There are many times when writing macros that you need to convert strings to numbers. You can do this with the Val() function. This function returns the value of a string, up to the first nonnumeric character. The following are examples:
A = Val(MyString) B = Val("-12345.67") C = Val("9876") D = Val(" 4 5 2 1")
The first line converts MyString into a value, placing it in A. The second line results in B being set to —12345.67. The third places the value 9876 into C, and the final line sets D equal to 4521. Notice that spaces are ignored in the conversion; this is why the final line works the way it does. You should also note that trying to use formatted numbers in a conversion will confuse the Val() function. Thus, Val("1,234") would not return a value of 1234 (as one might hope), but a value of 1. The conversion stops at the first nonnumeric character, in this case the comma.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12476) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Converting Strings to Numbers.
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2017-11-20 01:06:17
william driskell
I thought this tip was going to be along the lines of when you import data and the values arrive as text. The operations above are doable but I usually drop a numeric "1" into a blank cell, copy it and paste special-multiply the text values. This is an old trick but Excel now flags anomalous looking number values that are actually text and gives you that adjoining drop-down box to convert text to numbers. Even if the data column contains some text and some numeric values, the Excel-provided conversion still works.
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