Declare a 0-Length String Array in VBA - Impossible? - arrays

Is it really not possible to declare a 0-length array in VBA? If I try this:
Dim lStringArr(-1) As String
I get a compile error saying range has no values. If I try to trick the compiler and redim at runtime like this:
ReDim lStringArr(-1)
I get a subscript out of range error.
I've varied the above around a bit but with no luck e.g.
Dim lStringArr(0 To -1) As String
Use Case
I want to convert a variant array to a string array. The variant array may be empty as it comes from the Keys property of a dictionary. The keys property gives back an array of variants. I want an array of strings to use in my code, as I have some functions for processing string arrays I'd like to use. Here's the conversion function I'm using. This throws a subscript out of range error due to lMaxIndex being = -1:
Public Function mVariantArrayToStringArray(pVariants() As Variant) As String()
Dim lStringArr() As String
Dim lMaxIndex As Long, lMinIndex As Long
lMaxIndex = UBound(pVariants)
lMinIndex = LBound(pVariants)
ReDim lStringArr(lMaxIndex)
Dim lVal As Variant
Dim lIndex As Long
For lIndex = lMinIndex To lMaxIndex
lStringArr(lIndex) = pVariants(lIndex)
Next
mVariantArrayToStringArray = lStringArr
End Function
Hack
Return a singleton array containing an empty string. Note- this isn't what we want. We want an empty array- such that looping over it is like doing nothing. But a singleton array containing an empty string will often work e.g. if we later want to join all the strings together in the string array.
Public Function mVariantArrayToStringArray(pVariants() As Variant) As String()
Dim lStringArr() As String
Dim lMaxIndex As Long, lMinIndex As Long
lMaxIndex = UBound(pVariants)
lMinIndex = LBound(pVariants)
If lMaxIndex < 0 Then
ReDim lStringArr(1)
lStringArr(1) = ""
Else
ReDim lStringArr(lMaxIndex)
End If
Dim lVal As Variant
Dim lIndex As Long
For lIndex = lMinIndex To lMaxIndex
lStringArr(lIndex) = pVariants(lIndex)
Next
mVariantArrayToStringArray = lStringArr
End Function
Update since answer
Here is the function I'm using for converting a variant array to a string array. Comintern's solution seems more advanced and general, and I may switch to that one day if I'm still stuck coding in VBA:
Public Function mVariantArrayToStringArray(pVariants() As Variant) As String()
Dim lStringArr() As String
Dim lMaxIndex As Long, lMinIndex As Long
lMaxIndex = UBound(pVariants)
lMinIndex = LBound(pVariants)
If lMaxIndex < 0 Then
mVariantArrayToStringArray = Split(vbNullString)
Else
ReDim lStringArr(lMaxIndex)
End If
Dim lVal As Variant
Dim lIndex As Long
For lIndex = lMinIndex To lMaxIndex
lStringArr(lIndex) = pVariants(lIndex)
Next
mVariantArrayToStringArray = lStringArr
End Function
Notes
I use Option Explicit. This can't change as it safeguards the rest of the code in the module.

As noted in the comments, you can do this "natively" by calling Split on a vbNullString, as documented here:
expression - Required. String expression containing substrings and delimiters. If expression is a zero-length string(""), Split returns an empty array, that is, an array with no elements and no data.
If you need a more general solution (i.e., other data types, you can call the SafeArrayRedim function in oleaut32.dll directly and request that it re-dimensions the passed array to 0 elements. You do have to jump through a couple of hoops to get the base address of the array (this is due to a quirk of the VarPtr function).
In the module declarations section:
'Headers
Private Type SafeBound
cElements As Long
lLbound As Long
End Type
Private Const VT_BY_REF = &H4000&
Private Const PVDATA_OFFSET = 8
Private Declare PtrSafe Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias _
"RtlMoveMemory" (ByRef Destination As Any, ByRef Source As Any, _
ByVal length As Long)
Private Declare Sub SafeArrayRedim Lib "oleaut32" (ByVal psa As LongPtr, _
ByRef rgsabound As SafeBound)
The procedure - pass it an initialized array (any type) and it will remove all elements from it:
Private Sub EmptyArray(ByRef vbArray As Variant)
Dim vtype As Integer
CopyMemory vtype, vbArray, LenB(vtype)
Dim lp As LongPtr
CopyMemory lp, ByVal VarPtr(vbArray) + PVDATA_OFFSET, LenB(lp)
If Not (vtype And VT_BY_REF) Then
CopyMemory lp, ByVal lp, LenB(lp)
Dim bound As SafeBound
SafeArrayRedim lp, bound
End If
End Sub
Sample usage:
Private Sub Testing()
Dim test() As Long
ReDim test(0)
EmptyArray test
Debug.Print LBound(test) '0
Debug.Print UBound(test) '-1
End Sub

Per Comintern's comment.
Make a dedicated utility function that returns the result of the VBA.Strings.Split function, working off vbNullString, which is effectively a null string pointer, which makes the intent more explicit than using an empty string literal "", which would also work:
Public Function EmptyStringArray() As String()
EmptyStringArray = VBA.Strings.Split(vbNullString)
End Function
Now branch your function to check for the existence of keys, and return EmptyStringArray if there are none, otherwise proceed to resize your result array and convert each source element.

