Date String manipulation in Excel VBA - excel

The VBA built-in Date variable can give me today's date (8/25/21 as the time this post is written). However, I really want the date in the mm/dd/yyyy format for future projects and store it in a variable - myDate. I just couldn't think of an easy string manipulation solution to get the desired result.
I've tried put the Date variable in excel sheets and then change the number format using the below code:
[A1]=Date
[A1].NumberFormat="mm/dd/yyyy"
myDate=[A1].value
debug.print myDate
Even though the number format code will change the appearance of cell [A1], making it look like it's in the desired format mm/dd/yyyy, the debug.print line still gives 8/25/21 instead of 08/25/2021

A date value holds no format. Apply the format for display - that includes when calling Debug.Print:
Dim myValue As Date
[A1] = Date
[A1].NumberFormat = "mm/dd/yyyy"
myDate = [A1].Value
Debug.Print Format(myDate, "mm/dd/yyyy")

Related

Problem with value as date and format as text in cell

I'm writing a Macro where I need two things in one of the column ranges:
a) Cell values must be the date of the next day in the dd/mm/yyyy format;
b) Cell Format must be text
I keep running into the problem of the date format being changed to mm/dd/yyyy.
Default excel format for the vba function date is dd/mm/yyyy ,since my excel language is set to Portuguese.
By running:
Sub format()
Range("A1").Value = Date + 1
End Sub
I get the value 11/02/2023, date format, which is expected. But if I run:
Sub format2()
Range("A1").NumberFormat = "#"
Range("A1").Value = Date + 1
End Sub
The output is 02/11/2023 in text, in the mm/dd/yyyy format. I'd like to understand why this would even happen
Same thing happens for me. Not sure why but you can achieve what you want by doing:
Sub format2()
Range("A1").NumberFormat = "#"
Range("A1").Value = format(Date + 1, "dd\/mm\/yyyy")
End Sub
This will result in the cell being formatted as text in format "dd/mm/yyyy".
If you wanted the same format but actually formatted as date, you should do this:
Sub format2()
Range("A1").NumberFormat = "dd\/mm\/yyyy;#"
Range("A1").Value = Date + 1
End Sub
The backslashes are there because excel (at least on my system) considers the forward slash a substitute for default separator and replaces it with hyphens, which are my actual default separators.
I'd like to credit this answer for the last point (escaping the forward slashes): https://stackoverflow.com/a/8527762/9852011

Excel VBA inserting date into cell produces incorrect format

Hoping someone can help with a funny issue I'm having. Using the following Excel VBA code to update a cell with a date in a sheet. The cell is formatted to "DD/MM"YYYY" my local PC is set to this also.
Dim SelectedDate As String
SelectedDate = "05/02/2018"
Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").NumberFormat = "dd/mm/yyyy"
Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").Value = Format(SelectedDate,"dd/mm/yyyy")
MsgBox Format(SelectedDate,"dd/mm/yyyy") ' Returns 05/02/2018 - Correct
MsgBox Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").Value ' Returns 02/05/2018 - Incorrect
Any help would be greatly apprecaited.
Easy to get confused with Excel, VBA and date formats. Even easier when you are using strings instead of dates in VBA and/or on the worksheet. And it will be easier to figure out what is going on if you format your output to unambiguous dates eg: dd-mmm-yyyy.
You are entering a string into F36. VBA is US Centric and thinks the string represents May 2, 2018
To have the string interpreted the same as your windows short date format, you can use the Datevalue function and treat your entries as dates and not as strings.
So one alternative to your code would be:
Sub marine()
Dim SelectedDate As Date
SelectedDate = DateValue("05/02/2018") 'will convert to 5-Feb-2018
Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").NumberFormat = "dd/mm/yyyy"
Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").Value = SelectedDate
MsgBox Format(SelectedDate, "dd/mm/yyyy")
MsgBox format(Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").Value,"dd/mm/yyyy")
End Sub
The NumberFormat properties just define the way the underlying value is visually represented, but it doesn't change the underlying value itself. Instead of printing the Value property, use Text (which holds the formatted representation of the underlying value):
MsgBox Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").Text
Alternatively, if you want to stick on the Value property of the cell, you are forced to print it as follows:
MsgBox Format(Sheets("CONTROL").Range("F36").Value, "dd/mm/yyyy")

