Lecture 4: Making

Decision
Prof. Carolina Peña Ortega, MsC
Universidad de la Salle
Outline

 This lecture covers the VBA decision statements

o If…Then
o If…Then…Else
o If…Then…ElseIf
o Select Case
The Decision Structure
The decision structure allows a program’s logic to have more
than one path of execution.
Order of Statement Execution

 Thus far, our code has been executed sequentially in a

sequence structure
 To write meaningful programs we need multiple paths of
execution
o Some statements should be executed under certain
circumstances in a decision structure
o This lecture presents the means to execute statements
conditionally
o Next lecture presents the means to execute the same
statements repeatedly
The Decision Structure

 Flowchart of a typical decision

structure
 Evaluate the condition True
Is it cold outside?
o Is it cold outside?
 Execute or skip over some
code False

o If yes, wear a coat

Wear a coat.
The If...Then Statement
The If...Then statement causes other statements to execute only
when an expression is true.
General Format

If expression Then
statement
more statements may follow)
End If

 If the expression is True, execute the statements between If…Then

and End If
 Otherwise, the statements are skipped
 New keywords used above: If, Then, End
If…Then Example

 If…Then statement example:

'Computer program that uses the If … Then Statement
Sub prog01()
Dim num As Integer
num = InputBox("Write an integer number")
If num < 100 Then
ActiveCell.Value = "Number: " & num
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value = "The number is less than 100"
End If
End Sub
If…Then Rules

 The If and the Then must be on the same line

 Nothing other than a comment can appear after the
Then keyword, on the same line.
 The End If must be on a separate line. Only a comment
may follow it on the same line.
If…Then Programming Style

 The code between the If…Then and the End If is

indented
 VBA does not require this
 It is a convention among programmers to aid in the
readability of programs
 By default, the VBA editor will automatically do this
indentation as you enter your program
Example: Using Relational Operators
with Math Operators
'Using Relational Operators with Math Operators
Sub prog02()
Dim intX As Integer, intY As Integer
Dim intA As Integer, intB As Integer
intX = InputBox("write the X number ")
intY = InputBox("write the Y number ")
intA = InputBox("write the A number ")
intB = InputBox("write the B number ")
If intX + intY > intA - intB Then
ActiveCell.Value = "It is true!"
End If
End Sub
The If...Then...Else Statement
The If...Then...Else statement executes one group of statements if
the Boolean expression is true and another group of statements
if the Boolean expression is false.
13 Flowchart

False Temperature True

< 40?

Display Message
Display Message
Nice weather we’re
A little cold, isn’t it?
having!
General Format

If expression Then
statement
(more statements may follow)
Else
statement
(more statements may follow)
End If
 If the expression is True
o execute the statements between If…Then and Else
 If the expression is False
o execute the statements between Else and End If
Two Mutually Exclusive Choices

 The If…Then…Else has two choices

o The condition will either be True or False
o So either the Then clause or Else clause will be executed
o These are two mutually exclusive choices
If…Then … Else Example

'Program that uses the If ... Then ... Else Statement

Sub prog03()
Dim num As Integer
num = InputBox("Write an integer number")
ActiveCell.Value = "Number = " & num
If num < 100 Then
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value = "The number is less than 100"
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Interior.Color = RGB(255, 0, 0)
Else
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value = "The number is not less than 100"
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Interior.Color = RGB(0, 0, 255)
End If
End Sub
If…Then vs. If…Then…Else

 The If…Then construct will execute or ignore a group of

statements (do something or do nothing)
 The If…Then…Else construct will execute one group of
statements or another group (do this or do that)
Exercise

 Write a program to compute and

display a person’s weekly salary
as determined by the following
conditions: if the hours worked
are less than or equal to 40, the
person receives $12.00 per hour;
otherwise, the person receives
$480.00 plus $17.00 for each hour
worked over 40 hours. The
program should request the hours
worked as input and display the
salary as output. You should use
the cells show in the image on the
right and the worksheet 2.
The If...Then...ElseIf Statement
The If...Then...ElseIf statement is like a chain of If...Then...Else
statements. They perform their tests, one after the other, until
one of them is found to be true.
20 Flowchart

True
Very cold? Wear a heavy jacket
False
True
Chilly? Wear a light jacket
False
True
Windy? Wear a windbreaker
False
True
Hot? Wear no jacket
False
General Format
If expression Then
statement
(more statements may follow)
ElseIf expression Then
statement
(more statements may follow)
(put as many ElseIf statements as necessary)
Else
statement
(more statements may follow)
End If
 This construction is like a chain of If...Then...Else statements
 The Else part of one statement is linked to the If part of another
Multiple Possible Choices

 The If…Then…ElseIf statement allows for an entire series of

possible choices
 Each of the series of conditions in an If…Then…ElseIf is tested
in sequence
 When a condition is true, the remaining conditions are
ignored
 The order of the conditions is vital
o Wrong order can result in wrong decision - called a logic error
o What if it’s chilly and windy?
o If windy is tested before chilly, you’d go out with a windbreaker
when you need a jacket
Example of ElseIf Usage

