If you are writing macros, you probably do a lot of work with string variables. A common operation related to string variables is the need to replace one occurrence of characters in a string with another occurrence. For instance, consider the following string:
"This is my string of characters."
You might want to replace "of" with another word, such as "that has". The following general-purpose function can do just that, and much more:
Function RepText(sIn As String, sFind As String, sRep As String) As String
Dim x As Integer
x = InStr(sIn, sFind)
While x > 0
sIn = Left(sIn, x - 1) & sRep & Mid(sIn, x + Len(sFind))
x = InStr(sIn, sFind)
Wend
RepText = sIn
End Function
As an example of how to use the function, you can do the following:
sTemp = "This is my string of characters." sTemp = RepText(sTemp, "of", "that has")
When this code is executed, sTemp will contain the string "This is my string that has characters."
In my routines, I often utilize a function just like RepText to remove extra spaces (replacing a two-space string with a single-space string) or replacing multiple spaces with a tab character. How you use it, of course, is entirely up to you.
Those who have used only the latest versions of VBA may be curious as to why I would use a function such as RepText rather than the built-in Replace function. While the Replace function does essentially the same thing as RepText, its addition to the VBA arsenal is a relatively new occurrence. If your macros have even the slightest possibility of being used in older versions of Word, then using Replace runs the risk of crashing your macro—it won't be available in those versions.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (811) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
Need to know if the Num Lock key is on or off? You can use a short bit of macro code to figure out the state of the key.
Discover MoreSpend any time creating Word macros, and sooner or later you will need to repeat some of your programming code a certain ...
Discover MoreWord collects a wide range of statistics about your documents, but one of the things it doesn't collect is how many times ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments