Learn about VBA For Next Loop
A For Loop in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is used to repeat a block of code a specified number of times. There are two main types of For loops in VBA:
- For…Next Loop: Repeats a block of code a specified number of times.
- For Each…Next Loop: Loops through each element in a collection or array.
1. For…Next Loop
The basic syntax of a For…Next loop is:
- counter: A variable that controls the loop. It is incremented or decremented each time the loop runs.
- start: The initial value of the counter.
- end: The ending value for the counter. The loop runs until the counter exceeds this value.
- Step Increment: (Optional) Specifies the increment (or decrement) value. Default is 1.
Example 1:
This will output the numbers 1 through 10 in the Immediate Window.
Example 2:
Private Sub demo1 ()
Dim a As Integer
a = 5
For i = 0 To a
MsgBox “The Result is i is : ” & i
Next i
End Sub
When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result.
The Result is i is :1
The Result is i is :2
The Result is i is :3
The Result is i is :4
The Result is i is :5
2. For Each…Next Loop
This loop is used to iterate over a collection or an array.
Syntax:
- element: The variable representing each item in the collection or array.
- group: The collection or array you are looping through.
Example:
This loops through each worksheet in the active workbook and prints its name.
Key Points to Remember
- The counter is automatically updated each time the loop iterates.
- If Step is omitted, the counter increments by 1 by default.
- Use Exit For to terminate the loop before it completes all iterations.
Q & A
- What is the default increment value in a VBA For…Next loop if the Step keyword is not used?
Answer: The default increment value is 1. If Step is not specified, the loop counter increases by 1 with each iteration.
2. How can you make a For…Next loop count down instead of up?
Answer: To make a loop count down, use a negative value with the Step keyword. For example:
This will count down from 10 to 1
3. What happens if the starting value of a For loop is greater than the end value, but Step is positive?
Answer: If the starting value is greater than the end value and the Step value is positive, the loop will not run at all. VBA will detect that the starting condition is already “invalid” and will skip the loop.
4. How can you terminate a For loop before it completes all iterations?
Answer: You can terminate a For loop early using the Exit For statement. For example:
This will stop the loop when i reaches 5.
5. Can you nest a For loop inside another For loop? If yes, provide an example
Answer: Yes, you can nest one For loop inside another. Here’s an example:
In this case, the outer loop runs 3 times (for i = 1 to 3), and for each value of i, the inner loop runs 2 times (for j = 1 to 2).
Link for reference
