Test if range exists in VBA - excel

Question

I have a dynamically defined named range in my excel ss that grabs data out of a table based on a start date and an end date like this
=OFFSET(Time!$A$1,IFERROR(MATCH(Date_Range_Start,AllDates,0)-1,MATCH(Date_Range_Start,AllDates)),1,MATCH(Date_Range_End,AllDates)-IFERROR(MATCH(Date_Range_Start,AllDates,0)-1,MATCH(Date_Range_Start,AllDates)),4)
But if the date range has no data in the table, the range doesn't exists (or something, idk). How can I write code in VBA to test if this range exists or not?
I have tried something like
If Not Range("DateRangeData") Is Nothing Then
but I get "Runtime error 1004, method 'Range' of object '_Global' failed."

Answer 1

Here is a function I knocked up to return whether a named range exists. It might help you out.
Function RangeExists(R As String) As Boolean
Dim Test As Range
On Error Resume Next
Set Test = ActiveSheet.Range(R)
RangeExists = Err.Number = 0
End Function

Answer 2

You can replicate the match in your VBA to count before using the range how many rows you would have, or you can use error handling:
On Error Resume Next
Debug.Print range("DateRangeData").Rows.Count
If Err = 1004 Then
MsgBox "Range Empty"
Exit Sub
Else
MsgBox "Range full"
End If
Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0

Answer 3

This is another approach. It has the advantage to take the container and the name you want to test. That means you can test either Sheets Names or Workbook Names for example.
Like this:
If NamedRangeExists(ActiveSheet.Names, "Date") Then
...
Else
...
End If
or
If NamedRangeExists(ActiveWorkbook.Names, "Date") Then
...
Else
...
End If
Public Function NamedRangeExists(ByRef Container As Object, item As String) As Boolean
Dim obj As Object
Dim value As Variant
On Error GoTo NamedRangeExistsError:
value = Container(item)
If Not InStr(1, CStr(value), "#REF!") > 0 Then
NamedRangeExists = True
End If
Exit Function
Exit Function
NamedRangeExistsError:
NamedRangeExists = False
End Function

Answer 4

Depending on the application you're doing, it's good to consider using a Dictionary. They're especially useful when you wanna check whether something exists.
Take this example:
Dim dictNames as Scripting.Dictionary
Sub CheckRangeWithDictionary()
Dim nm As Name
'Initially, check whether names dictionary has already been created
If Not dictNames Is Nothing Then
'if so, dictNames is set to nothing
Set dictNames = Nothing
End If
'Set to new dictionary and set compare mode to text
Set dictNames = New Scripting.Dictionary
dictNames.CompareMode = TextCompare
'For each Named Range
For Each nm In ThisWorkbook.Names
'Check if it refers to an existing cell (bad references point to "#REF!" errors)
If Not (Strings.Right(nm.RefersTo, 5) = "#REF!") Then
'Only in that case, create a Dictionary entry
'The key will be the name of the range and the item will be the address, worksheet included
dictNames(nm.Name) = nm.RefersTo
End If
Next
'You now have a dictionary of valid named ranges that can be checked
End Sub
Within your main procedure, all you need to do is do an existence check before using the range
Sub CopyRange_MyRange()
CheckRangeWithDictionary
If dictNames.exists("MyRange") then
Sheets(1).Range("MyRange").Copy
end if
End Sub
While loading the dictionary may look a little longer, it's extremely fast to process and search. It also becomes much simpler to check whether any named range referring to a valid address exists, without using error handlers in this simple application.
Please note that when using names at sheet level rather than workbook level, it is necessary to use more elaborate keys to guarantee uniqueness. From the way the dictionary was created, if a key is repeated, the item value is overwritten. That can be avoided by using the same Exists method as a check in the key creation statement. If you need a good reference on how to use dictionaries, use this one.
Good luck!

Answer 5

This is an old post, but none of the rated answers has a dynamic solution to test if a name exists in a workbook or worksheet. This function below will accomplish that:
Function pg_Any_Name(thename As String) As Boolean
Dim n As Name, t As String
For Each n In ThisWorkbook.Names
t = Mid(n.Name, InStr(1, n.Name, "!", vbTextCompare) + 1, 999)
If UCase(thename) = UCase(t) Then
pg_Any_Name = True
Exit Function
End If
Next n
End Function
Worth noting that this would not have worked for this specific question because OP had a dynamic defined range. This question would have been more accurately titled Test if Name is a Valid Range because the name always existed as a formula, the issue was if it was a valid RANGE. To address this question with a solution that checks both workbook and sheets... this function would work:
Function PG_Range_Name(thename As String) As Boolean
Dim n As Name, t As String
For Each n In ThisWorkbook.Names
t = Mid(n.Name, InStr(1, n.Name, "!", vbTextCompare) + 1, 999)
If UCase(thename) = UCase(t) Then
On Error Resume Next
PG_Range_Name = n.RefersToRange.Columns.Count > 0
Exit Function
End If
Next n
End Function