How to Effectively Manage Variables, Constants, and Enumerations in VBA for Beginners

Getting to Know Enumeration

Enumeration is a set of interrelated constants with names, used to represent a specific value in a code. With enumeration, programmers can use names that are more obvious than numbers or literal values, thus making the code easier to read and maintain. Enumeration helps group values that have logical relationships, making code easier to understand and manage.

The importance of using enumeration in programming includes:

• Names in enumeration are easier to understand than literal numbers or strings.
• Reduces the risk of typos, or the use of incorrect values, as only valid names of enumerations can be used.
• Helps structure the code in a more organized way, making it easier to update and maintain.

Examples of Using Enumeration in Code

To create an enumeration in VBA, use the Enum keyword, followed by the enumeration name and a list of relevant values. Here are examples of how to create and use enumeration:

Enum DaysOfWeek
     Sunday
     Monday
     Tuesday
     Wednesday
     Thursday
     Friday
     Saturday
End Enum

Sub ShowDayExample()
     Dim today As DaysOfWeek
     today = Wednesday ' Using the name of the enumeration

     Select Case today
     Case Sunday
          MsgBox “Today is Sunday.”
     Case Monday
          MsgBox “Today is Monday.”
     Case Tuesday
          MsgBox “Today is Tuesday.”
     Case Wednesday
          MsgBox “Today is Wednesday.”
     Case Thursday
          MsgBox “Today is Thursday.”
     Case Friday
          MsgBox “Today is Friday.”
     Case Saturday
          MsgBox “Today is Saturday.”
     End Select
End Sub

' Calling a procedure to display the days
ShowDayExample()

In this example, we create a DaysOfWeek enumeration that includes the names of the days of the week. In the ShowDayExample subroutine, we assign the value of today to one of the names of the enumerations. Using the Select Case structure, we can give the right response according to today’s value.

Using enumeration like this not only makes the code easier to read, but also makes it easier to make future changes, such as adding or changing the name of the day without having to search for and replace every use of a literal value throughout the code.