If we're going to use WinAPI anyway, we can also cleanly create the array from scratch using the WinAPI SafeArrayCreate function instead of redimensioning it.
Struct declarations:
Public Type SAFEARRAYBOUND
cElements As Long
lLbound As Long
End Type
Public Type tagVariant
vt As Integer
wReserved1 As Integer
wReserved2 As Integer
wReserved3 As Integer
pSomething As LongPtr
End Type
WinAPI declarations:
Public Declare PtrSafe Function SafeArrayCreate Lib "OleAut32.dll" (ByVal vt As Integer, ByVal cDims As Long, ByRef rgsabound As SAFEARRAYBOUND) As LongPtr
Public Declare PtrSafe Sub VariantCopy Lib "OleAut32.dll" (pvargDest As Any, pvargSrc As Any)
Public Declare PtrSafe Sub SafeArrayDestroy Lib "OleAut32.dll"(ByVal psa As LongPtr)
Use it:
Public Sub Test()
Dim bounds As SAFEARRAYBOUND 'Defaults to lower bound 0, 0 items
Dim NewArrayPointer As LongPtr 'Pointer to hold unmanaged string array
NewArrayPointer = SafeArrayCreate(vbString, 1, bounds)
Dim tagVar As tagVariant 'Unmanaged variant we can manually manipulate
tagVar.vt = vbArray + vbString 'Holds a string array
tagVar.pSomething = NewArrayPointer 'Make variant point to the new string array
Dim v As Variant 'Actual variant
VariantCopy v, ByVal tagVar 'Copy unmanaged variant to managed one
Dim s() As String 'Managed string array
s = v 'Copy the array from the variant
SafeArrayDestroy NewArrayPointer 'Destroy the unmanaged SafeArray, leaving the managed one
Debug.Print LBound(s); UBound(s) 'Prove the dimensions are 0 and -1
End Sub

SafeArrayCreateVector
One other option, mentioned in answers elsewhere,1 2 3 is with SafeArrayCreateVector. While SafeArrayCreate returns a pointer as shown by Erik A, this one returns an array directly. You'd need a declaration for each type, like this:
Private Declare PtrSafe Function VectorBoolean Lib "oleaut32" Alias "SafeArrayCreateVector" ( _
Optional ByVal vt As VbVarType = vbBoolean, Optional ByVal lLow As Long = 0, Optional ByVal lCount As Long = 0) _
As Boolean()
Private Declare PtrSafe Function VectorByte Lib "oleaut32" Alias "SafeArrayCreateVector" ( _
Optional ByVal vt As VbVarType = vbByte, Optional ByVal lLow As Long = 0, Optional ByVal lCount As Long = 0) _
As Byte()
The same works for Currency, Date, Double, Integer, Long, LongLong, Object, Single, String and Variant.
If you're willing to stuff those into a module, you can create a function that works just like Array() but with an initial argument that sets the type:
Function ArrayTyped(vt As VbVarType, ParamArray argList()) As Variant
Dim ub As Long: ub = UBound(argList) + 1
Dim ret As Variant 'a variant to hold the array to be returned
Select Case vt
Case vbBoolean: Dim bln() As Boolean: bln = VectorBoolean(, , ub): ret = bln
Case vbByte: Dim byt() As Byte: byt = VectorByte(, , ub): ret = byt
Case vbCurrency: Dim cur() As Currency: cur = VectorCurrency(, , ub): ret = cur
Case vbDate: Dim dat() As Date: dat = VectorDate(, , ub): ret = dat
Case vbDouble: Dim dbl() As Double: dbl = VectorDouble(, , ub): ret = dbl
Case vbInteger: Dim i() As Integer: i = VectorInteger(, , ub): ret = i
Case vbLong: Dim lng() As Long: lng = VectorLong(, , ub): ret = lng
Case vbLongLong: Dim ll() As LongLong: ll = VectorLongLong(, , ub): ret = ll
Case vbObject: Dim obj() As Object: obj = VectorObject(, , ub): ret = obj
Case vbSingle: Dim sng() As Single: sng = VectorSingle(, , ub): ret = sng
Case vbString: Dim str() As String: str = VectorString(, , ub): ret = str
End Select
Dim argIndex As Long
For argIndex = 0 To ub - 1
ret(argIndex) = argList(argIndex)
Next
ArrayTyped = ret
End Function
This gives empty or filled arrays, like Array(). For example:
Dim myLongs() as Long
myLongs = ArrayTyped(vbLong, 1,2,3) '<-- populated Long(0,2)
Dim Pinnochio() as String
Pinnochio = ArrayTyped(vbString) '<-- empty String(0,-1)
Same ArrayTyped() Function With SafeArrayRedim
I like this function, but all those API calls for each type seem bloated. It seems the same function can be done with SafeArrayRedim, and just one API call. Declared as such:
Private Declare PtrSafe Function PtrRedim Lib "oleaut32" Alias "SafeArrayRedim" (ByVal arr As LongPtr, ByRef dims As Any) As Long
The same ArrayTyped function could then look like this:
Function ArrayTyped(vt As VbVarType, ParamArray argList()) As Variant
Dim ub As Long: ub = UBound(argList) + 1
Dim ret As Variant 'a variant to hold the array to be returned
Select Case vt
Case vbBoolean: Dim bln() As Boolean: ReDim bln(0): PtrRedim Not Not bln, ub: ret = bln
Case vbByte: Dim byt() As Byte: ReDim byt(0): PtrRedim Not Not byt, ub: ret = byt
Case vbCurrency: Dim cur() As Currency: ReDim cur(0): PtrRedim Not Not cur, ub: ret = cur
Case vbDate: Dim dat() As Date: ReDim dat(0): PtrRedim Not Not dat, ub: ret = dat
Case vbDouble: Dim dbl() As Double: ReDim dbl(0): PtrRedim Not Not dbl, ub: ret = dbl
Case vbInteger: Dim i() As Integer: ReDim i(0): PtrRedim Not Not i, ub: ret = i
Case vbLong: Dim lng() As Long: ReDim lng(0): PtrRedim Not Not lng, ub: ret = lng
Case vbLongLong: Dim ll() As LongLong: ReDim ll(0): PtrRedim Not Not ll, ub: ret = ll
Case vbObject: Dim obj() As Object: ReDim obj(0): PtrRedim Not Not obj, ub: ret = obj
Case vbSingle: Dim sng() As Single: ReDim sng(0): PtrRedim Not Not sng, ub: ret = sng
Case vbString: Dim str() As String: ReDim str(0): PtrRedim Not Not str, ub: ret = str
Case vbVariant: Dim var() As Variant: ReDim var(0): PtrRedim Not Not var, ub: ret = var
End Select
Dim argIndex As Long
For argIndex = 0 To ub - 1
ret(argIndex) = argList(argIndex)
Next
ArrayTyped = ret
End Function
A couple of other resources:
Following logic here you can also do this with user defined types. Just add another API call like the others. More discussion here.
If anyone wants empties with multiple dimensions, there is another interesting approach using SafeArrayCreate here.

