When you are programming Excel macros, you should know that dates are stored internally, within variables, as serial numbers. The serial number represents the number of days elapsed since a starting "base date," specifically since 1 January 100. This means that you can perform math with the serial numbers, if desired. You can, for instance, find the number of days between two dates by simply subtracting the dates from each other.
Note that the starting date above is not a typo; in macros the calculations are from a much earlier base date than they are in a worksheet. (Worksheets use either 1900 or 1904 as their base date, depending on how you've configured Excel.) This means that macros can work with a much wider range of dates than can be done in worksheets.
If you want to get fancier in your date calculations, you can use the DateDiff function. This function allows you, for instance, to determine the number of weeks or months between two dates. In order to use the function to find this type of information, you would do as follows:
iNumWeeks = DateDiff("ww", dFirstDate, dSecondDate) iNumMonths = DateDiff("m", dFirstDate, dSecondDate)
The first line determines the number of weeks between the two dates, and the second determines the number of months between them.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2535) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Determining Differences Between Dates.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
If you need to consolidate a single column of data into multiple columns of data, you'll love this macro. It provides a ...
Discover MoreWhen creating macros, you'll often have a need to select different cells in the worksheet. Here's how to select the first ...
Discover MoreExcel allows you to define names that can refer to either ranges of cells or to constant information, such as formulas. ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2022 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments