Just to complete the possibilities listed, I would like to demonstrate how you can use Split() for an all-round function with the following variants depending on the optional argument n passed:
- a) show whether a substring was found at all (-1 or omitted as default value)
- b) show how many substrings were found (0) ,
- c) show at which position the nth substring was found (1 .. n).
Function StrIncludes( _
ByVal s As String, _
Optional ByVal IncludeString As String = ",", _
Optional n As Long = -1 _
) As Long
'Purp.: find specified substring based on numeric value n
'Note : 2nd argument IncludeString is optional (default value is comma if omitted)
' 3rd argument n: -1~~>only boolean; 0~~>count(s); 1..n ~~>position
Dim tmp: tmp = Split(s, IncludeString)
StrIncludes = UBound(tmp) > 0 ' a) boolean return value indicating a found substring
Select Case n ' individual numeric values:
Case 0 ' b) return Count(s), not boolean value
StrIncludes = UBound(tmp)
Case 1
StrIncludes = IIf(StrIncludes, Len(tmp(n - 1)) + n, 0)
Case Is > 1 ' c) return Position of nth finding
If n > UBound(tmp) Then StrIncludes = 0: Exit Function
StrIncludes = IIf(StrIncludes, Len(tmp(0)) + n, 0)
Dim i As Long
For i = 2 To n: StrIncludes = StrIncludes + Len(tmp(i - 1)): Next
End Select
End Function
Example call
Sub ExampleCall()
' define base string
Dim s As String
s = "Take this example string, does it contain a comma, doesn't it?"
'a) check if base string contains indicated search string, e.g. a comma (default value)
Debug.Print "Is Found: " & CBool(StrIncludes(s)) ' ~~> Is Found: True
'b) get number of substrings
Debug.Print "Count(s): " & StrIncludes(s, , 0) ' ~~> Count(s): 2
'c) get position of nth substring
Debug.Print "~~~ Findings of nth substring ~~~ "
Dim n As Long
For n = 1 To 3
Debug.Print n & ordinalSuffix(n) & " substring at Pos.: " & StrIncludes(s, , n)
Next
End Sub
Function ordinalSuffix(ByVal number As Long) As String
Dim suffixes: suffixes = Split(" st nd rd th")
ordinalSuffix = suffixes(Abs(number))
End Function
Debugging results in immediate window
Is Found: Wahr
Count(s): 2
~~~ Findings of nth substring ~~~
1st substring at Pos.: 25
2nd substring at Pos.: 50
3rd substring at Pos.: 0 ' no finding at all
In this Article
- INSTR Function
- Instr Example
- Instr Syntax
- Instr Start Position
- Case-Insensitive INSTR Test
- InstrRev Function
- VBA Coding Made Easy
- InString Examples
- If String Contains Substring
- Find Text String in a Cell
- Find Position of a Character in a String
- Search String for Word
- If Variable Contains String
- Instr and the Left Function
- Using Instr in Microsoft Access VBA
INSTR Function
The VBA Instr Function checks if a string of text is found in another string of text. It returns 0 if the text is not found. Otherwise it returns the character position where the text is found.
The Instr Function performs exact matches. The VBA Like Operator can be used instead to perform inexact matches / pattern matching by using Wildcards.
Instr Example
The following code snippet searches the string “Look in this string” for the word “Look”. The Instr Function returns 1 because the text is found in the first position.
Sub FindSomeText()
MsgBox InStr("Look in this string", "Look")
End SubThis second example returns 7 because the text is found starting in the 7th position:
Sub FindSomeText2()
MsgBox InStr("Don't Look in this string", "Look")
End SubImportant! The Instr Function is case-sensitive by default. This means “look” will not match with “Look”. To make the test case-insensitive read below.
Instr Syntax
The syntax for the Instr function is as follows:
Instr( [start], string, substring, [compare] )[start] (optional) – This optional argument is the starting position of the search. Enter 1 to start searching from position 1 (or leave blank). Enter 5 to start searching from position 5. Important! The INSTR function calculates the character position by counting from 1 NOT from the [start] position.
string – The string of text to search in.
substring – The string of text to find in the primary string.
[compare] (optional) – By default, Instr is case-sensitive. By setting this argument you can make Instr Case insensitive:
|
Argument vb Value |
Argument Integer | Description |
| vbBinaryCompare |
0 |
(Default) Case-sensitive |
|
vbTextCompare |
1 |
Not Case-sensitive |
|
vbDatabaseCompare |
2 |
MS Access Only. Uses information in the database to perform comparison. |
Instr Start Position
The Instr start position allows you to indicate the character position where you will begin your search. Keep in mind however, the Instr output will always count from 1.
Here we set the start position to 3 to skip the first B:
Sub Instr_StartPosition()
MsgBox InStr(3, "ABC ABC", "B")
End SubThe result is 6 because the second B is the 6th character in the string.
Case-Insensitive INSTR Test
By default, VBA treats “L” different from “l”. In other words, VBA is case-sensitive. This is true of all text functions. To make VBA case-insensitive, set the [compare] argument to 1 or vbTextCompare.
Public Sub FindText_IgnoreCase()
MsgBox InStr(1, "Don't Look in this string", "look", vbTextCompare)
End SubAlternatively, you can add Option Compare Text to the top of your code module:
Option Compare TextOption Compare Text
Public Sub FindText_IgnoreCase2()
MsgBox InStr("Don't Look in this string", "look")
End SubOption Compare Text will impact all of the code in that module. I personally place this at the top of any module that deals with text because I never care about case differences.
InstrRev Function
The Instr Function searches from the left. Instead you can search from the right using the InstrRev Function. The InstrRev Function works very similarly to the Instr function.
Sub FindSomeText_FromRight()
MsgBox InStrRev("Look in this string", "Look")
End SubJust like the Instr function this will return 1 because there is only one instance of “Look” in the text. But if we add a second “Look”, you’ll see that it returns the position of the right-most “Look”:
Sub FindSomeText_FromRight()
MsgBox InStrRev("Look in this string Look", "Look")
End SubNext we will review more Instr examples.
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Learn More!
InString Examples
If String Contains Substring
Here we will use an If statement to test if a string contains a a substring of text:
Public Sub FindSomeText()
If InStr("Look in this string", "look") = 0 Then
MsgBox "No match"
Else
MsgBox "At least one match"
End If
End SubFind Text String in a Cell
You can also find a string in a cell:
Sub Find_String_Cell()
If InStr(Range("B2").Value, "Dr.") > 0 Then
Range("C2").Value = "Doctor"
End If
End Sub
Or loop through a range of cells to test if the cells contain some text:
Sub Search_Range_For_Text()
Dim cell As Range
For Each cell In Range("b2:b6")
If InStr(cell.Value, "Dr.") > 0 Then
cell.Offset(0, 1).Value = "Doctor"
End If
Next cell
End Sub
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Find Position of a Character in a String
This code will find the position of a single character in a string and assign the position to a variable:
Sub Find_Char()
Dim n As Long
n = InStr("Here Look Here", "L")
End SubSearch String for Word
This code will search a string for a word:
Sub Search_String_For_Word()
Dim n As Long
n = InStr("Here Look Here", "Look")
If n = 0 Then
MsgBox "Word not found"
Else
MsgBox "Word found in position: " & n
End If
End SubIf Variable Contains String
This code will test if a string variable contains a string of text:
Sub Variable_Contains_String()
Dim str As String
str = "Look Here"
If InStr(str, "Here") > 0 Then
MsgBox "Here found!"
End If
End SubInstr and the Left Function
Instr can be used along with other text functions like Left, Right, Len, and Mid to trim text.
With the Left function you can output the text prior to a string of text:
Sub Instr_Left()
Dim str As String
Dim n As Long
str = "Look Here"
n = InStr(str, "Here")
MsgBox Left(str, n - 1)
End SubUsing Instr in Microsoft Access VBA
All of the above examples work exactly the same in Access VBA as in Excel VBA.
To learn more, read our article: VBA text functions
<<Return to VBA Examples
Содержание
- VBA INSTR – Find Text in a String
- INSTR Function
- Instr Example
- Instr Syntax
- Instr Start Position
- Case-Insensitive INSTR Test
- InstrRev Function
- VBA Coding Made Easy
- InString Examples
- If String Contains Substring
- Find Text String in a Cell
- Find Position of a Character in a String
- Search String for Word
- If Variable Contains String
- Instr and the Left Function
- Using Instr in Microsoft Access VBA
- VBA Code Examples Add-in
- Функция InStr
- Синтаксис
- Параметры
- Возвращаемые значения
- Примечания
- Пример
- См. также
- Поддержка и обратная связь
- Using Find and Replace in Excel VBA
- VBA Find
- Find VBA Example
- VBA Find without Optional Parameters
- Simple Find Example
- Find Method Notes
- Nothing Found
- VBA Coding Made Easy
- Find Parameters
- After Parameter and Find Multiple Values
- LookIn Parameter
- Using the LookAt Parameter
- SearchOrder Parameter
- SearchDirection Parameter
- MatchByte Parameter
- SearchFormat Parameter
- Using Multiple Parameters
- Replace in Excel VBA
- Replace Without Optional Parameters
- Using VBA to Find or Replace Text Within a VBA Text String
- INSTR – Start
- VBA Replace Function
- VBA Code Examples Add-in
VBA INSTR – Find Text in a String
In this Article
INSTR Function
The VBA Instr Function checks if a string of text is found in another string of text. It returns 0 if the text is not found. Otherwise it returns the character position where the text is found.
The Instr Function performs exact matches. The VBA Like Operator can be used instead to perform inexact matches / pattern matching by using Wildcards.
Instr Example
The following code snippet searches the string “Look in this string” for the word “Look”. The Instr Function returns 1 because the text is found in the first position.
This second example returns 7 because the text is found starting in the 7th position:
Important! The Instr Function is case-sensitive by default. This means “look” will not match with “Look”. To make the test case-insensitive read below.
Instr Syntax
The syntax for the Instr function is as follows:
[start] (optional) – This optional argument is the starting position of the search. Enter 1 to start searching from position 1 (or leave blank). Enter 5 to start searching from position 5. Important! The INSTR function calculates the character position by counting from 1 NOT from the [start] position.
string – The string of text to search in.
substring – The string of text to find in the primary string.
[compare] (optional) – By default, Instr is case-sensitive. By setting this argument you can make Instr Case insensitive:
Argument vb Value
Argument Integer Description vbBinaryCompare
MS Access Only. Uses information in the database to perform comparison.
Instr Start Position
The Instr start position allows you to indicate the character position where you will begin your search. Keep in mind however, the Instr output will always count from 1.
Here we set the start position to 3 to skip the first B:
The result is 6 because the second B is the 6th character in the string.
Case-Insensitive INSTR Test
By default, VBA treats “L” different from “l”. In other words, VBA is case-sensitive. This is true of all text functions. To make VBA case-insensitive, set the [compare] argument to 1 or vbTextCompare.
Alternatively, you can add Option Compare Text to the top of your code module:
Option Compare Text will impact all of the code in that module. I personally place this at the top of any module that deals with text because I never care about case differences.
InstrRev Function
The Instr Function searches from the left. Instead you can search from the right using the InstrRev Function. The InstrRev Function works very similarly to the Instr function.
Just like the Instr function this will return 1 because there is only one instance of “Look” in the text. But if we add a second “Look”, you’ll see that it returns the position of the right-most “Look”:
Next we will review more Instr examples.
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InString Examples
If String Contains Substring
Here we will use an If statement to test if a string contains a a substring of text:
Find Text String in a Cell
You can also find a string in a cell:
Or loop through a range of cells to test if the cells contain some text:
Find Position of a Character in a String
This code will find the position of a single character in a string and assign the position to a variable:
Search String for Word
This code will search a string for a word:
If Variable Contains String
This code will test if a string variable contains a string of text:
Instr and the Left Function
Instr can be used along with other text functions like Left, Right, Len, and Mid to trim text.
With the Left function you can output the text prior to a string of text:
Using Instr in Microsoft Access VBA
All of the above examples work exactly the same in Access VBA as in Excel VBA.
To learn more, read our article: VBA text functions
VBA Code Examples Add-in
Easily access all of the code examples found on our site.
Simply navigate to the menu, click, and the code will be inserted directly into your module. .xlam add-in.
Источник
Функция InStr
Возвращает значение типа Variant (Long), определяющее положение первого вхождения одной строки в другую.
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Синтаксис
InStr([ начало ], строка1, строка2, [ сравнение ])
В синтаксисе функции InStr используются следующие аргументы:
| Часть | Описание |
|---|---|
| начало | Необязательно. Числовое выражение, которое задает начальную точку для поиска. Если этот аргумент опущен, поиск начинается с первого знака строки. Если аргумент начало содержит значение Null, возникает ошибка. Аргумент начало является обязательным, если задан аргумент сравнение. |
| строка1 | Обязательно. Строковое выражение, поиск в котором выполняется. |
| строка2 | Обязательно. Искомое строковое выражение. |
| сравнение | Необязательно. Определяет тип сравнения строк. Если параметр compare имеет значение Null, возникает ошибка. Если аргумент сравнение опущен, тип сравнения определяется параметром Option Compare. Укажите допустимый LCID (код языка), чтобы использовать для сравнения правила, определяемые языковым стандартом. |
Параметры
Аргумент сравнение может принимать следующие значения:
| Константа | Значение | Описание |
|---|---|---|
| vbUseCompareOption | –1 | Выполняется сравнение с помощью параметра оператора Option Compare. |
| vbBinaryCompare | 0 | Выполняется двоичное сравнение. |
| vbTextCompare | 1 | Выполняется текстовое сравнение. |
| vbDatabaseCompare | 2 | Только Microsoft Access. Выполняется сравнение на основе сведений из базы данных. |
Возвращаемые значения
| Если | Возвращаемое значение |
|---|---|
| строка1 является пустой | 0 |
| строка1 равна Null | Null |
| строка2 является пустой | начало |
| строка2 равна Null | Null |
| строка2 не найдена | 0 |
| строка2 найдена в строке1 | Позиция найденного соответствия |
| начало>строка2 | 0 |
Примечания
Функция InStrB используется с байтовыми данными, содержащимися в строке. Функция InStrB возвращает позицию байта, а не позицию знака первого вхождения одной строки в другую.