What you can do is declare a variable length array of whatever type you need by declaring it with no specified length in the Dim. Then call IsArray with the array variable. It will return True but we're not interested in that, this just initialises the array.
Dim lStringArr() As String
' Call IsArray to initialise the array
IsArray lStringArr
' Print the amount of elements in the array to the Immediate window
Debug.Print UBound(lStringArr) - LBound(lStringArr) + 1
' It should print 0 without errors

Related

How to get Array Dimension(array parameter pass error)?

I'm trying to get the dimension of an array via PeekArray and SafeArrayGetDim API,
But the "Type mismatch" when compiling.
And if Debug.Print SafeArrayGetDim(PeekArray(TestArray).Ptr) will work fine.
Please find below the VB code.
Any help will be greatful.
Option Explicit
Private Type PeekArrayType
Ptr As Long
Reserved As Currency
End Type
Private Declare Function PeekArray Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" ( _
Arr() As Any, Optional ByVal Length As Long = 4) As PeekArrayType
Private Declare Function SafeArrayGetDim Lib "oleaut32.dll" (ByVal Ptr As Long) As Long
Sub GetArrayDimension()
Dim TestArray() As Long
ReDim TestArray(3, 2)
Debug.Print fnSafeArrayGetDim(TestArray)
End Sub
Function fnSafeArrayGetDim(varRunArray As Variant) As Long
Dim varTmpArray() As Variant
varTmpArray = varRunArray
fnSafeArrayGetDim = SafeArrayGetDim(PeekArray(varTmpArray).Ptr)
End Function
Here is a working fnSafeArrayGetDim function
Option Explicit
#Const HasPtrSafe = (VBA7 <> 0) Or (TWINBASIC <> 0)
#If Win64 Then
Private Const PTR_SIZE As Long = 8
#Else
Private Const PTR_SIZE As Long = 4
#End If
#If HasPtrSafe Then
Private Declare PtrSafe Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (Destination As Any, Source As Any, ByVal Length As LongPtr)
#Else
Private Enum LongPtr
[_]
End Enum
Private Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (Destination As Any, Source As Any, ByVal Length As LongPtr)
#End If
Public Function fnSafeArrayGetDim(varRunArray As Variant) As Long
Const VT_BYREF As Long = &H4000
Dim lVarType As Long
Dim lPtr As LongPtr
Call CopyMemory(lVarType, varRunArray, 2)
If (lVarType And vbArray) <> 0 Then
Call CopyMemory(lPtr, ByVal VarPtr(varRunArray) + 8, PTR_SIZE)
If (lVarType And VT_BYREF) <> 0 Then
Call CopyMemory(lPtr, ByVal lPtr, PTR_SIZE)
End If
If lPtr <> 0 Then
Call CopyMemory(fnSafeArrayGetDim, ByVal lPtr, 2)
End If
End If
End Function
Private Sub Form_Load()
Dim TestArray() As Long
ReDim TestArray(3, 2)
Debug.Print fnSafeArrayGetDim(TestArray)
End Sub
You don't need PeekArray as you are dealing with pure Variants not arrays like Variant() (array of Variants), Long() (array of Longs) or Byte() (array of Bytes) generally a type ending with () in VB6 is so called SAFEARRAY in COM parlance.
So your varRunArray is a pure Variant that points to a SAFEARRAY in its pparray member which is located at VarPtr(varRunArray) + 8. Once you get this pointer you must heed the VT_BYREF flag in Variant's vt which introduces a double indirection (you have to dereference lPtr = *lPtr once more). At this point if you get a non-NULL pointer to the SAFEARRAY structure then the cDim member is in the first 2 bytes.
Here 's my solution, the ArrayDims function, adapted from wqw's post, above. In addition to wqw's basic logic, this solution will compile under VBA7/64-bit Office environments; it includes improved self-documentation and explanatory commentary; it eliminates the embedded constants and, instead, uses standard VB/VBA Type structures and Enum values where useful, and provides all associated Type elements and Enum values for reference. You can, of course, pare this down to the minimum necessary declarations and Enum values.
#If VBA7 Then
Private Declare PtrSafe Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" _
Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (Destination As Any, Source As Any, ByVal Length As LongPtr)
#Else
Private Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" _
Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (Destination As Any, Source As Any, ByVal Length As Long)
#End If
Enum VariantTypes
VTx_Empty = vbEmpty '(0) Uninitialized
VTx_Null = vbNull '(1) No valid data
VTx_Integer = vbInteger '(2)
VTx_Long = vbLong '(3)
VTx_FloatSingle = vbSingle '(4) Single-precision floating-point
VTx_FloatDouble = vbDouble '(5) Double-precision floating-point
VTx_Currency = vbCurrency '(6)
VTx_DATE = vbDate '(7)
VTx_String = vbString '(8)
VTx_Object = vbObject '(9)
VTx_Error = vbError '(10) An Error condition code
VTx_Boolean = vbBoolean '(11)
VTx_Variant = vbVariant '(12) Used only for arrays of Variants
VTx_Byte = vbByte '(17)
VTx_UDT = vbUserDefinedType '(36) User-defined data types
VTx_Array = vbArray '(8192)
VTx_ByRef = &H4000 '(16384) Is an indirect pointer to the Variant's data
End Enum
Type VariantStruct 'NOTE - the added "X_..." prefixes force the VBE Locals window to display the elements in
'their correct adjacency order:
A_VariantType As Integer '(2 bytes) See the VariantTypes Enum, above.
B_Reserved(1 To 6) As Byte '(6 bytes)
C_Data As LongLong '(8 bytes) NOTE: for an array-Variant, its Data is a pointer to the array.
End Type
