Beginner Introduction To Variables In Excel VBA - Excel VBA Beginner Fundamentals (3/6)

If you’re a beginner in Excel VBA, you may be wondering: What’s An Excel VBA Variable?

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Excel, like computer programming more generally, is full of terms that are difficult to understand. I’ve often said, for example, that the OFFSET formula should be renamed ‘MOVE AWAY FROM’. So, what about a ‘variable’? Does it ‘vary’ in some way? Well, kind of. But, as you might expect, its function cannot be easily understood from its name. It’s a shame because variables in Excel VBA are one of the building blocks of powerful Excel applications.

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I’m offering you a simple definition today: a variable is a place to store information. In this way, it can be compared to a cell in the spreadsheet – we are very used to inputting data there! So, why do you need variables? Well, unlike cells, variables live in VBA and are only ‘seen’ if we specifically ask to externlise their value for some reason (for example, by using a message box, as we do in the video.) This means they can be more efficient and easier to control - variables drive all the ‘slick’ Excel VBA applications I have developed over the years.

But, you’ve got plenty of time to get to the more powerful applications later. In this video, I take you through variables from an absolute beginner perspective. We explore the concept of a variable (look out for the ‘mic pack’!), create three variables in Excel VBA, then pass data to them and use them to perform a simple operation. In the final step, we see how variables can ‘read’ and ‘write’ data to the spreadsheet. In this sense, they facilitate a thing of beauty and a feature of many powerful Excel applications: interaction between the spreadsheet and the VBA editor.

ABOUT THE EXCEL VBA BUILDING BLOCKS COURSE

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Learn the fundamentals of Excel VBA in around an hour with Tiger's FREE Excel VBA Building Blocks course. The course is based on Chris' 10 years of Excel training, consultancy and content creation, and teaches the basics of Excel VBA around 18 simple ideas or 'building blocks'. In addition to the 6 basic videos on Excel VBA, on the website you can find 3 'metaskill' videos (to be uploaded through Summer 2021) about next level concepts that could unlock your potential with Excel VBA.

A course handbook is provided for free that lists each of the Excel VBA beginner building blocks and includes a learning template for each session - make sure you download and use it to support your learning.

Use the link below to download the course handbook and access the learning template for this session.

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[TigerSpreadsheetSolutions]

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🔥Excel VBA Beginner Fundamentals Playlist

[kebincui]

Thank u Chris. All your VBA videoa are great. Especailly in the begining of this video, the simile of different place holders inside the case to different variable types of value in VBA is very vivid and exactly to the point, very impressive. Thanks for keeping the excellent work and look forward to more videos. 👍❤

[pramodparnami]

I started working on Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets years ago.
Now I have crossed 5th Lecture of your 30/30 Series
Best regards from new Delhi, India

[beautifulmercy]

Hi Chris, thank you for all the learning. For some reasons when I run the debug, after declaring the variables, it returns 0. I've tried following the instructions at least 3 times and still the same. Do you have any idea what could be the issue?

[douglassapola]

Hi Chris, I’m curious as to why you use the MsgBox function instead of the Immediate Window (Debug.Print) for checking the value of variables when testing your code. Perhaps in a future video you could explain your reasons for this choice? (It may well be a case of this having been explained in a video I haven’t yet found on your channel.) Thanks.