Пример
В данном примере функция InStr используется для получения позиции первого вхождения одной строки в другую.
См. также
Поддержка и обратная связь
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Источник
Using Find and Replace in Excel VBA
In this Article
This tutorial will demonstrate how to use the Find and Replace methods in Excel VBA.
VBA Find
They can be activated with the shortcuts CTRL + F (Find) or CTRL + H (Replace) or through the Ribbon: Home > Editing > Find & Select.
By clicking Options, you can see advanced search options:
You can easily access these methods using VBA.
Find VBA Example
To demonstrate the Find functionality, we created the following data set in Sheet1.
If you’d like to follow along, enter the data into your own workbook.
VBA Find without Optional Parameters
When using the VBA Find method, there are many optional parameters that you can set.
We strongly recommend defining all parameters whenever using the Find Method!
If you don’t define the optional parameters, VBA will use the currently selected parameters in Excel’s Find window. This means, you may not know what search parameters are being used when the code is ran. Find could be ran on the entire workbook or a sheet. It could search for formulas or values. There’s no way to know, unless you manually check what’s currently selected in Excel’s Find Window.
For simplicity, we will start with an example with no optional parameters defined.
Simple Find Example
Let’s look at a simple Find example:
This code searches for “employee” in the Used Range of Sheet1. If it finds “employee”, it will assign the first found range to range variable MyRange.
Next, Message Boxes will display with the address, column, and row of the found text.
In this example, the default Find settings are used (assuming they have not been changed in Excel’s Find Window):
- The search text is partially matched to the cell value (an exact cell match is not required)
- The search is not case sensitive.
- Find only searches a single worksheet
These settings can be changed with various optional parameters (discussed below).
Find Method Notes
- Find does not select the cell where the text is found. It only identifies the found range, which you can manipulate in your code.
- The Find method will only locate the first instance found.
- You can use wildcards (*) e.g. search for ‘E*’
Nothing Found
If the search text does not exist, then the range object will remain empty. This causes a major problem when your code tries to display the location values because they do not exist. This will result in an error message which you do not want.
Adding the code to our previous example:
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Find Parameters
So far, we have only looked at a basic example of using the Find method. However, there are a number of optional parameters available to help you refine your search
| Parameter | Type | Description | Values |
| What | Required | The value to search for | Any data type such as a string or numeric |
| After | Optional | Single cell reference to begin your search | Cell address |
| LookIn | Optional | Use Formulas, Values, Comments for search | xlValues, xlFormulas, xlComments |
| LookAt | Optional | Match part or whole of a cell | xlWhole, xlPart |
| SearchOrder | Optional | The Order to search in – rows or columns | xlByRows, xlByColummns |
| SearchDirection | Optional | Direction for search to go in – forward or backward | xlNext, xlPrevious |
| MatchCase | Optional | Search is case sensitive or not | True or False |
| MatchByte | Optional | Used only if you have installed double byte language support e.g. Chinese language | True or False |
| SearchFormat | Optional | Allow searching by format of cell | True or False |
After Parameter and Find Multiple Values
You use the After parameter to specify the starting cell for your search. This is useful where there is more than one instance of the value that you are searching for.
If a search has already found one value and you know that there will be more values found, then you use the Find method with the ‘After’ parameter to record the first instance and then use that cell as the starting point for the next search.
You can use this to find multiple instances of your search text:
This code will iterate through the used range, and will display the address every time it finds an instance of ‘Light & Heat’
Note that the code will keep looping until a duplicate address is found in FindStr, in which case it will exit the Do loop.
LookIn Parameter
You can use the LookIn parameter to specify which component of the cell you want to search in. You can specify values, formulas, or comments in a cell.
- xlValues – Searches cell values (the final value of a cell after it’s calculation)
- xlFormulas – Searches within the cell formula itself (whatever is entered into the cell)
- xlComments – Searches within cell notes
- xlCommentsThreaded – Searches within cell comments
Assuming that a formula has been entered on the worksheet, you could use this example code to find the first location of any formula:
If the ‘LookIn’ parameter was set to xlValues, the code would display a ‘Not Found’ message. In this example it will return B10.
Using the LookAt Parameter
The LookAt parameter determines whether find will search for an exact cell match, or search for any cell containing the search value.
- xlWhole – Requires the entire cell to match the search value
- xlPart – Searches within a cell for the search string
This code example will locate the first cell containing the text “light”. With Lookat:=xlPart, it will return a match for “Light & Heat”.
If xlWhole was set, a match would only return if the cell value was “light”.
SearchOrder Parameter
The SearchOrder parameter dictates how the search will be carried out throughout the range.
- xlRows – Search is done row by row
- xlColumns – Search is done column by column
This influences which match will be found first.
Using the test data entered into the worksheet earlier, when the search order is columns, the located cell is A5. When the search order parameter is changed to xlRows, the located cell is C4
This is important if you have duplicate values within the search range and you want to find the first instance under a particular column name.
SearchDirection Parameter
The SearchDirection parameter dictates which direction the search will go in – effectively forward or backwards.
- xlNext – Search for next matching value in range
- xlPrevious – Search for previous matching value in range
Again, if there are duplicate values within the search range, it can have an effect on which one is found first.
Using this code on the test data, a search direction of xlPrevious will return a location of C9. Using the xlNext parameter will return a location of A4.
The Next parameter means that the search will begin in the top left-hand corner of the search range and work downwards. The Previous parameter means that the search will start in the bottom right-hand corner of the search range and work upwards.
MatchByte Parameter
The MatchBye parameter is only used for languages which use a double byte to represent each character, such as Chinese, Russian, and Japanese.
If this parameter is set to ‘True’ then Find will only match double-byte characters with double-byte characters. If the parameter is set to ‘False’, then a double-byte character will match with single or double-byte characters.
SearchFormat Parameter
The SearchFormat parameter enables you to search for matching cell formats. This could be a particular font being used, or a bold font, or a text color. Before you use this parameter, you must set the format required for the search using the Application.FindFormat property.
Here is an example of how to use it:
In this example, the FindFormat property is set to look for a bold font. The Find statement then searches for the word ‘heat’ setting the SearchFormat parameter to True so that it will only return an instance of that text if the font is bold.
In the sample worksheet data shown earlier, this will return A9, which is the only cell containing the word ‘heat’ in a bold font.
Make sure that the FindFormat property is cleared at the end of the code. If you do not your next search will still take this into account and return incorrect results.
Where you use a SearchFormat parameter, you can also use a wildcard (*) as the search value. In this case it will search for any value with a bold font:
Using Multiple Parameters
All the search parameters discussed here can be used in combination with each other if required.
For example, you could combine the ‘LookIn’ parameter with the ‘MatchCase’ parameter so that you look at the whole of the cell text, but it is case-sensitive
In this example, the code will return A4, but if we only used a part of the text e.g. ‘heat’, nothing would be found because we are matching on the whole of the cell value. Also, it would fail due to the case not matching.
Replace in Excel VBA
There is, as you may expect, a Replace function in Excel VBA, which works in a very similar way to ‘Find’ but replaces the values at the cell location found with a new value.
These are the parameters that you can use in a Replace method statement. These operate in exactly the same way as for the Find method statement. The only difference to ‘Find’ is that you need to specify a Replacement parameter.
| Name | Type | Description | Values |
| What | Required | The value to search for | Any data type such as a string or numeric |
| Replacement | Required | The replacement string. | Any data type such as a string or numeric |
| LookAt | Optional | Match part or the whole of a cell | xlPart or xlWhole |
| SearchOrder | Optional | The order to search in – Rows or Columns | xlByRows or xlByColumns |
| MatchCase | Optional | Search is case sensitive or not | True or False |
| MatchByte | Optional | Used only if you have installed double byte language support | True or False |
| SearchFormat | Optional | Allow searching by format of cell | True or False |
| ReplaceFormat | Optional | The replace format for the method. | True or False |
The Replace Format parameter searches for a cell with a particular format e.g. bold in the same way the SearchFormat parameter operates in the Find method. You need to set the Application.FindFormat property first, as shown in the Find example code shown earlier
Replace Without Optional Parameters
At its simplest, you only need to specify what you are searching for and what you want to replace it with.
Note that the Find method will only return the first instance of the matched value, whereas the Replace method works through the entire range specified and replaces everything that it finds a match on.
The replacement code shown here will replace every instance of ‘Light & Heat’ with ‘L & H’ through the entire range of cells defined by the UsedRange object
Using VBA to Find or Replace Text Within a VBA Text String
The above examples work great when using VBA to interact with Excel data. However, to interact with VBA strings, you can use built-in VBA Functions like INSTR and REPLACE.
You can use the INSTR Function to locate a string of text within a longer string.
This example code will return the value of 9, which is the number position where ‘MyText’ is found in the string to be searched.
Note that it is case sensitive. If ‘MyText’ is all lower case, then a value of 0 will be returned which means that the search string was not found. Below we will discuss how to disable case-sensitivity.
INSTR – Start
There are two further optional parameters available. You can specify the start point for the search:
The start point is specified as 9 so it will still return 9. If the start point was 10, then it would return 0 (no match) as the start point would be too far forward.
INSTR – Case Sensitivity
You can also set a Compare parameter to vbBinaryCompare or vbTextCompare. If you set this parameter, the statement must have a start parameter value.
- vbBinaryCompare – Case-sensitive (Default)
- vbTextCompare – Not Case-sensitive
This statement will still return 9, even though the search text is in lower case.
To disable case-sensitivity you can also declare Option Compare Text at the top of your code module.
VBA Replace Function
If you wish to replace characters in a string with different text within your code, then the Replace method is ideal for this:
This code replaces ‘MyText’ with ‘My Text’. Note that the search string is case sensitive as a binary compare is the default.
You can also add other optional parameters:
- Start – defines position in the initial string that the replacement has to start from. Unlike in the Find method, it returns a truncated string starting from the character number defined by the Start parameter.
- Count – defines the number of replacements to be made. By default, Replace will change every instance of the search text found, but you can limit this to a single replacement by setting the Count parameter to 1
- Compare – as in the Find method you can specify a binary search or a text search using vbBinaryCompare or vbTextCompare. Binary is case sensitive and text is non case sensitive
This code returns ‘My Text string (mytext)’. This is because the start point given is 9, so the new returned string starts at character 9. Only the first ‘MyText’ has been changed because the Count parameter is set to 1.
The Replace method is ideal for solving problems like peoples’ names containing apostrophes e.g. O’Flynn. If you are using single quotes to define a string value and there is an apostrophe, this will cause an error because the code will interpret the apostrophe as the end of the string and will not recognize the remainder of the string.
You can use the Replace method to replace the apostrophe with nothing, removing it completely.
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Simply navigate to the menu, click, and the code will be inserted directly into your module. .xlam add-in.
Источник
Определение первого вхождения одной строки в другую с помощью функции InStr из кода VBA Excel. Синтаксис функции, параметры, примеры использования.
InStr – это функция, которая предназначена для определения номера позиции первого вхождения одной строки в другую. Она возвращает значение типа Variant (Long).
Функция InStr ищет первое вхождение одной строки в другую с начала исходной строки. Для поиска первого совпадения с конца исходной строки используется функция InStrRev.
Функция InStr часто незаменима при определении параметров функций Left, Mid и Right. Также ее можно использовать для определения наличия искомой подстроки в заданной строке.
Еще есть в VBA Excel функция InStrB, которая работает с байтовыми данными, содержащимися в строке. Она возвращает позицию байта, а не символа первого вхождения одной строки в другую. Смотрите ниже Пример 3.
Синтаксис, параметры, значения
Синтаксис функции InStr
Полный вариант:
|
InStr([start], string1, string2, [compare]) |
Сокращенный вариант:
Чаще всего в VBA Excel используется сокращенный вариант функции со значениями необязательных параметров по умолчанию.
Параметры функции InStr
| Параметр | Описание | Значение по умолчанию |
|---|---|---|
| start | Необязательный аргумент.* Числовое выражение, которое задает начальную позицию для поиска. | 1 |
| string1 | Обязательный аргумент. Строковое выражение, в котором выполняется поиск. | – |
| string2 | Обязательный аргумент. Искомое строковое выражение. | – |
| compare | Необязательный аргумент. Задает тип сравнения строк. | –1** |
* Если задан аргумент compare, аргумент start является обязательным.
** Если аргумент compare не указан, используется значение инструкции Option Compare, заданное на уровне модуля. Если инструкция Option Compare в начале модуля отсутствует, используется ее значение по умолчанию – 0 (двоичное сравнение).
Если параметр start или параметр compare содержит значение NULL, возникает ошибка.
Значения аргумента «compare»
| Константа | Значение | Описание |
|---|---|---|
| vbUseCompareOption | -1 | Сравнение с помощью параметра инструкции Option Compare. |
| vbBinaryCompare | 0 | Двоичное (бинарное) сравнение.* |
| vbTextCompare | 1 | Текстовое сравнение.* |
| vbDatabaseCompare | 2 | Сравнение на основе сведений из базы данных. Только для Microsoft Access. |
* При двоичном сравнении учитывается регистр букв, при текстовом – не учитывается.
Значения функции InStr
| Если | Возвращаемое значение |
|---|---|
| string2 найдена в string1 | Позиция первого найденного соответствия. |
| string2 не найдена в string1 | 0 |
| string2 является пустой | start |
| string2 равна Null | Null |
| string1 является пустой | 0 |
| string1 равна Null | Null |
| start больше длины string1 | 0 |
Примеры использования в VBA Excel
Пример 1
Самый простой пример:
|
Sub Test1() Dim x As Variant x = InStr(«На горе Фернандо-По, где гуляет Гиппо-по», «Фернандо») MsgBox x ‘Здесь x будет равен 9 End Sub |
Пример 2
В этом примере, используя одинаковые строки, в которых выполняется поиск, и искомые подстроки, применим разные виды сравнения – двоичное (бинарное) и текстовое, и посмотрим на результаты.
|
Sub Test2() Dim x As Variant x = InStr(10, «На горе Фернандо-По, где гуляет Гиппо-по», «по», 0) MsgBox x ‘Здесь x будет равен 36 (поиск с учетом регистра символов) x = InStr(10, «На горе Фернандо-По, где гуляет Гиппо-по», «по», 1) MsgBox x ‘Здесь x будет равен 18 (поиск без учета регистра символов) End Sub |
Обратите внимание: несмотря на то, что начало поиска мы задали с 10 символа, номер позиции первого вхождения считается с начала строки, в которой выполняется поиск.
