Copy and Pasting without select vba - excel

Question

am trying to make my code better, so the first thing I am trying to do is to remove all usage of selects and selection from my code.
The problem am facing is I am unable to get a stable code without using Selection.
PFB code am using to make the selection
Sub findandCopyVisbleCellsinColumn(ByRef wb As Workbook, ByRef ws As Worksheet, ByRef columnNumber As Long)
Dim lrow, lcolumn As Long
With wb
With ws
ws.Activate
Selection.End(xlToLeft).Select
ws.Range(Cells(1, columnNumber).Address).Offset(1, 0).Select
ws.Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlDown)).Select
Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeVisible).Select
Selection.Copy
End With
End With
End Sub
PFB Code am using for calling above code and pasting the values
emptyCell = range_End_Method(wb, ws, 3)
Call findandCopyVisbleCellsinColumn(wb, ws1, 7)
ws.Range("C" & emptyCell).Offset(1, 0).PasteSpecial Paste:=xlPasteValues
What I have done until now
With ws
ws.Activate
Selection.End(xlToLeft).Select
lrow = ws.Cells(ws.Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row
lcolumn = ws.Cells(1, ws1.Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column
.Range(.Cells(.Cells(2, columnNumber).Address).Offset(1, 0), lrow, lcolumn).Copy
End With
this is giving an error for invalid property assignment. I suspect its due to assigning cells to cells, Please point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Copy Visible Cells in a Column
The feedback to my post Function vs Sub(ByRef) was kind of groundbreaking to my understanding of the difference between ByVal and ByRef (and accidentally error handling, too). Basically, to your surprise, you will rarely need ByRef.
Option Explicit
Sub YourPBFCode()
Dim wb As Workbook: Set wb = ThisWorkbook
Dim sws As Worksheet: Set sws = wb.Worksheets("source")
Dim dws As Worksheet: Set dws = wb.Worksheets("target")
CopyVisibleCellsInColumn sws.Range("G2"), dws.Range("C2")
End Sub
' Just a test (example).
Sub CopyVisibleCellsInColumnTEST()
Const sName As String = "Sheet1"
Const sAddr As String = "A2"
Const dName As String = "Sheet2"
Const dAddr As String = "A2"
Dim wb As Workbook: Set wb = ThisWorkbook ' workbook containing this code
' Source
Dim sws As Worksheet: Set sws = wb.Worksheets(sName)
Dim sfCell As Range: Set sfCell = sws.Range(sAddr)
' Destination
Dim dws As Worksheet: Set dws = wb.Worksheets(dName)
Dim difCell As Range: Set difCell = dws.Range(dAddr)
CopyVisibleCellsInColumn sfCell, difCell
End Sub
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Purpose: Copies the visible cells of a one-column range to another
' one-column range. The source range is defined by its first cell
' and the last cell in its column of its worksheet's used range.
' The column of the destination range is defined by its first
' initial cell. The first row of the destination range
' will be the row of the last non-empty cell in the column
' increased by one aka the first available row.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Sub CopyVisibleCellsInColumn( _
ByVal SourceFirstCell As Range, _
ByVal DestinationInitialFirstCell As Range)
If SourceFirstCell Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
If DestinationInitialFirstCell Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
' Create a reference to the Source Range ('srg').
Dim sfCell As Range: Set sfCell = SourceFirstCell.Cells(1)
Dim srg As Range: Set srg = RefVisibleCellsinColumn(sfCell)
If srg Is Nothing Then Exit Sub ' no data
' Create a reference to the Destination Range ('drg').
Dim difCell As Range: Set difCell = DestinationInitialFirstCell.Cells(1)
Dim dfCell As Range: Set dfCell = RefFirstAvailableCellInColumn(difCell)
If dfCell Is Nothing Then Exit Sub ' no available cells
Dim srCount As Long: srCount = srg.Cells.Count
If srCount > dfCell.Worksheet.Rows.Count - dfCell.Row + 1 Then
Exit Sub ' does not fit
End If
Dim drg As Range: Set drg = dfCell.Resize(srCount)
' Write values from the Source Range to the Destination Array ('dData').
Dim dData As Variant: dData = GetColumnMultiRange(srg)
' Write values from the Destination Array to the Destination Range.
drg.Value = dData
End Sub
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Purpose: Creates a reference to the visible cells of the range
' at the intersection of the one-column range from the first cell
' of a range ('FirstCellRange') to the bottom-most worksheet cell,
' and the used range of the worksheet.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Function RefVisibleCellsinColumn( _
ByVal FirstCellRange As Range) _
As Range
If FirstCellRange Is Nothing Then Exit Function
Dim fCell As Range: Set fCell = FirstCellRange.Cells(1)
Dim wsrCount As Long: wsrCount = fCell.Worksheet.Rows.Count
Dim crg As Range: Set crg = fCell.Resize(wsrCount - fCell.Row + 1)
On Error Resume Next
Set RefVisibleCellsinColumn = _
Intersect(crg.Worksheet.UsedRange, crg).SpecialCells(xlCellTypeVisible)
On Error GoTo 0
End Function
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Purpose: In the one-column range ('crg') from the first cell ('fCell')
' of a range ('FirstCellRange') to the bottom-most worksheet cell,
' creates a reference to the first available cell
' i.e. the cell below the last non-empty cell ('lCell.Offset(1)').
' If the one-column range ('crg') is empty,
' the first cell ('fCell') is also the first available cell.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Function RefFirstAvailableCellInColumn( _
ByVal FirstCellRange As Range) _
As Range
If FirstCellRange Is Nothing Then Exit Function
Dim fCell As Range: Set fCell = FirstCellRange.Cells(1)
Dim wsrCount As Long: wsrCount = fCell.Worksheet.Rows.Count
Dim crg As Range: Set crg = fCell.Resize(wsrCount - fCell.Row + 1)
Dim lCell As Range: Set lCell = crg.Find("*", , xlFormulas, , , xlPrevious)
If lCell Is Nothing Then
Set RefFirstAvailableCellInColumn = fCell
Else
If lCell.Row < wsrCount Then
Set RefFirstAvailableCellInColumn = lCell.Offset(1)
End If
End If
End Function
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Purpose: Returns the values of the first columns of each single range
' of a multi-range in a 2D one-based one-column array.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Function GetColumnMultiRange( _
ByVal ColumnMultiRange As Range) _
As Variant
On Error GoTo ClearError ' too many areas, "RTE '7': Out of memory"
If ColumnMultiRange Is Nothing Then Exit Function
Dim aCount As Long: aCount = ColumnMultiRange.Areas.Count
Dim aData As Variant: ReDim aData(1 To aCount, 1 To 2)
Dim ocData As Variant: ReDim ocData(1 To 1, 1 To 1)
Dim arg As Range
Dim a As Long
Dim arCount As Long
Dim drCount As Long
For Each arg In ColumnMultiRange.Areas
a = a + 1
With arg.Columns(1)
arCount = .Rows.Count
If arCount = 1 Then ' one cell
ocData(1, 1) = .Value
aData(a, 1) = ocData
Else ' multiple cells
aData(a, 1) = .Value
End If
End With
aData(a, 2) = arCount
drCount = drCount + arCount
Next arg
'Debug.Print aCount, arCount, drCount
Dim dData As Variant: ReDim dData(1 To drCount, 1 To 1)
Dim ar As Long
Dim dr As Long
For a = 1 To aCount
For ar = 1 To aData(a, 2)
dr = dr + 1
dData(dr, 1) = aData(a, 1)(ar, 1)
Next ar
Next a
GetColumnMultiRange = dData
ProcExit:
Exit Function
ClearError:
Debug.Print "Run-time error '" & Err.Number & "': " & Err.Description
Resume ProcExit
End Function

Answer 2

Hard to explain where you've gone wrong with your range selection.
.Range(.Cells(.Cells(2, columnNumber).Address).Offset(1, 0), lrow, lcolumn)
Range is one or more cells in the worksheet.
Cells is a single cell in the worksheet - referenced using the row number and row column or letter. So Cells(1,1) will work, as will Cells(1,"A"). Your code has supplied a complete cell address - so is trying to do Cells("A1").
This is how I'd do it without selecting anything:
Sub Test()
'Copy data from sheet1 to sheet2 in a different workbook.
CopyAndPaste ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1"), _
Workbooks("Book4").Worksheets("Sheet2")
'Copy data from sheet1 to sheet2 in workbook that contains this code.
CopyAndPaste ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1"), _
ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet2")
End Sub
Private Sub CopyAndPaste(Source As Worksheet, Target As Worksheet)
Dim LastCell As Range
Set LastCell = GetLastCell(Source)
With Source
'Copies a range from A1 to LastCell and pastes in Target cell A1.
.Range(.Cells(1, 1), LastCell).Copy Destination:=Target.Cells(1, 1)
End With
End Sub
Private Function GetLastCell(ws As Worksheet) As Range
Dim lLastCol As Long, lLastRow As Long
On Error Resume Next
With ws
lLastCol = .Cells.Find("*", , , , xlByColumns, xlPrevious).Column
lLastRow = .Cells.Find("*", , , , xlByRows, xlPrevious).Row
If lLastCol = 0 Then lLastCol = 1
If lLastRow = 0 Then lLastRow = 1
Set GetLastCell = .Cells(lLastRow, lLastCol)
End With
On Error GoTo 0
End Function
Note the actual copy/paste is a single line:
.Range(.Cells(1, 1), LastCell).Copy Destination:=Target.Cells(1, 1)
This copies the range on the Source worksheet from cells A1 (1,1) to whatever range is returned by the GetLastCell function. As that function returns a range object it can be used directly - no need to find the address and pass that separately to another range object.
The copied cells are then pasted to cell A1 on the Target worksheet. As long as you've got the correct sheet reference the code will know which workbook the worksheet belongs to - no need for With wb:With ws - the ws reference already contains the wb reference.