24/07/13 Microsoft Excel VBA Procedures: Arguments and Parameters

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Arguments and Parameters

Passing Arguments

Local and Global Variables
We know that you could declare a global variable outside of any
procedure. When using various procedures in a module, one of the
characteristics of a global variable is that it is automatically accessible to
other procedures:
Private: A private global variable can be
accessed by any procedure of the same
module. No procedure of another module, even
of the same program, can access it
Public: A public global variable can be accessed
by any procedure of its module and any
procedure of another module
Based on this characteristic of the procedures of a
module having access to global variables of the
same module, you can declare such variables and
initialize or modify them in any procedure of the
same code file.

A Review of Local and Global Variables
Here is an example:
Option Explicit
Private Length As Double
Private Width As Double

Private Sub GetLength()
Length = 48.24
End Sub
Private Sub GetWidth()
Width = 25.82
End Sub

Private Function CalculatePerimeter() As Double
GetLength
GetWidth
CalculatePerimeter = (Length + Width) * 2
End Function
Introduction to Arguments
So far, to use a value in a procedure, we had to declare it. In some cases, a procedure may
need an external value in order to carry its assignment. A value that is supplied to a procedure
is called an argument.
When creating a procedure that will use an external value, declare the argument that
represents that value between the parentheses of the procedure. For a sub procedure, the
syntax you use would be:
Sub ProcedureName(Argument)

End Sub
If you are creating a function, the syntax would be:
Function ProcedureName(Argument) As DataType

Function Sub
The argument must be declared as a normal variable, omitting the Dim keyword. Here is an
example that creates a function that takes a string as argument:
VBA Excel 2007
MS Access 2007
Function
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Function CalculatePayroll(strName As String) As Double

Function Sub
While a certain procedure can take one argument, another procedure can take more than one
argument. In this case, in the parentheses of the procedure, separate the arguments with a
comma. Here is an example of a sub procedure that takes two arguments:
Sub EvaluateInvoice(EmplName As String, HourlySalary As Currency)

End Sub
In the body of a procedure that takes one or more arguments, use the argument(s) as you see
fit as if they were locally declared variables. For example, you can involve them with values
inside of the procedure. You can also exclusively use the values of the arguments to perform
the assignment.
Practical Learning: Creating a Function With Arguments
To create functions that take arguments, type the following

Option Explicit
Public Function CalculatePerimeter(Length As Double, _
Width As Double) As Double
Dim Perimeter As Double

Perimeter = (Length + Width) * 2
CalculatePerimeter = Perimeter
End Function

Public Function CalculateArea(Length As Double, Width As Double) As Double
Dim Area As Double

Area = Length * Width
CalculateArea = Area
End Function
Calling a Procedure With Argument
The value provided for an argument is also called a parameter. To call a procedure that takes
an argument, type its name. Then you have various options to access its argument(s).
Earlier, we saw that, to call a procedure, you could just use its name. After the name of the
procedure, you can type the opening parenthesis "(", followed by the name of the argument,
followed by =, and the value of the argument. If the procedure takes more than one argument,
separate them with commas. Here is an example:
Private Function GetFullName$(First As String, Last As String)
Dim FName As String
FName = First & Last
GetFullName = FName
End Function
Sub Exercise()
Dim FirstName As String, LastName As String
Dim FullName As String
FirstName = "Patricia "
LastName = "Katts"
FullName = GetFullName(FirstName, LastName)

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = FullName
End Sub
As mentioned previously, you can also use the Call keyword to call a procedure.
When you call a procedure that takes more than one argument, you must provide the values of
the arguments in the order they are listed inside of the parentheses. Fortunately, you don't
have to. If you know the names of the arguments, you can type them in any order and provide
a value for each. To do this, in the parrentheses of the procedure you are calling, type the
name of the argument whose value you want to specify, followed by the := operator, and
followed by the desired value for the argument. Here is an example:
Private Function GetFullName$(First As String, Last As String)
Dim FName As String
FName = First & Last
GetFullName = FName
End Function
Sub Exercise()
Dim FullName$
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Dim FullName$
FullName$ = GetFullName(Last:="Roberts", First:="Alan ")

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = FullName
End Sub
The above technique we have just seen for using the parentheses is valid for sub procedures
and functions. If the procedure you are calling is a sub, you can omit the parentheses. If calling
a sub procedure, after the name of the procedure, put an empty space, followed by the name
of the argument assigned the desired value. Here is an example:
Private Sub ShowResult(ByVal Result As Double)
Result = 145.85
End Sub

