Inserting VBA formula into a defined Range - excel

Question

I'm looping through a table (Sheet4) in a worksheet and inserting an empty column between each original column. In the new, empty columns, I want to insert a VLookup function.
I has successfully inserted the columns and I have successfully held the proper range (proper number of rows too) in a variable called FormulaRange.
I'm having problems with the VLookup. I don't know if it's the way I'm storing my variables or if I need to have a paste function after my Vlookup. Can someone take a look and give me a hand?
*note - I stored FormulaRange as String becuase As Range wouldn't let me pass my code into the variable. As a result I can't use the FormulaRange.Formula Method.
If I were to manually input the VLookup I would write it as =VLOOKUP(B1,RosettaStone_Employees!$A$1:$B$5,2,FALSE) and then copy down the range.
Sub InsertColumnsAndFormulasUntilEndOfProductivityTable()
Dim ActivityRange As Range
Dim UserName As String
Dim FormulaRange As String
Dim i As Integer
Dim x As Long
Dim y As Long
Dim Startrow As String
Dim Lastrow As String
Sheet6.Activate
Set ActivityRange = Range("A1", Range("B1").End(xlDown))
Sheet4.Activate
Range("A1").Select
y = Sheet4.Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row - 1
x = (Sheet4.Cells(1, Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column) * 2
For i = 1 + 2 To x Step 2
Columns(i).EntireColumn.Insert
Startrow = 2
Lastrow = y
UserName = Cells(1, i - 1)
FormulaRange = Cells(Startrow, i).Address & ":" & Cells(Lastrow + 1, i).Address
FormulaRange = "=VLookup(UserName, ActivityRange, 2, False)"
Next
End Sub
Thanks
Jonathan

Answer 1

I changed your code a little to get rid of the sheet activates. Also I changed a few things to ranges and included with blocks.
This is untested:
Sub InsertColumnsAndFormulasUntilEndOfProductivityTable()
Dim ActivityRange As Range
Dim UserName As String
Dim FormulaRange As Range
Dim i As Long
Dim x As Long
Dim y As Long
Dim Startrow As Long
Dim Lastrow As Long
With Sheet6
Set ActivityRange = .Range("A1", .Range("B1").End(xlDown))
End With
With Sheet4
y = .Cells(.Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row - 1
x = (.Cells(1, .Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column) * 2
For i = 1 + 2 To x Step 2
.Columns(i).EntireColumn.Insert
Startrow = 2
Lastrow = y
UserName = .Cells(1, i - 1)
Set FormulaRange = .Range(.Cells(Startrow, i), .Cells(Lastrow + 1, i))
FormulaRange.FormulaR1C1 = "=VLookup(R1C[-1],'" & ActivityRange.Parent.Name & "'!" & ActivityRange.Address(1, 1, xlR1C1) & ", 2, False)"
'If you do not want dynamic formulas and just want the value
'then comment out the above and use the below.
'FormulaRange.Value = Application.Vlookup(UserName,ActivityRange,2,False)
Next
End With
End Sub
The R1C1 is a relative nomenclature. When it fills the formulas into the columns it will return the cell relative to the one into which the formula will be filled.
For example, above I use R1C[-1]. This says get the first row of the column directly to the left. So if the formula was being entered into B2 it would return A$1.
The [] denotes the relative address. Without the [] eg R1C1 it would indicate an absolute address and would return $A$1. So R1C1:R4C2 would return a range of $A$1:$B$4.