Пример 3
В этом примере посмотрим на результаты посимвольного и побайтового сравнения, опять же используя одинаковые строки и искомые подстроки.
|
Sub Test3() Dim x As Variant x = InStr(«На горе Фернандо-По, где гуляет Гиппо-по», «гор») MsgBox x ‘Здесь x будет равен 4 x = InStrB(«На горе Фернандо-По, где гуляет Гиппо-по», «гор») MsgBox x ‘Здесь x будет равен 7 End Sub |
Результат 7 при побайтовом сравнении получен для кодировки, у которой один символ составляет 2 байта.
In this Excel VBA Tutorial, you learn how to search and find different items/information with macros.
This VBA Find Tutorial is accompanied by an Excel workbook containing the data and macros I use in the examples below. You can get free access to this example workbook by clicking the button below.
Use the following Table of Contents to navigate to the Section you’re interested in.
Related Excel VBA and Macro Training Materials
The following VBA and Macro training materials may help you better understand and implement the contents below:
- Tutorials about general VBA constructs and structures:
- Tutorials for Beginners:
- Macros.
- VBA.
- Enable and disable macros.
- The Visual Basic Editor (VBE).
- Procedures:
- Sub procedures.
- Function procedures.
- Work with:
- Objects.
- Properties.
- Methods.
- Variables.
- Data types.
- R1C1-style references.
- Worksheet functions.
- Loops.
- Arrays.
- Refer to:
- Sheets and worksheets.
- Cell ranges.
- Tutorials for Beginners:
- Tutorials with practical VBA applications and macro examples:
- Find the last row or last column.
- Set or get a cell’s or cell range’s value.
- Check if a cell is empty.
- Use the VLookup function.
- The comprehensive and actionable Books at The Power Spreadsheets Library:
- Excel Macros for Beginners Book Series.
- VBA Fundamentals Book Series.
#1. Excel VBA Find (Cell with) Value in Cell Range
VBA Code to Find (Cell with) Value in Cell Range
To find a cell with a numeric value in a cell range, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
CellRangeObject.Find(What:=SearchedValue, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant, SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
CellRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range you search in.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the numeric value you search for) in a cell range (CellRangeObject).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedValue
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a cell range, set the What parameter to the numeric value you search for (SearchedValue).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the cell range you search in (CellRangeObject).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell (in the upper left corner) of the cell range you search in (CellRangeObject).
To find a cell with a numeric value in a cell range, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=xlValues
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a cell range, set the LookIn parameter to xlValues. xlValues refers to values.
LookAt:=xlWhole
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a cell range, set the LookAt parameter to xlWhole. xlWhole matches the data you are searching for against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (CellRangeObject) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a cell range, set the SearchOrder parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlByRows (SearchOrder:=xlByRows): To search by rows.
- xlByColumns (SearchOrder:=xlByColumns): To search by columns.
SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a cell range, set the SearchDirection parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlNext (SearchDirection:=xlNext): To search for the next match.
- xlPrevious (SearchDirection:=xlPrevious): To search for the previous match.
Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Cell Range
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts two arguments:
- MyRange: The cell range you search in.
- MyValue: The numeric value you search for.
- Finds MyValue in MyRange.
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the cell range (MyRange) where the numeric value (MyValue) is found.
Function FindValueInCellRange(MyRange As Range, MyValue As Variant) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 2 arguments: MyRange and MyValue
'(2) Finds a value passed as argument (MyValue) in a cell range passed as argument (MyRange)
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the cell range (MyRange) where the value (MyValue) is found
With MyRange
FindValueInCellRange = .Find(What:=MyValue, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Cell Range
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H30) contain randomly generated values.
- Cell J7 contains the searched value (41).
- Cell K7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the cell range (MyRange) where the numeric value (MyValue) is found. This is cell B11.
- Cell L7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell K7 (=FindValueInCellRange(A6:H30,J7)).
- The cell range where the search is carried out contains cells A6 to H30 (A6:H30).
- The searched value is stored in cell J7 (J7).
#2. Excel VBA Find (Cell with) Value in Table
VBA Code to Find (Cell with) Value in Table
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
ListObjectObject.DataBodyRange.Find(What:=SearchedValue, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant, SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
ListObjectObject
A ListObject object representing the Excel Table you search in.
DataBodyRange
The ListObject.DataBodyRange property returns a Range object representing the cell range containing an Excel Table’s values (excluding the headers).
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the numeric value you search for) in a cell range (containing the applicable Excel Table’s values).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedValue
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table, set the What parameter to the numeric value you search for (SearchedValue).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the cell range you search in (containing the applicable Excel Table’s values).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell (in the upper left corner) of the cell range you search in (containing the applicable Excel Table’s values).
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=xlValues
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table, set the LookIn parameter to xlValues. xlValues refers to values.
LookAt:=xlWhole
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table, set the LookAt parameter to xlWhole. xlWhole matches the data you are searching for against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (containing the applicable Excel Table’s values) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table, set the SearchOrder parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlByRows (SearchOrder:=xlByRows): To search by rows.
- xlByColumns (SearchOrder:=xlByColumns): To search by columns.
SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table, set the SearchDirection parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlNext (SearchDirection:=xlNext): To search for the next match.
- xlPrevious (SearchDirection:=xlPrevious): To search for the previous match.
Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Table
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts 3 arguments:
- MyWorksheetName: The name of the worksheet where the Excel Table you search in is stored.
- MyValue: The numeric value you search for.
- MyTableIndex: The index number of the Excel Table (stored in the worksheet named MyWorksheetName) you search in. MyTableIndex is an optional argument with a default value of 1.
- Finds MyValue in the applicable Excel Table’s values (excluding the headers).
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the applicable Excel Table where the numeric value (MyValue) is found.
Function FindValueInTable(MyWorksheetName As String, MyValue As Variant, Optional MyTableIndex As Long = 1) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 3 arguments: MyWorksheetName, MyValue and MyTableIndex
'(2) Finds a value passed as argument (MyValue) in an Excel Table stored in a worksheet whose name is passed as argument (MyWorksheetName). The index number of the Excel Table is either:
'(1) Passed as an argument (MyTableIndex); or
'(2) Assumed to be 1 (if MyTableIndex is omitted)
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the Excel Table (stored in the MyWorksheetName worksheet and whose index is MyTableIndex) where the value (MyValue) is found
With ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(MyWorksheetName).ListObjects(MyTableIndex).DataBodyRange
FindValueInTable = .Find(What:=MyValue, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Table
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H31) contain an Excel Table with randomly generated values.
- Cell J7 contains the searched value (41).
- Cell K7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the Excel Table where the numeric value (MyValue) is found. This is cell B12.
- Cell L7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell K7 (=FindValueInTable(“Find Value in Table”,J7)).
- The name of the worksheet where the Excel Table is stored is “Find Value in Table” (“Find Value in Table”).
- The searched value is stored in cell J7 (J7).
- The index number of the Excel Table is 1 (by default).
#3. Excel VBA Find (Cell with) Value in Column
VBA Code to Find (Cell with) Value in Column
To find a cell with a numeric value in a column, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
RangeObjectColumn.Find(What:=SearchedValue, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
RangeObjectColumn
A Range object representing the column you search in.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the numeric value you search for) in a cell range (RangeObjectColumn).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedValue
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a column, set the What parameter to the numeric value you search for (SearchedValue).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the column you search in (RangeObjectColumn).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell of the column you search in (RangeObjectColumn).
To find a cell with a numeric value in a column, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=xlValues
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a column, set the LookIn parameter to xlValues. xlValues refers to values.
LookAt:=xlWhole
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a column, set the LookAt parameter to xlWhole. xlWhole matches the data you are searching for against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=xlByRows
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable column (RangeObjectColumn) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a column, set the SearchOrder parameter to xlByRows. xlByRows results in the Range.Find method searching by rows.
SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in a column, set the SearchDirection parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlNext (SearchDirection:=xlNext): To search for the next match.
- xlPrevious (SearchDirection:=xlPrevious): To search for the previous match.
Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Column
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts two arguments:
- MyColumn: The column you search in.
- MyValue: The numeric value you search for.
- Finds MyValue in MyColumn.
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the column (MyColumn) where the numeric value (MyValue) is found.
Function FindValueInColumn(MyColumn As Range, MyValue As Variant) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 2 arguments: MyColumn and MyValue
'(2) Finds a value passed as argument (MyValue) in a column passed as argument (MyColumn)
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the column (MyColumn) where the value (MyValue) is found
With MyColumn
FindValueInColumn = .Find(What:=MyValue, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Column
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column A (cells A6 to A31) contains randomly generated values.
- Cell C7 contains the searched value (90).
- Cell D7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the column (MyColumn) where the numeric value (MyValue) is found. This is cell A13.
- Cell E7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell D7 (=FindValueInColumn(A:A,C7)).
- The column where the search is carried out is column A (A:A).
- The searched value is stored in cell C7 (C7).
#4. Excel VBA Find (Cell with) Value in Table Column
VBA Code to Find (Cell with) Value in Table Column
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table column, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
ListColumnObject.DataBodyRange.Find(What:=SearchedValue, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant, SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
ListColumnObject
A ListColumn object representing the Excel Table column you search in.
DataBodyRange
The ListColumn.DataBodyRange property returns a Range object representing the cell range containing an Excel Table column’s values (excluding the header).
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the numeric value you search for) in a cell range (containing the applicable Excel Table column’s values).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedValue
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table column, set the What parameter to the numeric value you search for (SearchedValue).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the cell range you search in (containing the applicable Excel Table column’s values).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell of the cell range you search in (containing the applicable Excel Table column’s values).
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table column, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=xlValues
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table column, set the LookIn parameter to xlValues. xlValues refers to values.
LookAt:=xlWhole
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table column, set the LookAt parameter to xlWhole. xlWhole matches the data you are searching for against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (containing the applicable Excel Table column’s values) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table column, set the SearchOrder parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlByRows (SearchOrder:=xlByRows): To search by rows.
- xlByColumns (SearchOrder:=xlByColumns): To search by columns.
SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find a cell with a numeric value in an Excel Table column, set the SearchDirection parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlNext (SearchDirection:=xlNext): To search for the next match.
- xlPrevious (SearchDirection:=xlPrevious): To search for the previous match.
Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Table Column
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts 4 arguments:
- MyWorksheetName: The name of the worksheet where the Excel Table (containing the column you search in) is stored.
- MyColumnIndex: The index/column number of the column you search in (in the applicable Excel Table).
- MyValue: The numeric value you search for.
- MyTableIndex: The index number of the Excel Table (stored in the worksheet named MyWorksheetName) containing the column you search in. MyTableIndex is an optional argument with a default value of 1.
- Finds MyValue in the applicable Excel Table column’s values (excluding the header).
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the applicable Excel Table column where the numeric value (MyValue) is found.
Function FindValueInTableColumn(MyWorksheetName As String, MyColumnIndex As Long, MyValue As Variant, Optional MyTableIndex As Long = 1) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 4 arguments: MyWorksheetName, MyColumnIndex, MyValue and MyTableIndex
'(2) Finds a value passed as argument (MyValue) in an Excel Table column, where:
'(1) The table column's index is passed as argument (MyColumnIndex); and
'(2) The Excel Table is stored in a worksheet whose name is passed as argument (MyWorksheetName). The index number of the Excel Table is either:
'(1) Passed as an argument (MyTableIndex); or
'(2) Assumed to be 1 (if MyTableIndex is omitted)
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the applicable Excel Table column where the value (MyValue) is found
With ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(MyWorksheetName).ListObjects(MyTableIndex).ListColumns(MyColumnIndex).DataBodyRange
FindValueInTableColumn = .Find(What:=MyValue, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find (Cell with) Value in Table Column
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H31) contain an Excel Table with randomly generated values. Cells in the first row (row 7) contain the searched value (90), except for the cell in the searched column (Column 3).
- Cell J7 contains the searched value (90).
- Cell K7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the applicable Excel Table column (Column 3) where the numeric value (MyValue) is found. This is cell C14.
- Cell L7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell K7 (=FindValueInTableColumn(“Find Value in Table Column”,3, J7)).
- The name of the worksheet where the Excel Table is stored is “Find Value in Table Column” (“Find Value in Table Column”).
- The index number of the Excel Table column is 3 (3).
- The searched value is stored in cell J7 (J7).
- The index number of the Excel Table is 1 (by default).
#5. Excel VBA Find Minimum Value in Cell Range
VBA Code to Find Minimum Value in Cell Range
To find the minimum value in a cell range, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
Application.Min(CellRangeObject)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Application.Min
The WorksheetFunction.Min method returns the minimum value in a set of values.
CellRangeObject
The WorksheetFunction.Min method accepts up to thirty parameters (Arg1 to Arg30). These are the values for which you want to find the minimum value.
To find the minimum value in a cell range, pass a Range object (CellRangeObject) representing the cell range whose minimum value you want to find as method parameter.
Macro Example to Find Minimum Value in Cell Range
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts 1 argument (MyRange): The cell range whose minimum value you search for.
- Finds and returns the minimum value in the cell range (MyRange).
Function FindMinimumValueInCellRange(MyRange As Range) As Double
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 1 argument: MyRange
'(2) Finds the minimum value in the cell range passed as argument (MyRange)
FindMinimumValueInCellRange = Application.Min(MyRange)
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Minimum Value in Cell Range
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H30) contain randomly generated values.
- Cell J7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the minimum value in the cell range (MyRange). This is the number 1.
- Cell K7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell J7 (=FindMinimumValueInCellRange(A6:H30)). The cell range where the search is carried out contains cells A6 to H30 (A6:H30).
#6. Excel VBA Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Cell Range
VBA Code to Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Cell Range
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
CellRangeObject.Find(What:=SearchedString, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=XlFindLookInConstant, LookAt:=XlLookAtConstant, SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant, SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant, MatchCase:=BooleanValue)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
CellRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range you search in.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the string or text you search for) in a cell range (CellRangeObject).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedString
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, set the What parameter to the string (or text) you search for (SearchedString).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the cell range you search in (CellRangeObject).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell (in the upper left corner) of the cell range you search in (CellRangeObject).
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=XlFindLookInConstant
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, set the LookIn parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlFormulas (LookIn:=xlFormulas): To search in the applicable cell range’s formulas.
- xlValues (LookIn:=xlValues): To search in the applicable cell range’s values.
LookAt:=XlLookAtConstant
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, set the LookAt parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlWhole (LookAt:=xlWhole): To match against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
- xlPart (LookAt:=xlPart): To match against any part of the searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=XlSearchOrderConstant
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (CellRangeObject) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, set the SearchOrder parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlByRows (SearchOrder:=xlByRows): To search by rows.
- xlByColumns (SearchOrder:=xlByColumns): To search by columns.
SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, set the SearchDirection parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlNext (SearchDirection:=xlNext): To search for the next match.
- xlPrevious (SearchDirection:=xlPrevious): To search for the previous match.
MatchCase:=BooleanValue
The MatchCase parameter of the Range.Find method specifies whether the search is:
- Case-sensitive; or
- Case-insensitive.
The default value of the MatchCase parameter is False.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a cell range, set the MatchCase parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- True (MatchCase:=True): To carry out a case-sensitive search.
- False (MatchCase:=False): To carry out a case-insensitive search.
Macro Example to Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Cell Range
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts two arguments:
- MyRange: The cell range you search in.
- MyString: The string (or text) you search for.
- Finds MyString in MyRange. The search is case-insensitive.
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the cell range (MyRange) where the string or text (MyString) is found.
Function FindStringInCellRange(MyRange As Range, MyString As Variant) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 2 arguments: MyRange and MyString
'(2) Finds a string passed as argument (MyString) in a cell range passed as argument (MyRange). The search is case-insensitive
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the cell range (MyRange) where the string (MyString) is found
With MyRange
FindStringInCellRange = .Find(What:=MyString, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=False).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Cell Range
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H30) contain randomly generated words.
- Cell J7 contains the searched string or text (Excel).
- Cell K7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the cell range (MyRange) where the string or text (MyString) is found. This is cell F20.
- Cell L7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell K7 (=FindStringInCellRange(A6:H30,J7)).
- The cell range where the search is carried out contains cells A6 to H30 (A6:H30).
- The searched string or text is stored in cell J7 (J7).
#7. Excel VBA Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Column
VBA Code to Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Column
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
RangeObjectColumn.Find(What:=SearchedString, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=XlFindLookInConstant, LookAt:=XlLookAtConstant, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant, MatchCase:=BooleanValue)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
RangeObjectColumn
A Range object representing the column you search in.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the string or text you search for) in a cell range (RangeObjectColumn).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedString
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, set the What parameter to the string (or text) you search for (SearchedString).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the column you search in (RangeObjectColumn).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell of the column you search in (RangeObjectColumn).
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=XlFindLookInConstant
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, set the LookIn parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlFormulas (LookIn:=xlFormulas): To search in the applicable column’s formulas.
- xlValues (LookIn:=xlValues): To search in the applicable column’s values.
LookAt:=XlLookAtConstant
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, set the LookAt parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlWhole (LookAt:=xlWhole): To match against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
- xlPart (LookAt:=xlPart): To match against any part of the searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=xlByRows
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable column (RangeObjectColumn) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, set the SearchOrder parameter to xlByRows. xlByRows results in the Range.Find method searching by rows.
SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, set the SearchDirection parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlNext (SearchDirection:=xlNext): To search for the next match.
- xlPrevious (SearchDirection:=xlPrevious): To search for the previous match.
MatchCase:=BooleanValue
The MatchCase parameter of the Range.Find method specifies whether the search is:
- Case-sensitive; or
- Case-insensitive.
The default value of the MatchCase parameter is False.
To find a cell with a string (or text) in a column, set the MatchCase parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- True (MatchCase:=True): To carry out a case-sensitive search.
- False (MatchCase:=False): To carry out a case-insensitive search.
Macro Example to Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Column
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts two arguments:
- MyColumn: The column you search in.
- MyString: The string (or text) you search for.
- Finds MyString in MyColumn. The search is case-insensitive.
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the column (MyColumn) where the string or text (MyString) is found.
Function FindStringInColumn(MyColumn As Range, MyString As Variant) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 2 arguments: MyColumn and MyString
'(2) Finds a string passed as argument (MyString) in a column passed as argument (MyColumn). The search is case-insensitive
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the column (MyColumn) where the string (MyString) is found
With MyColumn
FindStringInColumn = .Find(What:=MyString, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=False).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find (Cell with) String (or Text) in Column
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column A (cells A6 to A30) contains randomly generated words.
- Cell C7 contains the searched string or text (Excel).
- Cell D7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first cell in the column (MyColumn) where the string or text (MyString) is found. This is cell A21.
- Cell E7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell D7 (=FindStringInColumn(A:A,C7)).
- The column where the search is carried out is column A (A:A).
- The searched string or text is stored in cell C7 (C7).
#8. Excel VBA Find String (or Text) in Cell
VBA Code to Find String (or Text) in Cell
To find a string (or text) in a cell, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
InStr(StartingPosition, SearchedCell.Value, SearchedString, VbCompareMethodConstant)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
InStr
The InStr function returns a number. This number specifies the position of the first occurrence of a string or text (SearchedString) in another string (the string stored in SearchedCell).
StartingPosition
The Start argument of the InStr function is:
- An optional argument.
- A numeric expression specifying the starting position for the string (or text) search.
If you omit specifying the Start argument, the search begins at the first character of the searched string (the string stored in SearchedCell).
To find a string (or text) in a cell, set the Start argument to the position (in the string stored in SearchedCell) where the string (or text) search starts.
SearchedCell.Value
The String1 argument of the InStr function represents the string expression the InStr function searches in.
To find a string (or text) in a cell, set the String1 argument to the value/string stored in the searched cell. For these purposes:
- “SearchedCell” is a Range object representing the searched cell.
- “Value” refers to the Range.Value property. The Range.Value property returns the value/string stored in the searched cell (SearchedCell).
SearchedString
The String2 argument of the InStr function represents the string expression (or text) the InStr function searches for.
To find a string (or text) in a cell, set the String2 argument to the string (or text) you search for.
VbCompareMethodConstant
The Compare argument of the InStr function:
- Is an optional argument.
- Specifies the type of string comparison carried out by the InStr function.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the vbCompareMethod enumeration.
If you omit specifying the Compare argument, the type of string comparison is determined by the Option Compare statement. The Option Compare statement declares the default string comparison method at a module level. The default string comparison method is binary (vbBinaryCompare).
To find a string (or text) in a cell, set the Compare argument to either of the following, as applicable:
- vbBinaryCompare: Performs a binary comparison. vbBinaryCompare:
- Results in a case-sensitive search.
- May be (slightly) faster than vbTextCompare.
- vbTextCompare: Performs a textual comparison. vbTextCompare:
- Results in a case-insensitive search.
- May be (slightly) slower than vbBinaryCompare.
- Is more prone to errors/bugs than vbBinaryCompare.
Macro Example to Find String (or Text) in Cell
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts three arguments:
- MyCell: The cell you search in.
- MyString: The string (or text) you search for.
- MyStartingPosition: The starting position for the string (or text) search. MyStartingPosition is an optional argument with a default value of 1.
- Finds MyString in the value/string stored in MyCell.
- Returns the following:
- If MyString is not found in the value/string stored in MyCell, the string “String not found in cell”.
- If MyString is found in the value/string stored in MyCell, the position of the first occurrence of MyString in the value/string stored in MyCell.
Function FindStringInCell(MyCell As Range, MyString As Variant, Optional MyStartingPosition As Variant = 1) As Variant
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts three arguments: MyCell, MyString and MyStartingPosition (optional argument with a default value of 1)
'(2) Finds a string passed as argument (MyString) in the value/string stored in a cell passed as argument (MyCell)
'(3) Returns the following (as applicable):
'If MyString is not found in the value/string stored in MyCell: The string "String not found in cell"
'If MyString is found in the value/string stored in MyCell: The position of the first occurrence of MyString in the value/string stored in MyCell
'Obtain position of first occurrence of MyString in the value/string stored in MyCell
FindStringInCell = InStr(MyStartingPosition, MyCell.Value, MyString, vbBinaryCompare)
'If MyString is not found in the value/string stored in MyCell, return the string "String not found in cell"
If FindStringInCell = 0 Then FindStringInCell = "String not found in cell"
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find String (or Text) in Cell
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column A (cells A7 to A31) contains randomly generated words.
- Column B (cells B7 to B31) contains a 2-character string (ar).
- Column C (cells C7 to C31) contains worksheet formulas working with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. These worksheet formulas return either of the following (as applicable):
- The string “String not found in cell”, if the string (or text) specified in the applicable cell of column B is not found in the applicable cell of column A.
- The position of the first occurrence of the string (or text) specified in the applicable cell of column B in the applicable cell of column A, if the string (or text) specified in the applicable cell of column B is found in the applicable cell of column A.
- Column D (cells D7 to D31) displays the worksheet formulas used in column C (=FindStringInCell(CellInColumnA,CellInColumnB)).
- The cell where the search is carried out is in column A (CellInColumnA).
- The searched string or text is stored in column B (CellInColumnB).
#9. Excel VBA Find String (or Text) in String
VBA Code to Find String (or Text) in String
To find a string (or text) in a string, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
InStr(StartingPosition, SearchedString, SearchedText, VbCompareMethodConstant)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
InStr
The InStr function returns a number. This number specifies the position of the first occurrence of a string or text (SearchedText) in another string (SearchedString).
StartingPosition
The Start argument of the InStr function is:
- An optional argument.
- A numeric expression specifying the starting position for the string (or text) search.
If you omit specifying the Start argument, the search begins at the first character of the searched string (SearchedString).
To find a string (or text) in a string, set the Start argument to the position (in SearchedString) where the string (or text) search starts.
SearchedString
The String1 argument of the InStr function represents the string expression the InStr function searches in.
To find a string (or text) in a string, set the String1 argument to the searched string.
SearchedText
The String2 argument of the InStr function represents the string expression (or text) the InStr function searches for.
To find a string (or text) in a string, set the String2 argument to the string (or text) you search for.
VbCompareMethodConstant
The Compare argument of the InStr function:
- Is an optional argument.
- Specifies the type of string comparison carried out by the InStr function.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the vbCompareMethod enumeration.
If you omit specifying the Compare argument, the type of string comparison is determined by the Option Compare statement. The Option Compare statement declares the default string comparison method at a module level. The default string comparison method is binary (vbBinaryCompare).
To find a string (or text) in a string, set the Compare argument to either of the following, as applicable:
- vbBinaryCompare: Performs a binary comparison. vbBinaryCompare:
- Results in a case-sensitive search.
- May be (slightly) faster than vbTextCompare.
- vbTextCompare: Performs a textual comparison. vbTextCompare:
- Results in a case-insensitive search.
- May be (slightly) slower than vbBinaryCompare.
- Is more prone to errors/bugs than vbBinaryCompare.
Macro Example to Find String (or Text) in String
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts three arguments:
- MyString: The string you search in.
- MyText: The string (or text) you search for.
- MyStartingPosition: The starting position for the string (or text) search. MyStartingPosition is an optional argument with a default value of 1.
- Finds MyText in MyString.
- Returns the following:
- If MyText is not found in MyString, the string “Text not found in string”.
- If MyText is found in MyString, the position of the first occurrence of MyText in MyString.
Function FindTextInString(MyString As Variant, MyText As Variant, Optional MyStartingPosition As Variant = 1) As Variant
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts three arguments: MyString, MyText and MyStartingPosition (optional argument with a default value of 1)
'(2) Finds text (a string) passed as argument (MyText) in a string passed as argument (MyString)
'(3) Returns the following (as applicable):
'If MyText is not found in MyString: The string "Text not found in string"
'If MyText is found in MyString: The position of the first occurrence of MyText in MyString
'Obtain position of first occurrence of MyText in MyString
FindTextInString = InStr(MyStartingPosition, MyString, MyText, vbBinaryCompare)
'If MyText is not found in MyString, return the string "Text not found in string"
If FindTextInString = 0 Then FindTextInString = "Text not found in string"
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find String (or Text) in String
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column A (cells A7 to A31) contains randomly generated words.
- Column B (cells B7 to B31) contains text (at).
- Column C (cells C7 to C31) contains worksheet formulas working with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. These worksheet formulas return either of the following (as applicable):
- The string “Text not found in string”, if the string (or text) specified in the applicable cell of column B is not found in the string specified in the applicable cell of column A.
- The position of the first occurrence of the string (or text) specified in the applicable cell of column B in the string specified in the applicable cell of column A, if the string (or text) specified in the applicable cell of column B is found in the string specified in the applicable cell of column A.
- Column D (cells D7 to D31) displays the worksheet formulas used in column C (=FindTextInString(CellInColumnA,CellInColumnB)).
- The string where the search is carried out is stored in column A (CellInColumnA).
- The searched string (or text) is stored in column B (CellInColumnB).
#10. Excel VBA Find Character in String
VBA Code to Find Character in String
To find a character in a string, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
InStr(StartingPosition, SearchedString, SearchedCharacter, VbCompareMethodConstant)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
InStr
The InStr function returns a number. This number specifies the position of the first occurrence of a string or text (SearchedCharacter) in another string (SearchedString).
