Learning about VBA Left
In this Article, we will understand about following topics
- Introductin of VBA Left
- VBA Code for Basic understanding of Left Function
- VBA Code for Extract All Characters
- VBA Code for Dynamic Length
- VBA Code use with Len Function
- VBA Code for Conditional logic
Introduction
The Left function in VBA is used to extract a specified number of characters from the start (left side) of a string. It is useful when you need to work with a substring or truncate data from the beginning of a string.
Syntax
Left(string, length)
Parameters
- string (Required):
The input string from which characters will be extracted. - length (Required):
The number of characters to extract from the left side of the string.- Must be a positive integer.
- If length is greater than the total characters in the string, the entire string is returned.
Return Value
- Returns a string containing the specified number of characters from the start of the input string.
Example:
- Basic Example
Extract data the first 5 character from the string:
VBA Code
Sub leftexample() Dim text As String Dim result As String text = "Hello World" result = Left(text, 5) MsgBox result End Sub
2. Extract All Characters If Length Exceeds String Length
If the length exceeds the string’s total length, the entire string is returned:
VBA Code:
Sub leftexample2() Dim text As String Dim result As String text = "Hello World" result = Left(text, 20) MsgBox result 'here result will be "Hello World" End Sub
3. Dynamic Length Example
Use a variable for the number of characters to extract:
VBA Code:
Sub DynamicLength() Dim text As String Dim charCount As Integer Dim result As String text = "Programming" charCount = 5 result = Left(text, charCount) MsgBox result ' Output: "Progr" End Sub
4. Use with Len Function
Extract half the characters from a string:
VBA Code:
Sub HalfString() Dim text As String Dim halfLength As Integer Dim result As String text = "Visual Basic for Applications" halfLength = Len(text) \ 2 ' Integer division to get half result = Left(text, halfLength) MsgBox result ' Output: "Visual Basic f" End Sub
5. Use in Conditional Logic
Check the starting characters of a string:
VBA Code:
Sub checklist1() Dim text As String text = "VBA is awesome" If Left(text, 3) = "VBA" Then MsgBox "The String Starts with VBA" Else MsgBox "The String does not start with VBA" End If End Sub
VBA Code Excel File for Download
Practical Applications
- Extracting Parts of Names:
Extract the first name from a full name stored in a single string.
2. File Name Manipulations:
Extract the first few characters of a file name for validation or renaming purposes.
3. Data Cleaning:
Trim prefixes or unwanted text from strings in a dataset.
Related article to read
- VBA Variable : In VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), variables are used to store data that your code can manipulate. Here’s a quick rundown of how to declare and use variables in VBA
2. VBA If Then Else : The If…Then…Else statement in VBA is used to execute different blocks of code based on whether a condition is True or False
3. VBA msgbox : In VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), the MsgBox function is used to display a message box to the user
4. VBA Error Handling : In VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), error handling allows you to gracefully handle runtime errors that occur while the program is running.