Type ArrayStruct 'NOTE - the added "X_..." prefixes force the VBE Locals window to display the elements in
'their correct adjacency order:
A_DimCount As Integer '(aka cDim) 2 bytes: The number of dimensions in the array.
B_FeatureFlags As Integer '(aka fFeature) 2 bytes: See the FeatureFlags Enum, below.
C_ElementSize As Long '(aka cbElements) 4 bytes: The size of each element in the array.
D_LockCount As Long '(aka cLocks) 4 bytes: The count of active locks on the array.
E_DataPtr As Long '(aka pvData) 4 bytes: A pointer to the first data element in the array.
F_BoundsInfoArr As LongLong '(aka rgsabound) 8 bytes, min.: An info-array of SA_BoundInfo elements (see below)
' that contains bounds data for each dimension of the safe-array. There is one
' SA_BoundInfo element for each dimension in the array. F_BoundsInfoArr(0) holds
' the information for the right-most dimension and F_BoundsInfoArr[A_DimCount - 1]
' holds the information for the left-most dimension. Each SA_BoundInfo element is
' 8 bytes, structured as follows:
End Type
Private Type SA_BoundInfo
ElementCount As Long '(aka cElements) 4 bytes: The number of elements in the dimension.
LBoundVal As Long '(aka lLbound) 4 bytes: The lower bound of the dimension.
End Type
Enum FeatureFlags
FADF_AUTO = &H1 'Array is allocated on the stack.
FADF_STATIC = &H2 'Array is statically allocated.
FADF_EMBEDDED = &H4 'Array is embedded in a structure.
FADF_FIXEDSIZE = &H10 'Array may not be resized or reallocated.
FADF_BSTR = &H100 'An array of BSTRs.
FADF_UNKNOWN = &H200 'An array of IUnknown pointers.
FADF_DISPATCH = &H400 'An array of IDispatch pointers.
FADF_VARIANT = &H800 'An array of VARIANT type elements.
FADF_RESERVED = &HF0E8 'Bits reserved for future use.
End Enum
Function ArrayDims(SomeArray As Variant) As Long 'Cast the array argument to an array-Variant (if it isn't already)
'for a uniform reference-interface to it.
'
'Returns the number of dimensions of the specified array.
'
'AUTHOR: Peter Straton
'
'CREDIT: Adapted from wqw's post, above.
'
'*************************************************************************************************************
Dim DataPtrOffset As Integer
Dim DimCount As Integer '= ArrayStruct.A_DimCount (2 bytes)
Dim VariantType As Integer '= VariantStruct.A_VariantType (2 bytes)
Dim VariantDataPtr As LongLong '= VariantStruct.C_Data (8 bytes). See note about array-Variants' data, above.
'Check the Variant's type
Call CopyMemory(VariantType, SomeArray, LenB(VariantType))
If (VariantType And VTx_Array) Then
'It is an array-type Variant, so get its array data-pointer
Dim VariantX As VariantStruct 'Unfortunately, in VB/VBA, you can't reference the size of a user-defined
'data-Type element without instantiating one.
DataPtrOffset = LenB(VariantX) - LenB(VariantX.C_Data) 'Takes advantage of C_Data being the last element
Call CopyMemory(VariantDataPtr, ByVal VarPtr(SomeArray) + DataPtrOffset, LenB(VariantDataPtr))
If VariantDataPtr <> 0 Then
If (VariantType And VTx_ByRef) Then
'The passed array argument was not an array-Variant, so this function-call's cast to Variant type
'creates an indirect reference to the original array, via the Variant parameter. So de-reference
'that pointer.
Call CopyMemory(VariantDataPtr, ByVal VariantDataPtr, LenB(VariantDataPtr))
End If
If VariantDataPtr <> 0 Then
'Now have a legit Array reference, so get and return its dimension-count value
Call CopyMemory(DimCount, ByVal VariantDataPtr, LenB(DimCount))
End If
End If
End If
ArrayDims = DimCount
End Function 'ArrayDims
Sub Demo_ArrayDims()
'
'Demonstrates the functionality of the ArrayDims function using a 1-D, 2-D and 3-D array of various types
'
'*************************************************************************************************************
Dim Test2DArray As Variant
Dim Test3DArray() As Long
Debug.Print 'Blank line
Debug.Print ArrayDims(Array(20, 30, 400)) 'Test 1D array
Test2DArray = [{0, 0, 0, 0; "Apple", "Fig", "Orange", "Pear"}]
Debug.Print ArrayDims(Test2DArray)
ReDim Test3DArray(1 To 3, 0 To 1, 1 To 4)
Debug.Print ArrayDims(Test3DArray)
End Sub
Change it to
Function fnSafeArrayGetDim(ByRef varRunArray() As Long) As Long
Dim varTmpArray() As Long
varTmpArray = varRunArray
fnSafeArrayGetDim = SafeArrayGetDim(PeekArray(varTmpArray).Ptr)
End Function
You cannot put a Dim TestArray() As Long in a Dim varTmpArray() As Variant what you try here varTmpArray = varRunArray.
If you want to be more generic then use
Function fnSafeArrayGetDim(ByRef varRunArray As Variant) As Long
Dim varTmpArray As Variant
varTmpArray = varRunArray
fnSafeArrayGetDim = SafeArrayGetDim(PeekArray(varTmpArray).Ptr)
End Function
For example:
You cannot put a Long array into a Variant array
Sub ThisDoesNotWork()
Dim TestArray() As Long
ReDim TestArray(3, 2)
Dim varTmpArray() As Variant 'with parenthesis
varTmpArray = TestArray
End Sub
but you can put a Long array into a Variant (that is not an array)
Sub ThisWorks()
Dim TestArray() As Long
ReDim TestArray(3, 2)
Dim varTmpArray As Variant 'note this is without parenthesis!
varTmpArray = TestArray
End Sub
and you can put a Long array into another Long array
Sub ThisWorksToo()
Dim TestArray() As Long
ReDim TestArray(3, 2)
Dim varTmpArray() As Long 'with parenthesis it has to be the same type as TestArray
varTmpArray = TestArray
End Sub