StartingPosition
The Start argument of the InStr function is:
- An optional argument.
- A numeric expression specifying the starting position for the character search.
If you omit specifying the Start argument, the search begins at the first character of the searched string (SearchedString).
To find a character in a string, set the Start argument to the position (in SearchedString) where the character search starts.
SearchedString
The String1 argument of the InStr function represents the string expression the InStr function searches in.
To find a character in a string, set the String1 argument to the searched string.
SearchedCharacter
The String2 argument of the InStr function represents the string expression (or text) the InStr function searches for.
To find a character in a string, set the String2 argument to the character you search for.
VbCompareMethodConstant
The Compare argument of the InStr function:
- Is an optional argument.
- Specifies the type of string comparison carried out by the InStr function.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the vbCompareMethod enumeration.
If you omit specifying the Compare argument, the type of string comparison is determined by the Option Compare statement. The Option Compare statement declares the default string comparison method at a module level. The default string comparison method is binary (vbBinaryCompare).
To find a character in a string, set the Compare argument to either of the following, as applicable:
- vbBinaryCompare: Performs a binary comparison. vbBinaryCompare:
- Results in a case-sensitive search.
- May be (slightly) faster than vbTextCompare.
- vbTextCompare: Performs a textual comparison. vbTextCompare:
- Results in a case-insensitive search.
- May be (slightly) slower than vbBinaryCompare.
- Is more prone to errors/bugs than vbBinaryCompare.
Macro Example to Find Character in String
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts three arguments:
- MyString: The string you search in.
- MyCharacter: The character you search for.
- MyStartingPosition: The starting position for the character search. MyStartingPosition is an optional argument with a default value of 1.
- Finds MyCharacter in MyString.
- Returns the following:
- If MyCharacter is not found in MyString, the string “Character not found in string”.
- If MyCharacter is found in MyString, the position of the first occurrence of MyCharacter in MyString.
Function FindCharacterInString(MyString As Variant, MyCharacter As Variant, Optional MyStartingPosition As Variant = 1) As Variant
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts three arguments: MyString, MyCharacter and MyStartingPosition (optional argument with a default value of 1)
'(2) Finds a character passed as argument (MyCharacter) in a string passed as argument (MyString)
'(3) Returns the following (as applicable):
'If MyCharacter is not found in MyString: The string "Character not found in string"
'If MyCharacter is found in MyString: The position of the first occurrence of MyCharacter in MyString
'Obtain position of first occurrence of MyCharacter in MyString
FindCharacterInString = InStr(MyStartingPosition, MyString, MyCharacter, vbBinaryCompare)
'If MyCharacter is not found in MyString, return the string "Character not found in string"
If FindCharacterInString = 0 Then FindCharacterInString = "Character not found in string"
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Character in String
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column A (cells A7 to A31) contains randomly generated words.
- Column B (cells B7 to B31) contains a character (a).
- Column C (cells C7 to C31) contains worksheet formulas working with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. These worksheet formulas return either of the following (as applicable):
- The string “Character not found in string”, if the character specified in the applicable cell of column B is not found in the string specified in the applicable cell of column A.
- The position of the first occurrence of the character specified in the applicable cell of column B in the string specified in the applicable cell of column A, if the character specified in the applicable cell of column B is found in the string specified in the applicable cell of column A.
- Column D (cells D7 to D31) displays the worksheet formulas used in column C (=FindCharacterInString(CellInColumnA,CellInColumnB)).
- The string where the search is carried out is stored in column A (CellInColumnA).
- The searched character is stored in column B (CellInColumnB).
#11. Excel VBA Find Column with Specific Header
VBA Code to Find Column with Specific Header
To find a column with a specific header, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
HeaderRowRangeObject.Find(What:=SearchedHeader, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant, MatchCase:=BooleanValue)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
HeaderRowRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range containing the headers you search in.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the header you search for) in a cell range (HeaderRowRangeObject).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedHeader
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find a column with a specific header, set the What parameter to the header you search for (SearchedHeader).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the cell range containing the headers you search in (HeaderRowRangeObject).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell of the cell range you search in (HeaderRowRangeObject).
To find a column with a specific header, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=xlValues
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find a column with a specific header, set the LookIn parameter to xlValues. xlValues refers to values.
LookAt:=xlWhole
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find a column with a specific header, set the LookAt parameter to xlWhole. xlWhole matches the data you are searching for against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=xlByColumns
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (HeaderRowRangeObject) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find a column with a specific header, set the SearchOrder parameter to xlByColumns. xlByColumns searches by columns.
SearchDirection:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find a column with a specific header, set the SearchDirection parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlNext (SearchDirection:=xlNext): To search for the next match.
- xlPrevious (SearchDirection:=xlPrevious): To search for the previous match.
MatchCase:=BooleanValue
The MatchCase parameter of the Range.Find method specifies whether the search is:
- Case-sensitive; or
- Case-insensitive.
The default value of the MatchCase parameter is False.
To find a column with a specific header, set the MatchCase parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- True (MatchCase:=True): To carry out a case-sensitive search.
- False (MatchCase:=False): To carry out a case-insensitive search.
Macro Example to Find Column with Specific Header
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts two arguments:
- MyRange: The cell range whose first row contains the headers you search in.
- MyHeader: The header you search for.
- Finds MyHeader in the first row of MyRange.
- Returns the number of the column containing the first cell in the header row where the header (MyHeader) is found.
Function FindColumnWithSpecificHeader(MyRange As Range, MyHeader As Variant) As Long
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 2 arguments: MyRange and MyHeader
'(2) Finds a header passed as argument (MyHeader) in the first row (the header row) of a cell range passed as argument (MyRange). The search is case-insensitive
'(3) Returns the number of the column containing the first cell in the header row where the header (MyHeader) is found
With MyRange.Rows(1)
FindColumnWithSpecificHeader = .Find(What:=MyHeader, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, SearchDirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=False).Column
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Column with Specific Header
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H31) contain data with the following characteristics:
- Headers in its first row (row 6).
- Randomly generated values.
- Cell J7 contains the searched header (Column 3).
- Cell K7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the column number of the first cell in the header row (cells A6 to H6) of the cell range (MyRange) where the header (MyHeader) is found. This is column 3 (C).
- Cell L7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell K7 (=FindColumnWithSpecificHeader(A6:H31,J7)).
- The cell range whose first row contains the headers where the search is carried out contains cells A6 to H31 (A6:H31).
- The searched header is stored in cell J7 (J7).
#12. Excel VBA Find Next or Find All
VBA Code to Find Next or Find All
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, use the following structure/template in the applicable procedure:
Dim FoundCell As Range
Dim FirstFoundCellAddress As String
Set FoundCell = SearchedRangeObject.Find(What:=SearchedData, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=XlFindLookInConstant, LookAt:=XlLookAtConstant, SearchOrder:=XlSearchDirectionConstant, SearchDirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=BooleanValue)
If Not FoundCell Is Nothing Then
FirstFoundCellAddress = FoundCell.Address
Do
Statements
Set FoundCell = SearchedRangeObject.FindNext(After:=FoundCell)
Loop Until FoundCell.Address = FirstFoundCellAddress
End If
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Lines #1 and #2: Dim FoundCell As Range | Dim FirstFoundCellAddress As String
Dim
The Dim statement:
- Declares variables.
- Allocates storage space.
FoundCell | FirstFoundCellAddress
The names of the variables declared with the Dim statement.
- FoundCell holds/represents the cell where the searched data is found.
- FirstFoundCellAddress holds/represents the address of the first cell where the searched data is found.
As Range | As String
The data type of the variables declared with the Dim statement.
- FoundCell is of the Range object data type. The Range object represents a cell or cell range.
- FirstFoundCellAddress is of the String data type. The String data type (generally) holds textual data.
Line #3: Set FoundCell = SearchedRangeObject.Find(What:=SearchedData, After:=SingleCellRangeObject, LookIn:=XlFindLookInConstant, LookAt:=XlLookAtConstant, SearchOrder:=XlSearchDirectionConstant, SearchDirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=BooleanValue)
Set
The Set statement assigns an object reference to an object variable.
FoundCell
Object variable holding/representing the cell where the searched data is found.
=
The assignment operator assigns an object reference (returned by the Range.Find method) to an object variable (FoundCell).
SearchedRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range you search in.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the data you search for) in a cell range (SearchedRangeObject).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=SearchedData
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the What parameter to the data you search for (SearchedData).
After:=SingleCellRangeObject
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins. This must be a single cell in the cell range you search in (SearchedRangeObject).
If you omit specifying the After parameter, the search begins after the first cell (in the upper left corner) of the cell range you search in (SearchedRangeObject).
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the After parameter to a Range object representing the cell after which the search begins.
LookIn:=XlFindLookInConstant
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the LookIn parameter to any of the following, as applicable:
- xlCommentsThreaded (LookIn:=xlCommentsThreaded): To search in the applicable cell range’s threaded comments.
- xlValues (LookIn:=xlValues): To search in the applicable cell range’s values.
- xlComments (LookIn:=xlComments): To search in the applicable cell range’s comments/notes.
- xlFormulas (LookIn:=xlFormulas): To search in the applicable cell range’s formulas.
LookAt:=XlLookAtConstant
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the LookAt parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlWhole (LookAt:=xlWhole): To match against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
- xlPart (LookAt:=xlPart): To match against any part of the searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=XlSearchDirectionConstant
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (SearchedRangeObject) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the SearchOrder parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- xlByRows (SearchOrder:=xlByRows): To search by rows.
- xlByColumns (SearchOrder:=xlByColumns): To search by columns.
SearchDirection:=xlNext
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the SearchDirection parameter to xlNext. xlNext results in the Range.Find method searching for the next match.
MatchCase:=BooleanValue
The MatchCase parameter of the Range.Find method specifies whether the search is:
- Case-sensitive; or
- Case-insensitive.
The default value of the MatchCase parameter is False.
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the MatchCase parameter to either of the following, as applicable:
- True (MatchCase:=True): To carry out a case-sensitive search.
- False (MatchCase:=False): To carry out a case-insensitive search.
Lines #4 and 10: If Not FoundCell Is Nothing Then | End If
If … Then | End If
The If… Then… Else statement:
- Conditionally executes a set of statements (lines #5 to #9);
- Depending on an expression’s value (Not FoundCell Is Nothing).
Not FoundCell Is Nothing
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False. If the expression returns True, the applicable set of statements (lines #5 to #9) is executed.
In this expression:
- Not FoundCell:
- The Not operator performs a logical negation on an expression.
- FoundCell is the object variable holding/representing the cell where the searched data is found.
- The Range.Find method (in line #3) returns Nothing if no match is found. Therefore:
- If the Range.Find method finds no match:
- FoundCell is Nothing.
- Not FoundCell is not Nothing.
- If the Range.Find method finds a match:
- FoundCell is not Nothing.
- Not FoundCell is Nothing.
- If the Range.Find method finds no match:
- Is: The Is operator is an object reference comparison operator.
- Nothing: Nothing allows you to disassociate a variable from the data it previously represented. The Range.Find method (in line #3) returns Nothing if no match is found.
Line #5: FirstFoundCellAddress = FoundCell.Address
FirstFoundCellAddress
Variable holding/representing the address of the first cell where the searched data is found.
=
The assignment operator assigns the result returned by an expression (FoundCell.Address) to a variable (FirstFoundCellAddress).
FoundCell
Object variable holding/representing the cell where the searched data is found.
At this point, FoundCell holds/represents the first cell where the searched data is found (by line #3).
Address
The Range.Address property returns a String representing the applicable cell range’s (FoundCell’s) reference.
Lines #6 and #9: Do | Loop Until FoundCell.Address = FirstFoundCellAddress
Do | Loop Until…
The Do… Loop Until statement repeats a set of statements until a condition becomes True.
FoundCell.Address = FirstFoundCellAddress
The condition of a Do… Loop Until statement is an expression evaluating to True or False. The applicable set of statements (lines #7 and #8) are:
- (Always) executed once, even if the condition is never met; and
- Repeatedly executed until the condition returns True.
In this expression:
- FoundCell.Address:
- FoundCell is an object variable holding/representing the cell where the searched data is found.
- The Range.Address property returns a String representing the applicable cell range’s (FoundCell’s) reference.
- =: The equal to comparison operator returns True or False as follows:
- True if both expressions (FoundCell.Address and FirstFoundCellAddress) are equal.
- False if the expressions (FoundCell.Address and FirstFoundCellAddress) are not equal.
- FirstFoundCellAddress: Variable holding/representing the address of the first cell where the searched data is found.
This condition is tested (only) after the procedure finds (and works with) the first cell where the searched data is found. Therefore, the condition (only) returns True after the Range.FindNext method (line #8) wraps around to the first cell where the searched data is found (after finding all other cells where the searched data is found).
Line #7: Statements
Set of statements to be repeatedly executed for each cell where the searched data is found.
Line #8: Set FoundCell = SearchedRangeObject.FindNext(After:=FoundCell)
Set
The Set statement assigns an object reference to an object variable.
FoundCell
Object variable holding/representing the cell where the searched data is found.
=
The assignment operator assigns an object reference (returned by the Range.FindNext method) to an object variable (FoundCell).
SearchedRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range you search in.
FindNext
The Range.FindNext method:
- Continues the search that was begun by the Range.Find method (line #3).
- Finds the next cell matching the conditions specified by the Range.Find method (line #3).
- Returns a Range object representing the next cell where the information is found.
After:=FoundCell
The After parameter of the Range.FindNext method specifies the cell after which the search restarts.
To (i) find the next appearance of specific information or (ii) find all appearances of specific information, set the After parameter to the object variable holding/representing the cell where the searched data is found.
Macro Example to Find Next or Find All
The following macro example does the following:
- Find:
- All cells whose value is 10;
- In the cell range containing cells A6 to H30 in the “Find Next All” worksheet in the workbook where the procedure is stored.
- Set the interior/fill color of all found cells to light green.