Cannot convert date string to datevalue in Excel

I have some dates in a string in a column.
Because the format seems to be M/DD/YYYY I sometimes get a VALUE error when using DATEVALUE.
How can I convert a column to make sure all dates are correct.
For example, the following 2 cells
9/29/2006 12:49:58.956 AM DATEVALUE gives an error
9/12/2008 5:36:59.356 PM DATEVALUE converts to 39791
You need to select the range (just one colunm) with the dates... Go to:
(in Excel 2010)
Data >>> Text to Columns
Inside the dialog box select:
Delimited >>> Next
Just select Tab checkbox.
And heres is the magic!
You need to define the arrangement for your dates...
In the Date field:
Choose the what you need (as you say in your question is M/D/Y)
Destination field:
Make sure that is the same of the data you want to format.
And finish.
The problem you are having is probably that the data is getting interpreted as a general field, and shows up as, say 49:59.0 - which isn't text, which is what Datevalue() expects as input; for both inputs, Datevalue(CellID) words if you prepend the text with a ' - which ensures it is treated as text.
it seems that your system settings use dd/mm/yyyy for short date format. and datevalue function uses this settings, so its try to read the day from the first part of the string and the month from the second part. as in your example 9/29/2006 12:49:58.956 AM there is no month with 29 then it gives error, and in the second example it gives 39791 = 9 december 2008 and NOT 12 september 2008.
If you change the short date format in your system settings to mm/dd/yyyythen datevalue function will work correctly, but this not acceptable, so we need to replace month with day and day with month to get correct date.
I don't know if we can do this with Excel formula but we can do that simply with VBA.
So try this code:
Sub Test()
Dim d1 As Variant, d2 As Variant, td As Date
Dim Rng As Range, CL As Range
Set Rng = Range("A1:A2") ' change this to your range
For Each CL In Rng
d1 = Split(CL.Value, " ")
d2 = Split(d1(0), "/")
td = DateSerial(d2(2), d2(0), d2(1))
CL.Offset(0, 1) = td
CL.Offset(0, 1).NumberFormat = "mm/dd/yyyy" ' change the Date format as you need
'CL.Offset(0, 1).NumberFormat = "dd/mm/yyyy"
Next
End Sub

excel vba need date as integer value like in excels datevalue()

I try to get a date that is available as a string in "DD.MM.YYYY" fashion, changed to the value that excel normally applies to dates.
I tried CDbl(strDate) as was suggested a lot. But instead of giving back 42023 as =DATVALUE("19.01.2015") does, in my case it returns 19012015.
strDate = "19.01.2015"
MsgBox CDbl(strDate)
How can I change that?
thanks
Try changing the full-stops (periods) to slashes, then convert to date, then convert to double.
Watch out for regional variations in date formatting though - not sure how it will affect the result - test with a date such as 01/02/2015 and see if it returns 1st Feb or 2nd Jan.
Sub test()
Dim strdate As String
strdate = "19.01.2015"
MsgBox CDbl(CDate(Replace(strdate, ".", "/")))
End Sub

Excel Date Issue

Using Excel 2003 VBA code, I copied a date from a form into a cell, which I then formatted as vbLongDate. This puts in a date like "Wednesday, August 13, 2014". I am struggling with getting the date components back out, though. I am trying this
Dim myDate As Date
myDate = Date(Range("A1").Value)
From there, I want to pull out the year, month and day values from myDate, but this isn't working. I tried a few variations, but they are all bombing out.
Thanks!
I assume you use the FormatDateTime() function with vbLongDate. That returns text. Consider formatting the cell with a date format instead and retain its date properties.
Sub test()
Dim myDate As Date
' this will return text
Range("A1") = FormatDateTime(Now, vbLongDate)
' A2 will remain a date
Range("A2") = Date
Range("A2").NumberFormat = "[$-F800]dddd, mmmm dd, yyyy"
myDate = Range("A2").Value
Debug.Print Month(myDate) ' no error
End Sub
Edit: Depending on the date format used, the appearance of the date will adjust to the regional settings.
' this date format will adjust to the regional settings
' my regional settings are DMY and I see "Thursday, 14 August 2014"
' even though the format shows the mmmm before the dd
myRange1.NumberFormat = "[$-F800]dddd, mmmm dd, yyyy"
' this date format will always be like displayed below
myRange2.NumberFormat = "dddd, d mmmm yyyy;#"
You could set different formats to different cells, depending on whether they need to adjust or not.

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