Sub prog04()
Dim temperature As Integer
temperature = InputBox("Write the temperature")
ActiveCell.Value = "The temperature is " & temperature
If Temperature < 40 Then
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value = "Wear a heavy jacket"
ElseIf Temperature <= 65 Then
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value = "Wear a light jacket"
ElseIf Temperature < 80 Then
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value = "Wear no jacket"
End If
End Sub
Example of ElseIf Usage (2)

1. Does the order of these conditions matter?

2. What happens if we reverse the order?

Using a Trailing Else
If Temperature < 40 Then

 A sequence of ElseIf ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value =

"Wear a heavy jacket"
statements may end with a
plain Else, called a trailing Else ElseIf Temperature < 65 Then

 If none of the conditions are ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value =

True, the trailing Else "Wear a light jacket "
statement(s) will be executed Else
 The trailing Else catches any ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Value =
value that falls through the "Wear no jacket "
cracks End If
Exercise

 The following table shows the approximate speed of sound in air, water,
and steel.
Medium Speed (feet per second)
Air 1100
Water 4900
Steel 16400

 Write a program that displays a menu allowing the user to select air, water,
or steel. After the user has made a selection, he or she should be asked to
enter the distance a sound wave will travel in the selected medium. The
program will then display the amount of time it will take.
 Input validation: Check that the user has selected one of the available
choices from the menu. Do not accept distances less than 0.
 You must to use InputBox and MsgBox functions.
The Select Case Statement
In a Select Case statement, one of several possible actions is
taken, depending on the value of an expression.
The Select Case Statement

 Similar to If…Then…ElseIf
o Performs a series of tests
o Conditionally executes the first true condition
 Select Case is different in that:
o A single test expression may be evaluated
o The test expression is listed once
o The possible values of the expression are then listed with their
conditional statements
 Case Else may be included and executed if none of the
values match the expression
Select Case General Format

Select Case TestExpression

[Case ExpressionList
[one or more statements]]
[Case ExpressionList
[one or more statements]]
' Case statements may be repeated
' as many times as necessary.
[Case Else
[one or more statements]]
End Select
Select Case Flowchart Example

Test Expression

<Value 1> <Value 2> <Value 3>

False False False Default
True True True

Operation 1 Operation 2 Operation 3 Operation 4

Select Case Statement Example

Sub prog05()
Dim Day As Integer
Day = InputBox("Write 1 to Monday, 2 to Tuesday ... ")
Select Case Day
Case 1
MsgBox ("Day 1 is Monday.")
Case 2
MsgBox ("Day 2 is Tuesday.")
Case 3
MsgBox ("Day 3 is Wednesday.")
Case Else
MsgBox ("That value is invalid.")
End Select
End Sub
More about the Expression List:
Multiple Expressions
 The Case statement’s expression list can contain multiple expressions, separated by commas
Sub prog06()
Dim Number As Integer, Status As String
Number = InputBox("Write numbers from 1 to 10 ")
Select Case intNumber
Case 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
Status = "Odd"
Case 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
Status = "Even"
Case Else
Status = "Out of Range"
End Select
ActiveCell.Value = Status
End Sub
More about the Expression List:
String Values
 The Case statement can test string values
Sub prog07()
Dim Animal As String
Animal = InputBox("Write an animal ")
Select Case Animal
Case "Dogs", "Cats"
MsgBox ("House Pets")
Case "Cows", "Pigs", "Goats"
MsgBox ("Farm Animals")
Case "Lions", "Tigers", "Bears"
MsgBox ("Oh My!")
End Select
End Sub
More about the Expression List:
Relational Operators
 You can use relational operators in the Case statement
 The Is keyword represents the test expression in the relational comparison
Sub prog08()
Dim Temperature As Double
Temperature = InputBox("Write the temperature ")
Select Case Temperature
Case Is <= 75
ActiveCell.Value = "Too Cold!"
Case Is >= 100
ActiveCell.Value = "Too Hot!"
Case Else
ActiveCell.Value = "Just Right!"
End Select
End Sub
More about the Expression List:
Ranges of Values
Select Case Score
 You can determine whether Case Is >= 90
the test expression falls within Grade = "A"
a range of values Case 80 To 89

 Requires the To keyword Grade = "B"

o Smaller number on the left Case 70 To 79

Grade = "C"
o Larger number on the right
Case 60 To 69
o Numbers on each side are
Grade = "D"
included in the range
Case 0 To 59
Grade = "F"
Case Else
MsgBox("Invalid Score")
End Select
Exercise: Select Case

 The following table shows the approximate speed of sound in air, water,
and steel.
Medium Speed (feet per second)
Air 1100
Water 4900
Steel 16400

 Write a program that displays a menu allowing the user to select air, water,
or steel. After the user has made a selection, he or she should be asked to
enter the distance a sound wave will travel in the selected medium. The
program will then display the amount of time it will take.
 Input validation: Check that the user has selected one of the available
choices from the menu. Do not accept distances less than 0.
 You must to use InputBox and MsgBox functions.
References

 [1] Alexander, Michael; Kusleika, Dick. Excel 2016 Power Programming with
VBA. Reprint Edition. John Willey & Sons. 2017.
 [2] Walkenbach, John. Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA. John
Willey & Sons. 2013.
 [3] Gaddis, Tony; Irvine, Kip R. Starting Out with Visual Basic. Student Value
Edition. Pearson. 2016.