Sub FindNextAll()
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This procedure:
'(1) Finds all cells whose value is 10 in cells A6 to H30 of the "Find Next All" worksheet in this workbook
'(2) Sets the found cells' interior/fill color to light green
'Declare variable to hold/represent searched value
Dim MyValue As Long
'Declare variable to hold/represent address of first cell where searched value is found
Dim FirstFoundCellAddress As String
'Declare object variable to hold/represent cell range where search takes place
Dim MyRange As Range
'Declare object variable to hold/represent cell where searched value is found
Dim FoundCell As Range
'Specify searched value
MyValue = 10
'Identify cell range where search takes place
Set MyRange = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Find Next All").Range("A6:H30")
'Find first cell where searched value is found
With MyRange
Set FoundCell = .Find(What:=MyValue, After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlValues, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext)
End With
'Test whether searched value is found in cell range where search takes place
If Not FoundCell Is Nothing Then
'Store address of first cell where searched value is found
FirstFoundCellAddress = FoundCell.Address
Do
'Set interior/fill color of applicable cell where searched value is found to light green
FoundCell.Interior.Color = RGB(63, 189, 133)
'Find next cell where searched value is found
Set FoundCell = MyRange.FindNext(After:=FoundCell)
'Loop until address of current cell where searched value is found is equal to address of first cell where searched value was found
Loop Until FoundCell.Address = FirstFoundCellAddress
End If
End Sub
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Next or Find All
The following image illustrates the effects of executing the macro example. In this example:
- Cells A6 to H30 contain randomly generated values.
- A text box (Find all cells where value = 10) executes the macro example when clicked.
After the macro is executed, Excel sets the interior/fill color of all cells whose value is 10 to light green.
#13. Excel VBA Find Last Row with Data in Cell Range
VBA Code to Find Last Row with Data in Cell Range
To find the last row with data in a cell range, use the following structure/template in the applicable procedure:
If Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0 Then
LastRowVariable = ValueIfCellRangeEmpty
Else
LastRowVariable = SearchedCellRangeObject.Find(What:="*", LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Row
End If
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Lines #1, #3 and #5: If Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0 Then | Else | End If
If… Then … Else… End If
The If… Then… Else statement:
- Conditionally executes a set of statements (line #2 or line #4);
- Depending on an expression’s value (Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0).
Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False.
- If the expression returns True, a set of statements (line #2) is executed.
- If the expression returns False, a different set of statements (line #4) is executed.
In this expression:
- Application.CountA(…): The WorksheetFunction.CountA method counts the number of cells in a cell range (SearchedCellRangeObject) that are not empty.
- SearchedCellRangeObject: A Range object representing the cell range whose last row you search.
- =: The equal to comparison operator returns True or False as follows:
- True if both expressions (Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) and 0) are equal.
- False if the expressions (Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) and 0) are not equal.
- 0: The number 0. The WorksheetFunction.CountA method returns 0 if all cells in SearchedCellRangeObject are empty.
Line #2: LastRowVariable = ValueIfCellRangeEmpty
Assignment statement assigning:
- ValueIfCellRangeEmpty; to
- LastRowVariable.
In this expression:
- LastRowVariable: Variable of (usually) the Long data type holding/representing the number of the last row with data in the cell range whose last row you search (SearchedCellRangeObject).
- =: Assignment operator. Assigns a value (ValueIfCellRangeEmpty) to a variable (LastRowVariable).
- ValueIfCellRangeEmpty: Value assigned to LastRowVariable when SearchedCellRangeObject is empty and the WorksheetFunction.CountA method returns 0.
Line #4: LastRowVariable = SearchedCellRangeObject.Find(What:=”*”, LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Row
LastRowVariable
Variable of (usually) the Long data type holding/representing the number of the last row with data in the cell range whose last row you search (SearchedCellRangeObject).
=
The assignment operator assigns a value (SearchedCellRangeObject.Find(What:=”*”, LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Row) to a variable (LastRowVariable).
SearchedCellRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range whose last row you search.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information in a cell range (SearchedCellRangeObject).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=”*”
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find the last row with data in a cell range, set the What parameter to any character sequence. The asterisk (*) acts as a wildcard and results in Range.Find searching for any character sequence.
LookIn:=xlFormulas
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find the last row with data in a cell range, set the LookIn parameter to xlFormulas. xlFormulas refers to formulas.
LookAt:=xlPart
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find the last row with data in a cell range, set the LookAt parameter to xlPart. xlPart matches the data you are searching for (any character sequence as specified by the What parameter) against any part of the searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=xlByRows
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (SearchedCellRangeObject) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find the last row with data in a cell range, set the SearchOrder parameter to xlByRows. xlByRows results in the Range.Find method searching by rows.
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find the last row with data in a cell range, set the SearchDirection parameter to xlPrevious. xlPrevious results in the Range.Find method searching for the previous match.
Row
The Range.Row property returns the number of the first row of the first area in a cell range.
When searching for the last row with data in a cell range, the Range.Row property returns the row number of the cell represented by the Range object returned by the Range.Find method (Find(What:=”*”, LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious)).
Macro Example to Find Last Row with Data in Cell Range
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts one argument (MyRange). This is the cell range whose last row you search.
- Tests whether MyRange is empty and proceeds accordingly:
- If MyRange is empty, returns the number 0 as the number of the last row with data in MyRange.
- If MyRange isn’t empty:
- Finds the last row with data in MyRange; and
- Returns the number of the last row with data in MyRange.
Function FindLastRow(MyRange As Range) As Long
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 1 argument: MyRange
'(2) Tests whether MyRange is empty
'(3) If MyRange is empty, returns 0 as the number of the last row with data in MyRange
'(4) If MyRange is not empty:
'(1) Finds the last row with data in MyRange by searching for the last cell with any character sequence
'(2) Returns the number of the last row with data in MyRange
'Test if MyRange is empty
If Application.CountA(MyRange) = 0 Then
'If MyRange is empty, assign 0 to FindLastRow
FindLastRow = 0
Else
'If MyRange isn't empty, find the last cell with any character sequence by:
'(1) Searching for the previous match;
'(2) Across rows
FindLastRow = MyRange.Find(What:="*", LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Row
End If
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Last Row with Data in Cell Range
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H30) contain data.
- Cell J7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the number of the last row with data in the cell range (MyRange). This is row 30.
- Cell K7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell J7 (=FindLastRow(A:H)). The cell range whose last row is searched contains columns A through H (A:H).
#14. Excel VBA Find Last Column with Data in Cell Range
VBA Code to Find Last Column with Data in Cell Range
To find the last column with data in a cell range, use the following structure/template in the applicable procedure:
If Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0 Then
LastColumnVariable = ValueIfCellRangeEmpty
Else
LastColumnVariable = SearchedCellRangeObject.Find(What:="*", LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Column
End If
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Lines #1, #3 and #5: If Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0 Then | Else | End If
If… Then … Else… End If
The If… Then… Else statement:
- Conditionally executes a set of statements (line #2 or line #4);
- Depending on an expression’s value (Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0).
Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) = 0
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False.
- If the expression returns True, a set of statements (line #2) is executed.
- If the expression returns False, a different set of statements (line #4) is executed.
In this expression:
- Application.CountA(…): The WorksheetFunction.CountA method counts the number of cells in a cell range (SearchedCellRangeObject) that are not empty.
- SearchedCellRangeObject: A Range object representing the cell range whose last column you search.
- =: The equal to comparison operator returns True or False as follows:
- True if both expressions (Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) and 0) are equal.
- False if the expressions (Application.CountA(SearchedCellRangeObject) and 0) are not equal.
- 0: The number 0. The WorksheetFunction.CountA method returns 0 if all cells in SearchedCellRangeObject are empty.
Line #2: LastColumnVariable = ValueIfCellRangeEmpty
Assignment statement assigning:
- ValueIfCellRangeEmpty; to
- LastColumnVariable.
In this expression:
- LastColumnVariable: Variable of (usually) the Long data type holding/representing the number of the last column with data in the cell range whose last column you search (SearchedCellRangeObject).
- =: Assignment operator. Assigns a value (ValueIfCellRangeEmpty) to a variable (LastColumnVariable).
- ValueIfCellRangeEmpty: Value assigned to LastColumnVariable when SearchedCellRangeObject is empty and the WorksheetFunction.CountA method returns 0.
Line #4: LastColumnVariable = SearchedCellRangeObject.Find(What:=”*”, LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Column
LastColumnVariable
Variable of (usually) the Long data type holding/representing the number of the last column with data in the cell range whose last column you search (SearchedCellRangeObject).
=
The assignment operator assigns a value (SearchedCellRangeObject.Find(What:=”*”, LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Column) to a variable (LastColumnVariable).
SearchedCellRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range whose last column you search.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information in a cell range (SearchedCellRangeObject).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=”*”
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find the last column with data in a cell range, set the What parameter to any character sequence. The asterisk (*) acts as a wildcard and results in Range.Find searching for any character sequence.
LookIn:=xlFormulas
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find the last column with data in a cell range, set the LookIn parameter to xlFormulas. xlFormulas refers to formulas.
LookAt:=xlPart
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find the last column with data in a cell range, set the LookAt parameter to xlPart. xlPart matches the data you are searching for (any character sequence as specified by the What parameter) against any part of the searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=xlByColumns
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (SearchedCellRangeObject) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find the last column with data in a cell range, set the SearchOrder parameter to xlByColumns. xlByColumns results in the Range.Find method searching by columns.
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find the last column with data in a cell range, set the SearchDirection parameter to xlPrevious. xlPrevious results in the Range.Find method searching for the previous match.
Column
The Range.Column property returns the number of the first column of the first area in a cell range.
When searching for the last column with data in a cell range, the Range.Column property returns the column number of the cell represented by the Range object returned by the Range.Find method (Find(What:=”*”, LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious)).
Macro Example to Find Last Column with Data in Cell Range
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts one argument (MyWorksheetName). This is the name of the worksheet whose last column you search.
- Tests whether the worksheet named MyWorksheetName is empty and proceeds accordingly:
- If the worksheet named MyWorksheetName is empty, returns the number 0 as the number of the last column with data in the worksheet.
- If the worksheet named MyWorksheetName isn’t empty:
- Finds the last column with data in the worksheet; and
- Returns the number of the last column with data in the worksheet.
Function FindLastColumn(MyWorksheetName As String) As Long
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 1 argument: MyWorksheetName
'(2) Tests whether the worksheet named MyWorksheetName is empty
'(3) If the worksheet named MyWorksheetName is empty, returns 0 as the number of the last column with data in the worksheet
'(4) If the worksheet named MyWorksheetName is not empty:
'(1) Finds the last column with data in the worksheet by searching for the last cell with any character sequence
'(2) Returns the number of the last column with data in the worksheet
'Declare object variable to hold/represent all cells in the worksheet named MyWorksheetName
Dim MyRange As Range
'Identify all cells in the worksheet named MyWorksheetName
Set MyRange = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(MyWorksheetName).Cells
'Test if MyRange is empty
If Application.CountA(MyRange) = 0 Then
'If MyRange is empty, assign 0 to FindLastColumn
FindLastColumn = 0
Else
'If MyRange isn't empty, find the last cell with any character sequence by:
'(1) Searching for the previous match;
'(2) Across columns
FindLastColumn = MyRange.Find(What:="*", LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Column
End If
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Last Column with Data in Cell Range
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H30) in the worksheet named “Find Last Column Data” contain data.
- Columns A through H of the “Find Last Column Data” worksheet contain exactly the same data as that in the “Find Last Column Formula” worksheet (displayed in the image below).
- The “Find Last Column Data” worksheet contains no data in columns J or K whereas the “Find Last Column Formula” worksheet (displayed in the image below) does.
- Cell J7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the number of the last column with data in the worksheet (named “Find Last Column Data”). This is column H or 8.
- Cell K7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell J7 (=FindLastColumn(“Find Last Column Data”)). The name of the worksheet whose last column is searched is “Find Last Column Data”.
#15. Excel VBA Find Last Non Empty Cell in Column
VBA Code to Find Last Non Empty Cell in Column
To find the last non empty cell in a column, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
WorksheetObject.Range(ColumnLetter & WorksheetObject.Rows.Count).End(xlUp)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
WorksheetObject
A Worksheet object representing the worksheet containing the column whose last non empty cell you want to find.
Range
The Worksheet.Range property returns a Range object representing a cell or cell range.
ColumnLetter
The letter of the column whose last non empty cell you want to find.
&
The concatenation operator joins two strings and creates a new string.
WorksheetObject
A Worksheet object representing the worksheet containing the column whose last non empty cell you want to find.
Rows
The Worksheet.Rows property returns a Range object representing all rows in the applicable worksheet (containing the column whose last non empty cell you want to find).
Count
The Range.Count property returns the number of objects in a collection (the number of rows in the worksheet containing the column whose last non empty cell you want to find).
End(xlUp)
The Range.End property returns a Range object representing the cell at the end of the region containing the source range. In other words: The Range.End property is the rough equivalent of using the “Ctrl + Arrow Key” or “End, Arrow Key” keyboard shortcuts.
The Range.End property accepts one parameter: Direction. Direction:
- Specifies the direction in which to move.
- Can take the any of the built-in constants/values from the XlDirection enumeration.
To find the last non empty cell in a column, set the Direction parameter to xlUp. xlUp:
- Results in moving up, to the top of the data region.
- Is the rough equivalent of the “Ctrl + Up Arrow” or “End, Up Arrow” keyboard shortcuts.
Macro Example to Find Last Non Empty Cell in Column
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts one argument (MyColumn): The letter of the column (in the worksheet where the UDF is used) whose last non empty cell you want to find.
- Finds the last non empty cell in the applicable column.
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the last non empty cell in the applicable column.
Function FindLastNonEmptyCellColumn(MyColumn As String) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 1 argument: MyColumn
'(2) Finds the last non empty cell in the column whose letter is passed as argument (MyColumn) in the worksheet where the UDF is used
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the last non empty cell found in the column whose letter is passed as argument (MyColumn) in the worksheet where the UDF is used
With Application.Caller.Parent
FindLastNonEmptyCellColumn = .Range(MyColumn & .Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Last Non Empty Cell in Column
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column A (cells A6 to A30) contains data.
