How to use relative names in Excel VBA - excel

Question

Many "advanced" (aka: VBA) excel tutorials on the web or even excel's vba help encurage us to use the
Range("B2:B10")
method (to be precise: object) for selecting cells or getting values. In the same place they often add it's totally ok to use predefined names as well:
Range("valuesabove")
On the other hand I fell in love with the incredible power of relatively defined cell names. They make it so much easier to write and handle big composite formulas, and basically to refer to nearly anything.
However, relative names don't work in the Range("valuesabove") method the way we are used to it.
Usually (when used on the worksheet) relative names are relative to the currently selected cell or to the cell in which they are used.
In VBA's Range() object this is not true. Range is relative to a WorkSheet object, by default to the ActiveSheet. But ActiveSheet is represenetd by its leftupper cell, A1. And this is what Range turns out to be relative to. And this is why absolute names ($C$23) do work with it, and relative ones ("one column to the left, two rows up") don't.
So my question is:
How can I harness the power of relative names in VBA then?
EDIT:
Realising that my question was rather unclear (thx's go to you guys commenting tirelessly) let me try to put it in a specific form and clarify terms:
IMHO on an excel worksheet it is very comfortable to use names in order to refer to cells or define calculated values by functions based on cell values.
In excel a reference to a cell can be either relative, absolute, or mixed. This is true also when creating names. Thus we can speak about absolute, relative or mixed names (in terms of referring of course).
Here an absolute name is used a couple times (created using excel's Trace Dependents function):
Name "name" = $D$2
A relative name is used a couple times here:
Name "upright24" while, e.g. cell A7 is selected = C3 (without $ signs!). But this changes constantly according to the selected cell or region. You can check it in the name manager! (Ctrl+F3)
And this is what we can consider as a mixed name:
Name "rel_serialnumber" while, e.g. cell C6 is selected = $B6. The row of which (6) changes constantly according to the selected cell or region.
The creation of a relative or a mixed name is explicitly based on the active cell at the moment of creating the name. The creation of an absolute name naturally doesn't rely on the cursor position.
Note, that
absolute names mean a dinamic offset from the referenced cell, which is one and only
relative names mean a static offset from the referenced cell, which thus changes always corresponding to the place where the name is used
mixed names mean a mixed (or half-dynamic) offset from the referenced cell, the row or column of which thus changes always corresponding to the place where the name is used while the other remains always the same (the offset in one or the other direction remains zero).
Okay, now here is the thing. I have a database-like excel sheet where I handle the rows like records and the columns as fields for properties. The user uses this thing as follows: he "selects a record" by placing the cursor in any cell of the row of the desired record. Then he presses a big command button which starts my VBA macro. This intends to open a prepared skeleton file and fill some specific cells in it (which are btw defined by absolute names) with some values (which are defined by mixed names) from the selected record.
Since Range("name") is considered ok to use in VBA (see above) I thought Range("relativename") or Range("mixedname") will work just as fine while automatically relying on the active cell.
I couldn't be worse.
Only Range("absolutename") works in the way one would expect! Explanation see above.
So I'm after a function / method / object that is possibly as comfortable to use with a "relativename" or a "mixedname" as Range("absolutename") is.

Answer 1

It appears you are looking for Range.Offset() http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff840060%28v=office.15%29.aspx
However you could do it as:
'Your example Range(Col_B_in_current_row) as
Range("B" & ActiveCell.Row).Select
'Your example Range("B2:B10") -> Range("valuesabove") as
Range("B2:B10").Offset(-1, 0).Select
Just seems like a relatively simple syntax already exists for this.

Answer 2

I think I've found a proper and compact solution. It's
Names("mixedname").RefersToRange
Not as short as Range("mixedname") would be but it is really providing the expected values.
UPDATE:
This solution is mostly unuseful if you want to copy relative-named cell values in a source workbook to relative-named cells in a dest workbook with a single codeline. This is because Names() relies on the actual position of the cursor which is depending on which workbook is currently the active one and in most cases this won't be ok for the other.
In this case the non-fixed part of the name has to be stored:
sourcerow = ActiveCell.Row
[...]
'opening a wbk, this also makes it the active one
[...]
Names("dest").RefersToRange = mysheet.Cells(sourcerow, mybook.Names("src").RefersToRange.Column)

Answer 3

To reference a Range relative to another Range you can use this syntax:
myRange.Range("namedRange")
Note: This only works if both the Row offset AND the Column offsets are positive. For example if the "Refers to" formula for the named range is "=Offset(A1,r,c)", then the above syntax will throw an error if Either r Or c is negative. But, it will work if both are positive.
The asymmetry is unfortunate but business as usual for VBA...
To Reference the third column in the row of the current ActiveCell:
ActiveCell.EntireRow.Range("C1")
To reference a cell offset by (for example) 1 row and 3 columns relative to the ActiveCell:
ActiveCell.Range("C2")
Obviously, you can use the same syntax with the Selection Object or any other Range value in VBA.

Answer 4

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target as Range)
If Not Intersect(Target.Address,ThisWorkbook.Sheets('sheetname).Range('RangeName)) Is Nothing Then _
'Do whatever you want down here.
ThisWorbook.Sheets('sheetname).Range('RangeName).Offset(0,Target.Row)
End If
End Sub
This should send you on the right path to what you want (which is super unclear). Use the worksheet change event to bring in user worksheet selections and changes into VBA modules. Put it into the relevant sheet.

Answer 5

I had the same problem, but I did get it to work - sort of. I don't know what is different about the simple example below, but it works. At first I thought selection mattered, but no - it works without changing the active cell.
(I still can't get it to work in my main spreadsheet.)
Named range: "TestName" = Sheet1!$H1
Values in H1:H10 = 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Sub Test()
Dim x As Integer
For x = 0 To 10
Range("A1").Offset(x, 0).Value = Range("A1").Offset(x, 0).Range("Testname").Value
Next x
End Sub
Result: A1:A10 = 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10