Using a Macro to Select a Modified Table Body

Mike has an Excel 2007 table defined (via insert | table) and he wants to select just the data portion of the table using VBA. He knows he can use the DataBodyRange.Select method, but this just seems to select everything apart from the header row. In Mike's table the first row contains headings, the last row and last column contain formulas, and the first column contains row headings, so he wants to exclude these from the selection. The table can expand both by rows and columns, so he needs some way to select this data dynamically. Any thoughts on how this can be done?

Defined tables are something introduced with Excel 2007. You create them (as Mike mentions) by using the Table tool on the Insert tab of the ribbon. I normally find it best to enter my column headings and my data, put any summary formulas in the last column of the table, but don't put them in the last row. I then select a cell in the table and use the Table tool to define the entire area of the table.

Once a table is defined in this manner, you can then use the Design tab of the ribbon to modify how Excel sees your table. Click the tab and make sure, in the Table Style Options group, that you specify your table has a Header Row, Total Row, First Column (for your column headers), and Last Column (for your summary formulas). You can then use a macro such as the following to figure out and select the table body:

Sub SelectTableBody()
    Dim rTableData As Range

    With ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(1)
        Set rTableData = .ListObjects("Table1").DataBodyRange
        Set rTableData = rTableData.Offset(0, 1) _
          .Resize(, rTableData.Columns.Count - 2)
    End With

    rTableData.Select
End Sub

The first Set statement sets the rTableData range equal to what Excel considers the body of the data table. This includes everything except the header and the total row. (Why Excel includes the first column and the last column when you've designed those columns to be special beats me.) The next Set statement then adjusts the range inward by one column on the left and one column on the right. The result is that rTableData represents just the data range that you want.

This approach is dynamic in nature, meaning that it will adjust automatically (well, each time you run it) whenever you add or delete table rows or column. It will not adjust properly if you happen to delete either the first or last columns of your data table; it assumes those columns will never be part of the body range you want.