- Cell C7 contains the letter of the column whose last non empty cell is sought (A).
- Cell D7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the last non empty cell in column A (MyColumn). This is cell A30
- Cell E7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell D7 (=FindLastNonEmptyCellColumn(C7)). The letter of the column whose last non empty cell is sought is stored in cell C7 (C7).
#16. Excel VBA Find Empty (or Blank) Cells
VBA Code to Find Empty (or Blank) Cells
To find all empty (or blank) cells in a cell range, use the following structure/template in the applicable procedure:
Dim BlankCellsObjectVariable As Range
On Error Resume Next
Set BlankCellsObjectVariable = RangeObjectWithBlankCells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks)
On Error GoTo 0
If Not BlankCellsObjectVariable Is Nothing Then
StatementsIfBlankCells
End If
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Line #1: Dim BlankCellsObjectVariable As Range
Dim
The Dim statement:
- Declares variables.
- Allocates storage space.
BlankCellsObjectVariable
The name of the variable declared with the Dim statement.
BlankCellsObjectVariable holds/represents the empty (or blank) cells found.
As Range
The data type of the variable declared with the Dim statement.
BlankCellsObjectVariable is declared as of the Range object data type. The Range object represents a cell or cell range.
Line #2: On Error Resume Next
The On Error Resume Next statement specifies that, when a run-time error occurs, control passes to the statement immediately following that statement where the error occurred. Therefore, procedure execution continues.
Line #3 returns an error (Run time error ‘1004′: No cells were found) if the cell range where you search for empty (or blank) cells doesn’t contain any empty (or blank) cells.
Line #3: Set BlankCellsObjectVariable = RangeObjectWithBlankCells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks)
Set
The Set statement assigns an object reference to an object variable.
BlankCellsObjectVariable
Object variable holding/representing the empty (or blank) cells found.
=
The assignment operator assigns an object reference (returned by the Range.SpecialCells method) to an object variable (BlankCellsObjectVariable).
RangeObjectWithBlankCells
A Range object representing the cell range you search in for empty (or blank) cells.
SpecialCells
The Range.SpecialCells method returns a Range object representing all cells matching a specified:
- Type; and
- Value.
xlCellTypeBlanks
The Type parameter of the Range.SpecialCells method:
- Specifies the cells to include in the Range object returned by the Range.SpecialCells method.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlCellType enumeration.
To find all empty (or blank) cells in a cell range, set the Type parameter to xlCellTypeBlanks. xlCellTypeBlanks results in the Range.SpecialCells method including blank/empty cells in the Range object it returns.
Line #4: On Error GoTo 0
The On Error GoTo 0 statement disables error handling (originally enabled by line #2).
Line #5 and #7: If Not BlankCellsObjectVariable Is Nothing Then | End If
If… Then | End If
The If… Then… Else statement:
- Conditionally executes a set of statements (line #6);
- Depending on an expression’s value (Not BlankCellsObjectVariable Is Nothing).
Not BlankCellsObjectVariable Is Nothing
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False. If the expression returns True, the applicable set of statements (line #6) is executed.
In this expression:
- Not BlankCellsObjectVariable:
- The Not operator performs a logical negation on an expression.
- BlankCellsObjectVariable is the object variable holding/representing the empty (or blank) cells found.
- BlankCellsObjectVariable holds/represents Nothing if no empty (or blank) cells are found. Therefore:
- If the Range.SpecialCells method finds no empty (or blank) cells:
- BlankCellsObjectVariable is Nothing.
- Not BlankCellsObjectVariable is not Nothing.
- If the Range.SpecialCells method finds empty (or blank) cells:
- BlankCellsObjectVariable is not Nothing.
- Not BlankCellsObjectVariable is Nothing.
- If the Range.SpecialCells method finds no empty (or blank) cells:
- Is: The Is operator is an object reference comparison operator.
- Nothing: Nothing allows you to disassociate a variable from the data it previously represented. BlankCellsObjectVariable holds/represents Nothing if no empty (or blank) cells are found.
Line #6: StatementsIfBlankCells
Statements conditionally executed by the If… Then… Else statement if the applicable condition (Not BlankCellsObjectVariable Is Nothing) returns True (the Range.SpecialCells method finds empty or blank cells).
Macro Example to Find Empty (or Blank) Cells
The following macro example does the following:
- Find all empty (or blank) cells in the cell range containing cells A6 to H30 in the “Find Blank Cells” worksheet in the workbook where the procedure is stored.
- Set the interior/fill color of all found empty (or blank) cells to light green.
Sub FindBlankCells()
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This procedure:
'(1) Finds all blank cells in cells A6 to H30 of the "Find Blank Cells" worksheet in this workbook
'(2) Sets the found cells' interior/fill color to light green
'Declare object variable to hold/represent blank cells
Dim MyBlankCells As Range
'Enable error-handling
On Error Resume Next
'Identify blank cells in searched cell range
Set MyBlankCells = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Find Blank Cells").Range("A6:H30").SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks)
'Disable error-handling
On Error GoTo 0
'Test whether blank cells were found in searched cell range
If Not MyBlankCells Is Nothing Then
'Set interior/fill color of blank cells found to light green
MyBlankCells.Interior.Color = RGB(63, 189, 133)
End If
End Sub
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Empty (or Blank) Cells
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H30) contain:
- Data; and
- A few empty cells (with light green interior/fill).
- A text box (Find all blank cells) executes the macro example when clicked.
After the macro is executed, Excel sets the interior/fill color of all empty (or blank) cells to light green.
#17. Excel VBA Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Cell Range
VBA Code to Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Cell Range
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a cell range, use the following structure/template in the applicable procedure:
For Each iCell In CellRangeObject
If IsEmpty(iCell) Then
StatementsForFirstEmptyCell
Exit For
End If
Next iCell
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Lines #1 and #6: For Each iCell In CellRangeObject | Next iCell
For Each … In … | Next …
The For Each… Next statement repeats a series of statements for each element (iCell, an individual cell) in a collection (CellRangeObject).
iCell
Object variable (of the Range data type) used to iterate/loop through each element of the collection (CellRangeObject).
CellRangeObject
A Range object representing the cell range you search in.
The series of statements repeated by the For Each… Next statement are repeated for each individual element (iCell) in CellRangeObject.
Lines #2 and #5: If IsEmpty(iCell) Then | End If
If… Then | End If
The If… Then Else statement:
- Conditionally executes a set of statements (lines #3 and #4);
- Depending on an expression’s value (IsEmpty(iCell)).
IsEmpty(iCell)
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False. If the expression returns True, the applicable set of statements (lines #3 and #4) are executed.
In this expression:
- As a general rule, the IsEmpty function returns a Boolean value (True or False) indicating whether a variable is initialized. You can (also) use the IsEmpty function to test whether a cell is empty (or blank).
- iCell is an object variable representing the individual cell the For Each… Next statement is currently working with (iterating through).
- IsEmpty(iCell) returns True or False as follows:
- True if the cell (currently) represented by iCell is empty (or blank).
- False if the cell (currently) represented by iCell isn’t empty. A cell isn’t considered to be empty if, for example, it contains a worksheet formula returning a zero-length string (“”).
Line #3: StatementsForFirstEmptyCell
Statements conditionally executed by the If… Then… Else statement if the applicable condition (IsEmpty(iCell)) returns True (the cell currently represented by iCell is empty or blank).
Line #4: Exit For
The Exit For statement:
- Exits a For Each… Next loop.
- Transfers control to the statement following the Next statement (line #6).
Macro Example to Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Cell Range
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts one argument (MyRange): The cell range whose first empty cell you search for.
- Loops through each individual cell in the cell range (MyRange) and tests whether the applicable cell is empty (or blank).
- Returns the following:
- If MyRange contains empty cells, the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first empty cell in the cell range (MyRange).
- If MyRange doesn’t contain empty cells, the string “No empty cells found in cell range”.
Function FindNextEmptyCellRange(MyRange As Range) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 1 argument: MyRange
'(2) Loops through each individual cell in the cell range (MyRange) and tests whether the applicable cell is empty
'(3) Returns the following (as applicable):
'If there are empty cells in MyRange: The address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first empty cell
'If there are no empty cells in MyRange: The string "No empty cells found in cell range"
'Declare object variable to iterate/loop through all cells in the cell range (MyRange)
Dim iCell As Range
'Loop through each cell in the cell range (MyRange)
For Each iCell In MyRange
'If the current cell is empty:
'(1) Return the current cell's address (as an A1-style relative reference)
'(2) Exit the For Each... Next loop
If IsEmpty(iCell) Then
FindNextEmptyCellRange = iCell.Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
Exit For
End If
Next iCell
'If no empty cells are found in the cell range (MyRange), return the string "No empty cells found in cell range"
If FindNextEmptyCellRange = "" Then FindNextEmptyCellRange = "No empty cells found in cell range"
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Cell Range
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Columns A through H (cells A6 to H30) contain:
- Data; and
- A few empty cells (with light green interior/fill).
- Cell J7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first empty cell in the cell range (MyRange). This is cell B7.
- Cell K7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell J7 (=FindNextEmptyCellRange(A6:H30)). The cell range where the search is carried out contains cells A6 to H30 (A6:H30).
#18. Excel VBA Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
VBA Code to Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a column, use the following structure/template in the applicable statement:
ColumnRangeObject.Find(What:="", After:=ColumnRangeObject.Cells(ColumnRangeObject.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext)
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
ColumnRangeObject
A Range object representing the column whose first empty (or blank) cell you search for.
Find
The Range.Find method:
- Finds specific information (the first empty or blank cell) in a cell range (ColumnRangeObject).
- Returns a Range object representing the first cell where the information is found.
What:=””
The What parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the data to search for.
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a column, set the What parameter to a zero-length string (“”).
After:=ColumnRangeObject.Cells(ColumnRangeObject.Cells.Count)
The After parameter of the Range.Find method specifies the cell after which the search begins.
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a column, set the After parameter to “ColumnRangeObject.Cells(ColumnRangeObject.Cells.Count)”. For these purposes:
- “ColumnRangeObject” is a Range object representing the column whose first empty (or blank) cell you search for.
- The Range.Cells property (Cells) returns a Range object representing all cells in the column whose first empty (or blank) cell you search for.
- The Range.Item property returns a Range object representing the last cell in the column whose first empty (or blank) cell you search for. For these purposes, the RowIndex parameter of the Range.Item property is set to the value returned by the Range.Count property (Count).
- The Range.Count property (Count) returns the number of cells in the Range object returned by the Range.Cells property (ColumnRangeObject.Cells).
LookIn:=xlFormulas
The LookIn parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the type of data to search in.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlFindLookIn enumeration.
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a column, set the LookIn parameter to xlFormulas. xlFormulas refers to formulas.
LookAt:=xlWhole
The LookAt parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies against which of the following the data you are searching for is matched:
- The entire/whole searched cell contents.
- Any part of the searched cell contents.
- The LookAt parameter can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlLookAt enumeration.
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a column, set the LookAt parameter to xlWhole. xlWhole matches the data you are searching for against the entire/whole searched cell contents.
SearchOrder:=xlByRows
The SearchOrder parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the order in which the applicable cell range (ColumnRangeObject) is searched:
- By rows.
- By columns.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchOrder enumeration.
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a column, set the SearchOrder parameter to xlByRows. xlByRows searches by rows.
SearchDirection:=xlNext
The SearchDirection parameter of the Range.Find method:
- Specifies the search direction:
- Search for the previous match.
- Search for the next match.
- Can take any of the built-in constants/values from the XlSearchDirection enumeration.
To find the first empty (or blank) cell in a column, set the SearchDirection parameter to xlNext. xlNext searches for the next match.
Macro Example to Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts one argument (MyColumn): The letter of the column (in the worksheet where the UDF is used) whose first empty (or blank) cell you search for.
- Finds the first empty (or blank) cell in the applicable column.
- Returns a string containing the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first empty (or blank) cell in the applicable column.
Function FindFirstEmptyCellColumn(MyColumn As String) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 1 argument: MyColumn
'(2) Finds the first empty (blank) cell in the column whose letter is passed as argument (MyColumn) in the worksheet where the UDF is used
'(3) Returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first empty (blank) cell in the column whose letter is passed as argument (MyColumn) in the worksheet where the UDF is used
With Application.Caller.Parent.Columns(MyColumn)
FindFirstEmptyCellColumn = .Find(What:="", After:=.Cells(.Cells.Count), LookIn:=xlFormulas, LookAt:=xlWhole, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False)
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find First Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column I (cells I1 to I25) contains:
- Data; and
- A few empty cells (with light green interior/fill).
- Cell A7 contains the letter of the column whose first empty (or blank) cell is sought (I).
- Cell B7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an A1-style relative reference) of the first empty (or blank) cell in column I (MyColumn). This is cell I10.
- Cell C7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell B7 (=FindFirstEmptyCellColumn(A7)). The letter of the column whose first empty (or blank) cell is sought is stored in cell A7 (A7).
#19. Excel VBA Find Next Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
VBA Code to Find Next Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
To find the next empty (or blank) cell in a column, use the following structure/template in the applicable procedure:
If IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell) Then
RangeObjectSourceCell.ActionForNextEmptyCell
ElseIf IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0)) Then
RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0).ActionForNextEmptyCell
Else
RangeObjectSourceCell.End(xlDown).Offset(1, 0).ActionForNextEmptyCell
End If
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Lines #1, #3, #5 and #7: If IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell) Then | ElseIf IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0)) Then | Else | End If
If… Then | ElseIf… Then | Else | End If
The If… Then… Else statement:
- Conditionally executes a set of statements (lines #2, #4 or #6);
- Depending on an expression’s value (IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell) or IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0))).
IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell)
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False. If the expression returns True, the applicable set of statements (line #2) is executed.
In this expression:
- As a general rule, the IsEmpty function returns a Boolean value (True or False) indicating whether a variable is initialized. You can (also) use the IsEmpty function to test whether a cell is empty (or blank).