Create an empty 2d array

I don't like uninitialized VBA arrays, since it's necessary to check if array is initialized, each time prior using UBound() or For Each to avoid an exception, and there is no native VBA function to check it. That is why I initialize arrays, at least doing them empty with a = Array(). This eliminates the need for extra check in most of cases, so there are no problems with 1d arrays.
For the same reason I tried to create an empty 2d array. It's not possible simply do ReDim a(0 To -1, 0 To 0), transpose 1d empty array or something similar. The only way I came across by chance, is to use MSForms.ComboBox, assign empty array to .List property and read it back. Here is the example, which works in Excel and Word, you need to insert UserForm to VBA Project, place ComboBox on it, and add the below code:
Private Sub ComboBox1_Change()
Dim a()
ComboBox1.List = Array()
a = ComboBox1.List
Debug.Print "1st dimension upper bound = " & UBound(a, 1)
Debug.Print "2nd dimension upper bound = " & UBound(a, 2)
End Sub
After combo change the output is:
1st dimension upper bound = -1
2nd dimension upper bound = 0
Actually it's really the empty 2d array in debug:
Is there more elegant way to create an empty 2d array, without using ComboBox, or UserForm controls in general?
This is only going to work for Windows (not for Mac):
Option Explicit
#If Mac Then
#Else
#If VBA7 Then
Private Declare PtrSafe Function SafeArrayCreate Lib "OleAut32.dll" (ByVal vt As Integer, ByVal cDims As Long, ByRef rgsabound As SAFEARRAYBOUND) As LongPtr
Private Declare PtrSafe Function VariantCopy Lib "OleAut32.dll" (pvargDest As Any, pvargSrc As Any) As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function SafeArrayDestroy Lib "OleAut32.dll" (ByVal psa As LongPtr) As Long
#Else
Private Declare Function SafeArrayCreate Lib "OleAut32.dll" (ByVal vt As Integer, ByVal cDims As Long, ByRef rgsabound As SAFEARRAYBOUND) As Long
Private Declare Function VariantCopy Lib "OleAut32.dll" (pvargDest As Variant, pvargSrc As Any) As Long
Private Declare Function SafeArrayDestroy Lib "OleAut32.dll" (ByVal psa As Long) As Long
#End If
#End If
Private Type SAFEARRAYBOUND
cElements As Long
lLbound As Long
End Type
Private Type tagVariant
vt As Integer
wReserved1 As Integer
wReserved2 As Integer
wReserved3 As Integer
#If VBA7 Then
ptr As LongPtr
#Else
ptr As Long
#End If
End Type
Public Function EmptyArray(ByVal numberOfDimensions As Long, ByVal vType As VbVarType) As Variant
'In Visual Basic, you can declare arrays with up to 60 dimensions
Const MAX_DIMENSION As Long = 60
If numberOfDimensions < 1 Or numberOfDimensions > MAX_DIMENSION Then
Err.Raise 5, "EmptyArray", "Invalid number of dimensions"
End If
#If Mac Then
Err.Raise 298, "EmptyArray", "OleAut32.dll required"
#Else
Dim bounds() As SAFEARRAYBOUND
#If VBA7 Then
Dim ptrArray As LongPtr
#Else
Dim ptrArray As Long
#End If
Dim tVariant As tagVariant
Dim i As Long
'
ReDim bounds(0 To numberOfDimensions - 1)
'
'Make lower dimensions [0 to 0] instead of [0 to -1]
For i = 1 To numberOfDimensions - 1
bounds(i).cElements = 1
Next i
'
'Create empty array and store pointer
ptrArray = SafeArrayCreate(vType, numberOfDimensions, bounds(0))
'
'Create a Variant pointing to the array
tVariant.vt = vbArray + vType
tVariant.ptr = ptrArray
'
'Copy result
VariantCopy EmptyArray, tVariant
'
'Clean-up
SafeArrayDestroy ptrArray
#End If
End Function
You can now create empty arrays with different number of dimensions and data types:
Sub Test()
Dim arr2D() As Variant
Dim arr4D() As Double
'
arr2D = EmptyArray(2, vbVariant)
arr4D = EmptyArray(4, vbDouble)
Stop
End Sub
Update 30/09/2022
I've created an EmptyArray method (same signature) in my MemoryTools library on GitHub. That version will work on both Windows and Mac.
Idk man - I think you stumbling onto this property was pretty wild.
I'd probably stop here and just do:
Function Empty2DArray() As Variant
With CreateObject("Forms.ComboBox.1")
.List = Array()
Empty2DArray = .List
End With
End Function
And use it like: a = Empty2DArray
You don't need to create the userform or combobox - you can just use CreateObject.
But as others have said, it probably makes more sense to do error handling when checking whether or not your arrays are initialized.

