How to Use Find and Replace Feature in VBA

The find and replace feature is one of the very useful features in VBA programming. This feature allows you to search for specific text in your code and replace it with other text automatically. This feature can help you save time, avoid typos, and make your code neater and more consistent.

There are several ways to use the find and replace feature in VBA, depending on your needs and preferences. In this article, I will explain the three main ways to use this feature, namely:

  • Use the Find and Replace dialog box
  • Using the Find and Replace methods of Range objects
  • Using the Replace method of the Application object

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Using the Find and Replace Dialog Box

The easiest way to use the find and replace feature in VBA is to use the Find and Replace dialog box available on the Edit menu. This dialog box is similar to the existing dialog box in Excel or Word, and it has several options that you can customize.

To use this dialog box, follow these steps:

  1. Open the VBA module you want to edit by pressing Alt + F11 on your keyboard.
  2. Select the Edit menu and click Find or Replace, or press Ctrl F or Ctrl + H on your keyboard.
  3. Enter the text you want to search for in the Find what box and the text you want to replace in the Replace with box.
  4. Select the option that suits your needs, such as Match case, Match whole word only, Search direction, Look in.
  5. Click the Find Next button to search for the next matching text, or click the Replace button to replace the current matching text, or click the Replace All button to replace all matching text at once.
  6. Close the dialog box by pressing the Close key or pressing the Esc key on your keyboard.

Using the Find and Replace Method of Range Objects

The second way to use the find and replace feature in VBA is to use the Find and Replace method of the Range object. A Range object is one of the basic objects in VBA that represents a cell, row, column, or set of cells in an Excel worksheet.

The Find and Replace method of Range objects allows you to find and replace text in a specified range of cells by using VBA code. This method has several parameters that you can set to determine your search and replacement criteria.

To use this method, follow these steps:

  1. Open the VBA module you want to edit by pressing Alt + F11 on your keyboard.
  2. Create a new subroutine or function by typing the keyword Sub or Function, the name of the subroutine or function, and parentheses (). For example: Sub FindAndReplace().
  3. Type the following code between the parentheses {} :
Dim rng As Range
Set rng = Worksheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:B10")
rng.Replace What:="Apple", Replacement:="Orange", LookAt:=xlWhole
  1. Customize the code according to your needs, such as worksheet name, cell range, searched and replaced text, etc.
  2. Run a subroutine or function by pressing the F5 key or click the Run menu and select Run Sub/UserForm.

Using the Replace Method of the Application Object

The third way to use the find and replace feature in VBA is to use the Replace method of the Application object. The Application object is one of the global objects in VBA that represents the Excel application itself.

The Replace method of the Application object allows you to search for and replace text in a string or variable by using VBA code. This method has four mandatory parameters and three optional parameters that you can set to define your search and replace criteria.

To use this method, follow these steps:

  1. Open the VBA module you want to edit by pressing Alt + F11 on your keyboard.
  2. Create a new subroutine or function by typing the keyword Sub or Function, the name of the subroutine or function, and parentheses (). For example: Sub FindAndReplace().
  3. Type the following code between the parentheses {} :
Dim str As String
str = "I love apple pie"
str = Application.Replace(str, "apple", "orange")
MsgBox str
  1. Customize the code according to your needs, such as string value, searched and replaced text, etc.
  2. Run a subroutine or function by pressing the F5 button or clicking the Run menu and selecting Run Sub/UserForm.

Conclusion

The find and replace feature is a very useful feature in VBA programming. You can use this feature in different ways, depending on your needs and preferences. You can use the Find and Replace dialog box available in the Edit menu, or use the Find and Replace method of the Range object, or use the Replace method of the Application object.

Using this feature, you can search for and replace text in your code automatically, saving time, avoiding typos, and making your code neater and more consistent.

I hope you find this article useful. Thanks for reading!

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