How to Clear and Resize a Table (ListObject) in Excel VBA

Discover how to effectively clear your table data and resize it to one column using Excel VBA. Follow these steps for a seamless experience!
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How to Clear and Resize a Table (ListObject) in Excel VBA

Working with tables in Excel can enhance data management and make your spreadsheets more efficient. However, when you're trying to clear a table's content and resize it, you might run into some challenges. In this guide, we’ll explore how to reset a ListObject (a table) through VBA by both clearing the content and resizing it to just one column.

The Problem at Hand

You may find yourself needing to clear an existing table and modify its structure. Specifically, you want to:

Clear the contents of the table.

Resize the table so that it only contains one column.

Trouble often arises when the methods you've attempted result in errors or unexpected behaviors. Let's dive into two ideas you might have tried and the resulting issues encountered.

Idea 1: Using the Clear Contents Method

You may have attempted the following VBA code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Encountered Issue

When running this code, you encountered a runtime 438 error stating that the 'Object does not support this Property or Method'.

Idea 2: Deleting and Recreating the Table

Alternatively, you might have tried to delete the existing table and create a new one with the following code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Encountered Issue

The problem here is that the new table was placed at a random location, based on the selected cell, rather than the desired range.

The Solution: Resizing the Table Properly

Fortunately, there's a straightforward way to achieve your goal of clearing the table and resizing it to one column without triggering errors. Here’s how:

Step-by-step Approach

Clear the Table Contents:
Simply use the method to clear the data in the body of your table.

Resize the Table:
Use the Resize method correctly to limit the table to one column.

Here’s the VBA code to do all of that in a compact and effective manner:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

The ListObjects("tblExample") targets your specific table.

The Resize method updates the entire table's range to the first column.

The Range.Resize(ColumnSize:=1) dynamically adjusts the existing table range to be only one column wide.

Important Considerations

Workbook Reference: ActiveWorkbook vs ThisWorkbook

Be mindful of which workbook you are referring to in your code.

ActiveWorkbook: This refers to whichever workbook is currently active or focused. Changes can occur if the user clicks on another workbook.

ThisWorkbook: This always refers to the workbook containing the VBA code and remains constant regardless of user interaction.

For reliability, it's generally better to use ThisWorkbook unless you have a specific reason to work with ActiveWorkbook.

Conclusion

With the correct approach, clearing and resizing your table in Excel using VBA can be done seamlessly. Follow the provided code and tips to enhance your productivity without encountering common pitfalls. Happy coding!