Public Sub Exercise()
Dim Number As Double

ShowResult Number
End Sub
If the sub procedure is taking more than one argument, separate them with commas.
Practical Learning: Calling a Procedure With Argument
1. In Microsoft Excel, click any box
2. To call the function we had created, type =C and notice the suggested list of functions:


3. In the list of suggested functions, double-click CalculatePerimeter. If you don't see it,
complete the typing with =CalculatePerimeter(
4. After the opening parenthesis, type 48.26, 25.42 as the arguments, then type the closing
parenthesis ")"

5. On the Formula Bar, click the Enter button

6. Press Enter
7. Type =CalculateArea(48.26, 25.26) and press Enter

24/07/13 Microsoft Excel VBA Procedures: Arguments and Parameters
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8. On the Ribbon, click Visual Basic

Techniques of Passing Arguments

Passing Arguments By Value
When calling a procedure that takes an argument, we were supplying a value for that
argument. When this is done, the procedure that is called makes a copy of the value of
the argument and makes that copy available to the calling procedure. That way, the
argument itself is not accessed. This is referred to as passing an argument by value. To
show this, type the ByVal keyword on the left side of the argument. Here are
examples:
Private Function GetFullName$(ByVal First As String, ByVal Last As String)
Dim FName As String
FName = First & Last
GetFullName$ = FName
End Function
If you create a procedure that takes an argument by value and you have used the
ByVal keyword on the argument, when calling the procedure, you do not need to use
the ByVal keyword; just the name of the argument is enough, as done in the examples
on arguments so far. Here is an example:
Private Function GetFullName$(ByVal First As String, ByVal Last As String)
Dim FName As String
FName = First & Last
GetFullName$ = FName
End Function
Sub Exercise()
Dim FirstName As String, LastName As String
Dim FullName As String
FirstName = "Raymond "
LastName = "Kouma"
FullName = GetFullName(FirstName, LastName)

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = FullName
End Sub
Practical Learning: Passing Arguments By Value
1. To specify that the arguments are passed by value, change the functions as
follows:

Public Function CalculatePerimeter(ByVal Length As Double, _
ByVal Width As Double) As Double
Dim Perimeter As Double

Perimeter = (Length + Width) * 2
CalculatePerimeter = Perimeter
End Function

Public Function CalculateArea(ByVal Length As Double, _
ByVal Width As Double) As Double
Dim Area As Double

Area = Length * Width
CalculateArea = Area
End Function
2. To return to Microsoft Excel, on the toolbar, click the View Microsoft Excel button
Passing Arguments By Reference
An alternative to passing arguments as done so far is to pass the address of the
24/07/13 Microsoft Excel VBA Procedures: Arguments and Parameters
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An alternative to passing arguments as done so far is to pass the address of the
argument to the called procedure. When this is done, the called procedure does not
receive a simple copy of the value of the argument: the argument is accessed by its
address; that is, at its memory address. With this technique, any action carried on the
argument will be kept by the argument when the procedure ends. If the value of the
argument is modified, the argument would now have the new value, dismissing or losing
the original value it had. This technique is referred to as passing an argument by
reference. Consider the following code:
Private Sub ShowResult(ByVal Result As Double)
Result = 145.85
End Sub

Public Sub Exercise()
Dim Number As Double

ShowResult Number

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = Number
End Sub
When the Exercise() procedure starts, a variable named Number is declared and its
value is set to 0 (the default value of a newly declared Double variable). When the
ShowResult variable is called, it assigns a value to the variable but since the variable is
declared by value, when the procedure exits, the variable comes back with its original
value, which was 0. As a result, when this code is run, the Number variable keeps its 0
value.
If you want a procedure to change the value of an argument, you can pass the
argument by reference. To pass an argument by reference, on its left, type the ByRef
keyword. This is done only when creating the procedure. When you call the procedure,
don't include the ByRef keyword. When the called procedure finishes with the
argument, the argument would keep whatever modification was made on its value. Now
consider the same program as above but with arguments passed by reference:
Private Sub ShowResult(ByRef Result As Double)
Result = 145.85
End Sub
Public Sub Exercise()
Dim Number As Double

ShowResult Number

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = Number
End Sub
When the Exercise() procedure starts, the Number variable is declared and its value is
set to 0. When the ShowResult variable is called, it assigns a value to the variable.
Since the variable is declared by reference, when the procedure exits, the variable
comes back with the new value it was given. As a result, when this code runs, the
Number variable has a new value.
Using this technique, you can pass as many arguments by reference and as many
arguments by value as you want. As you may guess already, this technique can be
used to make a sub procedure return a value, which a regular sub routine cannot do.
Furthermore, passing arguments by reference allows a procedure to return as many
values as possible while a regular function can return only one value.

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