Understanding the If ... End If Structure

Summary: One of the powerful programming structures provided in VBA allows you to conditionally execute commands. The If � End If structure is easy to implement once you grasp what it does. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

Macros in Word are written in a language called Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Like any other programming language, VBA include certain programming structures used to control how the program executes. One of these structures is the If ... End If structure. The most common use of this structure has the following syntax:

If condition Then
    program statements
Else
    program statements
End If

When a macro is executing, and this structure is encountered, Word tests whatever condition you have specified following the If keyword. If the condition is true, then the program statements right after the Then keyword are executed. If they are not true, then the statements after the Else keyword are executed. The Else keyword and any following program statements (which together make up an Else clause) are optional; you do not need to include them in your macro.

Regardless of whether the program statements in the If ... End If structure are executed, when Word is done with the structure, the macro continues running with the statement following the End If keyword.

Tip #125 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Understanding the If ... End If Structure