Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Filling a Range of Cells with Values.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 16, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Jonathan is creating a macro and needs to fill a range of cells with values. For instance, if he needs to fill the range A1:C1, it currently takes three statements to fill that range:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Range("A1") = "Test1"
Range("B1") = "Test2"
Range("C1") = "Test3"
He wonders if there is a way to fill them in a single statement, similar to the following:
Range("A1:C1") = ("Test1","Test2","Test3")
Jonathan's desired syntax is close, but it won't work. Here's how it will work:
Range("A1:C1") = Array("Test1","Test2","Test3")
Note the use of the Array statement, which tells VBA that what follows should be considered a sequence of values to be used in the sequence of cells at the left of the operator. Interestingly enough, you could stuff values into variables and also use the Array statement, as shown here:
sOne = "Apples"
sTwo = "Oranges"
sThree = "Artichokes"
Range("A1:C1") = Array(sOne, sTwo, sThree)
You can also work with straight variables, if you prefer:
Dim sMyStrings(2) As String
sMyStrings(0) = "Apples"
sMyStrings(1) = "Oranges"
sMyStrings(2) = "Artichokes"
Range("A1:C1") = sMyStrings
The above code could also be rewritten, as follows:
Dim sMyStrings(2) As String
sMyStrings = Array("Apples", "Oranges", "Artichokes")
Range("A1:C1") = sMyStrings
Finally, if you wanted to have the values placed into a single column rather than in a row, you would need to use the Transpose function, in this manner:
Range("A1:A3") = Application.Transpose(Array("Test1","Test2","Test3"))
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11701) 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: Filling a Range of Cells with Values.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
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