check if array has values and bypass if empty

So my code is setting up to send an email with all the lines that meet a certain cell name (Missing Text). if there are none of those in the search i want it to bypass and enter in a "None". If there are cells that have it, it works great, but if there is none i get a Subscript out o range error.
Dim MissingText() As Variant
Dim WrongNum() As Variant
Dim BlankText() As Variant
Dim objOutlook As Object
Dim objMsg As Object
Set objOutlook = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
Erase MissingText, WrongNum, BlankText
Listed = 0
Ending = Cells(Rows.Count, 5).End(xlUp).Row
n = 0
For Listed = 2 To Ending
If Cells(Listed, 10).Value = "Missing Text" Then
ReDim Preserve MissingText(n)
MissingText(n) = Listed
n = n + 1
End If
Next Listed
If IsEmpty(MissingText) Then
MissingTogether = "None"
GoTo MissingSkip
End If
CountArray = UBound(MissingText, 1) - LBound(MissingText, 1) + 1
CountArray = CountArray - 1
MissingTogether = Join(MissingText, ", ")
MissingSkip:
(continues on )
At the CountArray = UBound(MissingText, 1) - LBound(MissingText, 1) + 1 is when the error occurs. any help would be nice, thank you.
As pointed out in the comments, there isn't a native way to determine if an array is uninitialized in VBA. However, you can examine its memory footprint to see if its variable contains a null pointer. Note that VarPtr throws a type mismatch for arrays, so it needs to be wrapped in a Variant first:
'In declarations section:
#If VBA7 Then
Private Declare PtrSafe Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias _
"RtlMoveMemory" (ByRef Destination As Any, ByRef Source As Any, _
ByVal length As Long)
#Else
Private Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias _
"RtlMoveMemory" (ByRef Destination As Any, ByRef Source As Any, _
ByVal length As Long)
#End If
Private Const VT_BY_REF As Integer = &H4000&
Private Const DATA_OFFSET As Long = 8
Private Function IsUninitializedArray(SafeArray As Variant) As Boolean
If Not IsArray(SafeArray) Then
Exit Function
End If
Dim vtype As Integer
'First 2 bytes are the VARENUM.
CopyMemory vtype, SafeArray, LenB(vtype)
#If VBA7 Then
Dim lp As LongPtr
#Else
Dim lp As Long
#End If
'Get the data pointer.
CopyMemory lp, ByVal VarPtr(SafeArray) + DATA_OFFSET, LenB(lp)
'Make sure the VARENUM is a pointer.
If (vtype And VT_BY_REF) <> 0 Then
'Dereference it for the actual data address.
CopyMemory lp, ByVal lp, LenB(lp)
IsUninitializedArray = lp <> 0
End If
End Function
Usage example:
Public Sub Example()
Dim Test() As String
MsgBox IsUninitializedArray(Test) 'False
Test = Split(vbNullString)
MsgBox IsUninitializedArray(Test) 'True
Erase Test
MsgBox IsUninitializedArray(Test) 'False
End Sub
I will use a string variable and split() it.
dim strMissing as string, aryMissing as variant
For Listed = 2 To Ending
If Cells(Listed, 10).Value = "Missing Text" Then
strMissing = Listed & ", " & strMissing
End If
Next Listed
If strMissing = "" then
MissingTogether = "None"
GoTo MissingSkip
else
aryMissing = split(strMissing, ", ")
CountArray = UBound(MissingText, 1) - LBound(MissingText, 1) + 1
End If

Populate 1-D Array from 2 sheets (without looping)

Goal: populate 1-D array from 2 columns (in 2 different files) without looping.
The code where I'm trying to read the first list to an array fails on the line
MergeAccountOpportArr = NamesRng.Value
Attempted code:
Option Explicit
Public AccountsWB As Workbook
Public AccountsSht As Worksheet
' --- Columns Variables ---
Public Const NamesCol As String = "F"
' --- Public Arrays ---
Public MergeAccountOpportArr() As String
'===================================================================
Sub MergeRangestoArray()
Dim OpportWBName As String, AccountsWBName As String, WebinarWBName As String
Dim NamesRng As Rang
Dim LastRow As Long, i As Long
ReDim MergeAccountOpportArr(100000) 'init size array to very large size >> will optimize later
' open Accounts file
AccountsWBName = GetFileName(ThisWorkbook.Path, "Accounts")
' set the Accounts file workbook object
Set AccountsWB = Workbooks.Open(Filename:=AccountsWBName, ReadOnly:=True)
' set the worksheet object
Set AccountsSht = AccountsWB.Worksheets(1)
With AccountsSht
LastRow = FindLastRow(AccountsSht) ' get last row
Set NamesRng = .Range(.Cells(1, NamesCol), .Cells(LastRow, NamesCol))
MergeAccountOpportArr = NamesRng.Value ' <---- Here comes the error
End With
' rest of my code
End Sub
In theory, you should be able to do this by hacking around with the SAFEARRAY structures in memory. The indexing of the data area for a SAFEARRAY is determined by the product of the indexes of the individual dimensions, so if you have a two dimensional array where one dimension only has a single element, the memory addresses should be the same for a one dimensional array (row * 1 = row).
As proof of concept...
YOU CAN TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS, BUT THIS IS NOT PRODUCTION GRADE CODE.
'In declarations section:
#If VBA7 Then
Private Declare PtrSafe Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias _
"RtlMoveMemory" (ByRef Destination As Any, ByRef Source As Any, _
ByVal length As Long)
#Else
Private Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias _
"RtlMoveMemory" (ByRef Destination As Any, ByRef Source As Any, _
ByVal length As Long)
#End If
Private Const VT_BY_REF = &H4000&
Private Type SafeBound
cElements As Long
lLbound As Long
End Type
Private Type SafeArray
cDim As Integer
fFeature As Integer
cbElements As Long
cLocks As Long
#If VBA7 Then
pvData As LongPtr
#Else
pvData As Long
#End If
rgsabound As SafeBound
rgsabound2 As SafeBound
End Type
Public Function RangeToOneDimensionalArray(Target As Range) As Variant()
If Target.Columns.Count > 1 Or Target.Rows.Count = 1 Then
Err.Raise 5 'Invalid procedure call or argument
End If
Dim values() As Variant
values = Target.Value
If HackDimensions(values) Then
RangeToOneDimensionalArray = values
End If
End Function
Private Function HackDimensions(SafeArray As Variant) As Boolean
Dim vtype As Integer
'First 2 bytes are the VARENUM.
CopyMemory vtype, SafeArray, 2
Dim lp As Long
'Get the data pointer.
CopyMemory lp, ByVal VarPtr(SafeArray) + 8, 4
'Make sure the VARENUM is a pointer.
If (vtype And VT_BY_REF) <> 0 Then
'Dereference it for the actual data address.
CopyMemory lp, ByVal lp, 4
Dim victim As SafeArray
CopyMemory ByVal VarPtr(victim), ByVal lp, LenB(victim)
'Set the dimensions to 1
victim.cDim = 1
'Set the bound on the first dimension.
victim.rgsabound.cElements = victim.rgsabound2.cElements
CopyMemory ByVal lp, ByVal VarPtr(victim), LenB(victim)
HackDimensions = True
End If
End Function
Note that this has to swap the 2 dimensions (and the declarations are limited to 2D arrays). It also leaves the second dimension rgsabound "hanging", so you'll likely leak the memory for that structure (8 bytes) every time you run this.
The safer way would be to copy the contents of the memory area onto a new one dimensional array and use that instead, OR wrap this whole mess in a Class module and clean up after yourself when you get done.
Oh yeah, it works ;-)
Public Sub Testing()
Dim sample() As Variant
sample = RangeToOneDimensionalArray(Sheet1.Range("A1:A30"))
Dim idx As Long
For idx = 1 To 30
Debug.Print sample(idx)
Next
End Sub
This converts the ranges into a strings delimited by a specified character. It then joins the two lists into an array with split()
Note:
Delimiter will have to be a character not in your dataset
Transpose is due to your data being in columns. If your data is in rows you'll have to check it, maybe with something like a column count.
.
Sub Test()
Dim oResultArray() As String
oResultArray = MergeRngToArray(Sheet1.Range("B3:B12"), Sheet2.Range("B2:B6"))
End Sub
Private Function MergeRngToArray(ByVal Range1 As Range, ByVal Range2 As Range, Optional Delimiter As String = ",") As String()
Dim sRange1 As String
Dim sRange2 As String
sRange1 = Join(Application.WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Range1.Value), Delimiter) & Delimiter
sRange2 = Join(Application.WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Range2.Value), Delimiter)
MergeRngToArray = Split(sRange1 & sRange2, Delimiter)
End Function
Start with the easier problem of copying cells into a 1D array
You can go from a 1D array to a range easily with the following trick:
Public Sub TESTING()
Dim keyarr() As Variant
keyarr = Array("1", "2", "3", "4", "5")
Range("D3").Resize(5, 1).Value = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(keyarr)
End Sub
But the opposite is much harder because the .Value property of a range always returns a 2D array.
Except when used with the transpose function:
Public Sub TESTING()
Dim i As Long, n As Long
Dim keyarr() As Variant
n = Range(Range("B3"), Range("B3").End(xlDown)).Rows.Count
keyarr = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Range("B3").Resize(n, 1).Value)
' keyarr is a nĂ—1 1D array
' Proof:
For i = 1 To n
Debug.Print keyarr(i)
Next i
End Sub
The trick is a) use the .Transpose() function to make a column into a single row and b) to use an array of Variant and not String. Internally the array will store strings, but the type has to be Variant.
Now the last problem is to combine two arrays
The only solution I can think of is to combine the data into a different worksheet.
Public Sub TESTING()
Dim i As Long, n1 As Long, n2 As Long
Dim vals1() As Variant, vals2() As Variant
' Pull two sets of data from two columns. You could use different sheets if you wanted.
n1 = Range(Range("B3"), Range("B3").End(xlDown)).Rows.Count
vals1 = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Range("B3").Resize(n1, 1).Value)
n2 = Range(Range("D3"), Range("D3").End(xlDown)).Rows.Count
vals2 = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Range("D3").Resize(n2, 1).Value)
Sheet2.Range("A1").Resize(n1, 1).Value = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(vals1)
Sheet2.Range("A1").Offset(n1, 0).Resize(n2, 1).Value = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(vals2)
Dim keyarr() As Variant
keyarr = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Sheet2.Range("A1").Resize(n1 + n2, 1).Value)
End Sub
Array approach
Sub JoinColumnArrays(a, b)
'Purpose: join 2 vertical 1-based 2-dim datafield arrays based on two range columns
'Note: returns 2-dim array with only 1 column
'Hint: overcomes ReDim Preserve restriction to change only the last dimension!
a = Application.Index(a, Evaluate("row(1:" & UBound(a) + UBound(b) & ")"), 0)
Dim i As Long, Start As Long: Start = UBound(a) - UBound(b)
For i = 1 To UBound(b)
a(Start + i, 1) = b(i, 1) ' fills empty a elements with b elements
Next i
End Sub
The above array approach returns a 1-based 2-dim array (of only 1 "column" as 2nd dimension) with changed UBound(a) value, i.e. the sum of the original "row" count of array a plus elements count of array b.
Note that using the Application.Index() function overcomes the restriction of ReDim Preserve which only would change an array's last dimension.
Example Call
'...
Dim a as Variant, b as Variant
dim ws1 as Worksheet, ws2 as Worksheet
' Set ws1 = ... ' << change worksheet definitions to your needs
' Set ws2 = ...
a = ws1.Range("A2:B4") ' assign column data from different sheets
b = ws2.Range("C2:C3")
JoinColumnArrays a, b ' << call procedure JoinColumnArrays
'Debug.Print "column ~>" & Join(Application.Transpose(Application.Index(a, 0, 1)), ", ")

