

Originally Posted by nilem

Could you show an example with more than one segment (at least 2 or 3) in the «before and after» mode

Sorry about replying you late. It took me a while to generate what you requested. Please see the two attached workbooks.

Sheet1 in the two books are identical. It contains the actual order of the markers on the rulers represented by numbers with a prefix of «R» in Column «Real Order.» The numbers in the «ID» column are the IDs assign to the markers when the real order is unknown. «+» means «Presence.»

Each of Sheets 2 to 7 in Data Example Set2a contains raw data for one of six rulers. Each ruler is chopped into ~20 segments which are randomly distributed into 10 subgroups, two each (occasionally three). Marker IDs are identified from each subgroup and indicated by a «+» sign. For a given ruler, all IDs are unique. IDs for the same position on all rulers are the same. In this book, IDs are sorted based on their numeric values. However, this does not provided any information about the actual order of the markers on the rulers. At this point, the «Real Order» is unknown.

Data Example Set2b contains clustered markers assuming the «Real Order» is worked out and the markers are sorted based on the real order.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks a lot!

Re: Creating Dictionary of Dictionaries

Last edited by Dodo123; 03-03-2014 at 01:55 PM.