- RangeObjectSourceCell is a Range object representing the cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins.
- IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell) returns True or False as follows:
- True if the cell represented by RangeObjectSourceCell is empty (or blank).
- False if the cell represented by RangeObjectSourceCell isn’t empty. A cell isn’t considered to be empty if, for example, it contains a worksheet formula returning a zero-length string (“”).
IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0))
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False. If the expression returns True, the applicable set of statements (line #4) is executed.
In this expression:
- As a general rule, the IsEmpty function returns a Boolean value (True or False) indicating whether a variable is initialized. You can (also) use the IsEmpty function to test whether a cell is empty (or blank).
- RangeObjectSourceCell is a Range object representing the cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins.
- The Range.Offset property (Offset(1, 0)) returns a Range object representing a cell range at an offset from the source cell range. In this expression:
- The source cell range is the cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins (RangeObjectSourceCell).
- The offset from the source cell range is as follows:
- 1 row downwards, as specified by the RowOffset parameter of the Range.Offset property (1).
- No column offsetting, as specified by the ColumnOffset parameter of the Range.Offset property (0).
- IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0)) returns True or False as follows:
- True if the cell represented by the Range object returned by the Range.Offset property is empty.
- False if the cell represented by the Range object returned by the Range.Offset property isn’t empty. A cell isn’t considered to be empty if, for example, it contains a worksheet formula returning a zero-length string (“”).
Line #2: RangeObjectSourceCell.ActionForNextEmptyCell
Statement conditionally executed by the If… Then… Else statement if the applicable condition (IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell)) returns True.
RangeObjectSourceCell
A Range object representing the cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins.
ActionForNextEmptyCell
VBA construct (usually a property or method) working with the applicable cell (represented by RangeObjectSourceCell).
Line #4: RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0).ActionForNextEmptyCell
Statement conditionally executed by the If… Then… Else statement if the applicable condition (IsEmpty(RangeObjectSourceCell.Offset(1, 0))) returns True.
RangeObjectSourceCell
A Range object representing the cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins.
Offset(1, 0)
The Range.Offset property (Offset(1, 0)) returns a Range object representing a cell range at an offset from the source cell range. For these purposes:
- The source cell range is the cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins (RangeObjectSourceCell).
- The offset from the source cell range is as follows:
- 1 row downwards, as specified by the RowOffset parameter of the Range.Offset property (1).
- No column offsetting, as specified by the ColumnOffset parameter of the Range.Offset property (0).
ActionForNextEmptyCell
VBA construct (usually a property or method) working with the applicable cell (returned by the Range.Offset property).
Line #6: RangeObjectSourceCell.End(xlDown).Offset(1, 0).ActionForNextEmptyCell
Statement conditionally executed by the If… Then… Else statement if no previous condition (in lines #1 or #3) returns True.
RangeObjectSourceCell
A Range object representing the cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins.
End(xlDown)
The Range.End property returns a Range object representing the cell at the end of the region containing the source range. In other words: The Range.End property is the rough equivalent of using the “Ctrl + Arrow Key” or “End, Arrow Key” keyboard shortcuts.
The Range.End property accepts one parameter: Direction. Direction:
- Specifies the direction in which to move.
- Can take the any of the built-in constants/values from the XlDirection enumeration.
To find the next empty (or blank) cell in a column, set the Direction parameter to xlDown. xlDown:
- Results in moving down, to the bottom of the data region.
- Is the rough equivalent of the “Ctrl + Down Arrow” or “End, Down Arrow” keyboard shortcuts.
Offset(1, 0)
The Range.Offset property (Offset(1, 0)) returns a Range object representing a cell range at an offset from the source cell range. For these purposes:
- The source cell range is the cell represented by the Range object returned by the Range.End property (End(xlDown)).
- The offset from the source cell range is as follows:
- 1 row downwards, as specified by the RowOffset parameter of the Range.Offset property (1).
- No column offsetting, as specified by the ColumnOffset parameter of the Range.Offset property (0).
ActionForNextEmptyCell
VBA construct (usually a property or method) working with the applicable cell (returned by the Range.Offset property).
Macro Example to Find Next Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts one argument (MySourceCell): The cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins.
- Finds the next empty (or blank) cell in the applicable column after MySourceCell.
- Returns a string containing the address (as an R1C1-style absolute reference) of the next empty (or blank) cell in the applicable column.
Function FindNextEmptyCellColumn(MySourceCell As Range) As String
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 1 argument: MySourceCell
'(2) Finds the next empty/blank cell in the applicable column and after the cell passed as argument (MySourceCell)
'(3) Returns the address (as an R1C1-style absolute reference) of the next empty/blank cell in the applicable column and after the cell passed as argument (MySourceCell)
With MySourceCell(1)
'If first cell in cell range passed as argument (MySourceCell) is empty, obtain/return that cell's address
If IsEmpty(MySourceCell(1)) Then
FindNextEmptyCellColumn = .Address(ReferenceStyle:=xlR1C1)
'If cell below first cell in cell range passed as argument (MySourceCell) is empty, obtain/return that cell's address
ElseIf IsEmpty(.Offset(1, 0)) Then
FindNextEmptyCellColumn = .Offset(1, 0).Address(ReferenceStyle:=xlR1C1)
'Otherwise:
'(1) Find the next empty/blank cell in the applicable column and after the first cell in cell range passed as argument (MySourceCell)
'(2) Obtain/return the applicable cell's address
Else
FindNextEmptyCellColumn = .End(xlDown).Offset(1, 0).Address(ReferenceStyle:=xlR1C1)
End If
End With
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Next Empty (or Blank) Cell in Column
The following image illustrates the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example. In this example:
- Column A (cells A6 to A30) contains:
- Data; and
- A few empty cells.
- Cell C7 contains the worksheet formula that works with the macro (User-Defined Function) example. This worksheet formula returns the address (as an R1C1-style absolute reference) of the next empty (or blank) cell in column A after cell A13 (MySourceCell). This cell R21C1 (or A21 as an A1-style relative reference).
- Cell D7 displays the worksheet formula used in cell C7 (=FindNextEmptyCellColumn(A13)). The cell where the search (for the next empty or blank cell in the column) begins is A13 (A13).
#20. Excel VBA Find Value in Array
VBA Code to Find Value in Array
To find a numeric value in a one-dimensional array, use the following structure/template in the applicable procedure:
Dim PositionOfValueInArray As Variant
Dim LoopCounter As Long
PositionOfValueInArray = OutputIfValueNotInArray
For LoopCounter = LBound(SearchedArray) To UBound(SearchedArray)
If SearchedArray(LoopCounter) = SearchedValue Then
PositionOfValueInArray = LoopCounter
Exit For
End If
Next LoopCounter
The following Sections describe the main elements in this structure.
Lines #1 and #2: Dim PositionOfValueInArray As Variant | Dim LoopCounter As Long
The Dim statement:
- Declares variables.
- Allocates storage space.
PositionOfValueInArray | LoopCounter
The names of the variables declared with the Dim statement.
- PositionOfValueInArray holds/represents:
- The position of the searched numeric value in the array, if the searched numeric value is found in the array.
- The default/fallback output/data, if the searched numeric value isn’t found in the array.
- LoopCounter represents the loop counter used in the For… Next loop in lines #4 to #9.
As Variant | As Long
The data type of the variables declared with the Dim statement.
- PositionOfValueInArray is of the Variant data type. The Variant data type can (generally) contain any type of data, except for fixed-length Strings.
- LoopCounter is of the Long data type. The Long data type can contain integers between -2,147,483,648 and 2,147,483,647.
Line #3: PositionOfValueInArray = OutputIfValueNotInArray
PositionOfValueInArray
Variable holding/representing:
- The position of the searched numeric value in the array, if the searched numeric value is found in the array.
- The default/fallback output/data, if the searched numeric value isn’t found in the array.
=
The assignment operator assigns the result returned by an expression (OutputIfValueNotInArray) to a variable (PositionOfValueInArray).
OutputIfValueNotInArray
Expression specifying the default/fallback output/data to be assigned to the PositionOfValueInArray variable if the searched numeric value isn’t found in the array.
Lines #4 and #9: For LoopCounter = LBound(SearchedArray) To UBound(SearchedArray) | Next LoopCounter
For… = … To … | Next…
The For… Next statement repeats a series of statements a specific number of times.
LoopCounter
Variable holding/representing the loop counter.
LBound(…) | UBound(…)
The LBound/UBound functions return the lower/upper bound of an array’s dimension. The LBound/UBound functions accept two arguments:
- ArrayName: The name of the array whose lower/upper bound you want to obtain.
- Dimension:
- An optional argument.
- The dimension (of the applicable array) whose lower/upper bound you want to obtain.
If you omit specifying the Dimension argument, the LBound/UBound functions return the lower/upper bound of the array’s first dimension.
The initial/final values of LoopCounter are set to the following:
- Initial value (Start) of LoopCounter: The output returned by the LBound function (LBound(SearchedArray)).
- Final value (End) of LoopCounter: The output returned by the UBound function (UBound(SearchedArray)).
SearchedArray
The array you search in.
SearchedArray is passed as the ArrayName argument of the LBound/UBound functions.
Lines #5 and #8: If SearchedArray(LoopCounter) = SearchedValue Then | End If
If… Then… End If
The If… Then… Else statement:
- Conditionally executes a set of statements (lines #6 and #7);
- Depending on an expression’s value (SearchedArray(LoopCounter) = SearchedValue).
SearchedArray(LoopCounter) = SearchedValue
The condition of an If… Then… Else statement is an expression evaluating to True or False.
- If the expression returns True, a set of statements (lines #6 and #7) is executed.
- If the expression returns False:
- No statements are executed.
- Execution continues with the statement following End If (line #8).
In this expression:
- SearchedArray: The array you search in.
- LoopCounter: Variable holding/representing the loop counter.
- SearchedArray(LoopCounter): Array element whose index number is LoopCounter.
- =: The equal to comparison operator returns True or False as follows:
- True if both expressions (SearchedArray(LoopCounter) and SearchedValue) are equal.
- False if the expressions (SearchedArray(LoopCounter) and SearchedValue) are not equal.
- SearchedValue: Numeric value you search for in the array (SearchedArray).
Line #6: PositionOfValueInArray = LoopCounter
PositionOfValueInArray
Variable holding/representing:
- The position of the searched numeric value in the array, if the searched numeric value is found in the array.
- The default/fallback output/data, if the searched numeric value isn’t found in the array.
=
The assignment operator assigns the result returned by an expression (LoopCounter) to a variable (PositionOfValueInArray).
LoopCounter
Variable holding/representing the loop counter.
Line #7: Exit For
The Exit For statement:
- Exits a For… Next loop.
- Transfers control to the statement following the Next statement (line #8).
Macro Example to Find Value in Array
The following macro (User-Defined Function) example does the following:
- Accepts two arguments:
- MyArray: The array you search in.
- MyValue: The numeric value you search for.
- Loops through each element in MyArray and tests whether the applicable element is equal to MyValue.
- Returns the following:
- If MyValue is not found in MyArray, the string “Value not found in array”.
- If MyValue is found in MyArray, the position/index number of MyValue in MyArray.
Function FindValueInArray(MyArray As Variant, MyValue As Variant) As Variant
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This UDF:
'(1) Accepts 2 arguments: MyArray and MyValue
'(2) Loops through each element in the array (MyArray) and tests whether the applicable element is equal to the searched value (MyValue)
'(3) Returns the following (as applicable):
'If MyValue is not found in MyArray: The string "Value not found in array"
'If MyValue is found in MyArray: The position (index number) of MyValue in MyArray
'Declare variable to represent loop counter
Dim iCounter As Long
'Specify default/fallback value/string to be returned ("Value not found in array") if MyValue is not found in MyArray
FindValueInArray = "Value not found in array"
'Loop through each element in the array (MyArray)
For iCounter = LBound(MyArray) To UBound(MyArray)
'Test if the current array element is equal to MyValue
If MyArray(iCounter) = MyValue Then
'If the current array element is equal to MyValue:
'(1) Return the position (index number) of the current array element
'(2) Exit the For... Next loop
FindValueInArray = iCounter
Exit For
End If
Next iCounter
End Function
Effects of Executing Macro Example to Find Value in Array
To illustrate the effects of using the macro (User-Defined Function) example, I use the following macro. The following macro does the following:
- Declare an array (MySearchedArray).
- Fill the array with values (0, 10, 20, …, 90).
- Call the FindValueInArray macro (User-Defined Function) example to find the number “50” in the array.
- Display a message box with the value/string returned by the FindValueInArray macro (User-Defined Function) example.
Sub FindValueInArrayCaller()
'Source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'For further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-find/
'This procedure:
'(1) Declares an array and fills it with values (0, 10, 20, ..., 90)
'(2) Calls the FindValueInArray UDF to find the number "50" in the array
'(3) Displays a message box with the value/string returned by the FindValueInArray UDF
'Declare a zero-based array with 10 elements of the Long data type
Dim MySearchedArray(0 To 9) As Long
'Assign values to array elements
MySearchedArray(0) = 0
MySearchedArray(1) = 10
MySearchedArray(2) = 20
MySearchedArray(3) = 30
MySearchedArray(4) = 40
MySearchedArray(5) = 50
MySearchedArray(6) = 60
MySearchedArray(7) = 70
MySearchedArray(8) = 80
MySearchedArray(9) = 90
'Do the following:
'(1) Call the FindValueInArray UDF and search for the number "50" in MySearchedArray
'(2) Display a message box with the value/string returned by the FindValueInArray UDF
MsgBox FindValueInArray(MySearchedArray, 50)
End Sub
The following GIF illustrates the effects of using the macro above to call the macro (User-Defined Function) example.
As expected, this results in Excel displaying a message box with the number 5. This is the position of the searched numeric value (50) in the array.
Learn More About Excel VBA Find
Workbook Example Used in this Excel VBA Find Tutorial
This VBA Find Tutorial is accompanied by an Excel workbook containing the data and macros I use in the examples above. You can get free access to this example workbook by clicking the button below.
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