VBA Convert array Type

In VBA, how do I convert An array from one type to another?, in my case i want to convert an array of type "String" to type "variant" because i have a function parameter that needs an array of that type.
here is an example code,
Sub test_highlighfind()
Dim Rng As Range: Set Rng = ThisDocument.Range.Paragraphs(6).Range
Dim arr() As String: arr = Split(Rng.Text)
Call highlightWordsUsingFind(arr, ThisDocument, 7)
End Sub
Sub highlightWordsUsingFind(ByRef arr() As Variant, ByRef doc As Document, _
Optional ByVal HighlightColor As Integer = 6)
Dim i As Long, SearchRange As Range
Set SearchRange = doc.Range
With SearchRange.Find
.Format = True
.MatchCase = False
.MatchWholeWord = True
.MatchWildcards = False
.MatchSoundsLike = False
.MatchAllWordForms = False
.Forward = True
.Wrap = wdFindContinue
.ClearFormatting
For i = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
.Text = arr(i)
.Execute 'Execute// Runs the find operation. Returns True if the find operation is successful
SearchRange.HighlightColorIndex = HighlightColor
Next
End With
End Sub
i know i can change the parameter type to "string" ByRef arr() As String but i have other functions that return an array of type "variant" and i need the output to the function above
Remove the parentheses in your declaration.
Sub highlightWordsUsingFind(ByRef arr As Variant, ...)
Then you can pass arr() directly. It will be wrapped into a Variant/Array that will refer to the original array (so no copying will happen).
Since you wrote the highlightWordsUsingFind sub, the easiest way is to change the parameter to Variant as already mentioned by GSerg. It might be a good idea to ensure the parameter is actually an array with the IsArray function. Here are some other conversion examples.
Another option is to create a new Variant array:
Function StringToVariantArray(ByRef arr() As String) As Variant()
Dim index As Integer
Dim result() As Variant
Redim result(LBound(arr) To UBound(arr))
For index = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
result(index) = arr(index)
Next
StringToVariantArray = result
End Function
Sub test_highlighfind()
Dim Rng As Range
Dim varr() As Variant
Set Rng = ThisDocument.Range.Paragraphs(6).Range
varr = StringToVariantArray(Split(Rng.Text))
Call highlightWordsUsingFind(varr, ThisDocument, 7)
End Sub

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