Setting Global variables in Excel VBA - excel

Question

I was working on an Excel project with multiple Tabs.
One of the worksheets has a column called "Names". My users usually move the columns every now and then. So to extract the correct column I have used this particular VBA code.
HEADER = Sheets("WORKSHEET").Range("A1:Z1").Address
SourceDataColumn = Application.WorksheetFunction.Match("Name", HEADER, 0)
SourceColumnLetter = Split(Cells(1, SourceDataColumn).Address(True, False), "$")(0)
Example: In this case, the output would be [ SourceColumnLetter = C ] containing the "Names"
It works fine, I was just wondering if there is a way to set the 'SourceColumnLetter' as a global variable so that I don't have to use the same whole block of code again and again.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in Advance.

Answer 1

Make a function GetColumnNumberByTitle that finds the column number for you. You can then easily access it by its number.
You can use GetColumnNumberByTitle("Name") in any of your procedures now to get the column by its title. Note that it returns 0 if it does not find the "Name".
See example below:
Option Explicit
Public Sub test()
Dim ColNo As Long
ColNo = GetColumnNumberByTitle("Name") 'get the column number by its title in row 1
If ColNo <> 0 Then
'access the column by its number
Debug.Print ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("WORKSHEET").Cells(1, ColNo)
'this should return the column name
Debug.Print ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("WORKSHEET").Cells(2, ColNo)
'this should return the columns first value
Else
MsgBox "Column Name was not found."
End If
End Sub
Public Function GetColumnNumberByTitle(ByVal ColumnTitle As String) As Long
On Error Resume Next 'next line errors if title is not found
GetColumnNumberByTitle = Application.WorksheetFunction.Match(ColumnTitle, ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("WORKSHEET").Rows(1), 0)
On Error GoTo 0 're-enable error reporting!
'if title was not found this function returns 0
End Function
Another approach could be using formatted tables (ListObjects):
And you can then easily access a column by its title with the following code:
Worksheets("Sheet1").ListObjects("Table1").ListColumns("Name").Range.Select
or to select a specific row
Worksheets("Sheet1").ListObjects("Table1").ListColumns("Name").Range(3).Select
'selects row 3 in column "Name"

Answer 2

Any variable (even Global, Public etc.) must receive somehow a value...
If columns are inserted or deleted its reference is changed even if it has been defined on, let us say, Workbook_Open event.
I would suggest you to make it a named range. Select it, go to the left formula bar side (Name Box), write the name you need (HD, for instance) and press Enter.
Than, you can use it like:
SourceColumnLetter = Split(Range("HD").Address(True, False), "$")(0)
or better try using Cells instead of Range, doing it in the next way (without the column letter):
Cells(x, range("HD").Column)
without any preliminary calculation...