VBA Call Statement

The Call statement in VBA is a powerful tool that allows the programmer to invoke a procedure or a function within the same module or in a different module. It can be used in conjunction with the Sub and Function keywords to call the procedure or function by its name and pass arguments if needed.
In this blog post, we will explore the purpose, syntax, examples, important notes and remarks of the Call statement in VBA and conclude with asking for feedback and views on its usage in different scenarios.

Call Statement in VBA

Purpose of the Call Statement

The Call statement in VBA serves the purpose of calling a procedure or function by its name and passing arguments if needed. This simplifies the code and makes it more readable by eliminating the need for repetition of the procedure or function name.

Syntax of the Call Statement

The syntax for using the Call statement in VBA is as follows:

Call ProcedureName([argument1], [argument2])

Where ‘ProcedureName’ is the name of the subroutine or function that is to be called and ‘argument1’ and ‘argument2’ are optional arguments to be passed to the subroutine or function. If there are no arguments to be passed, the parentheses can be omitted.

Examples of using the VBA Call Statement

Calling a Subroutine

Consider the following example where we have two subroutines, Sub1 and Sub2, defined in the same module. We can use the Call statement to call Sub2 from Sub1.

Sub Sub1()
    'Do some code here
    Call Sub2
    'Do some more code here
End Sub
Sub Sub2()
    'Do some code here
End Sub

Calling a Function

Similar to calling a subroutine, we can use the Call statement to call a function defined within the same module.

Function Multiply(a As Double, b As Double) As Double
    Multiply = a * b
End Function
Sub DisplayResult()
    Dim result As Double
    result = Call Multiply(5, 7)
    MsgBox "The result is: " & result
End Sub

Calling a Subroutine or Function from a Different Module

If we have a procedure or function defined in a different module, we can use the Call statement to invoke it by specifying the module name followed by a dot and then the procedure or function name.

'Module 1 - contains the procedure
Sub NameToUppercase()
    'Do some code here
End Sub
'Module 2 - contains the code to call the procedure
Sub MySub()
    'Do some code here
    Call Module1.NameToUppercase 
    'Do some more code here
End Sub

Passing Arguments to a Procedure or Function using the Call Statement

The Call statement is useful for passing arguments to subroutines and functions without having to explicitly specify them in the call statement. For example:

Sub MySub()
    Dim name As String
    name = "John"
    Call NameToUppercase(name)
End Sub
Sub NameToUppercase(ByVal name As String)
    name = UCase(name)
    MsgBox name
End Sub

Using the Call Statement to Call Built-in Functions

The Call statement can also be used to invoke built-in functions provided by VBA without having to use the WorksheetFunction object. For example, instead of writing WorksheetFunction.Sum(), we can simply write Call Sum() which saves time and makes the code more readable.

Important Notes and Remarks

There are a few important points to keep in mind when using the Call statement in VBA:

• The parentheses after the procedure or function name are optional if no arguments are being passed.
• In older versions of VBA, using the Call statement was mandatory when calling procedures or functions, but in newer versions, it is optional and can be omitted.
• The Call statement is not required when calling a procedure or function from within the same module. It can be omitted and just the procedure or function name can be used.
• The Call statement cannot be used to call a variable, only procedures and functions can be called.
• When passing arguments, it is important to match the data types of the arguments with the parameters in the procedure or function being called to avoid type mismatch errors.

The Call statement in VBA is a simple but powerful tool that allows for modular and efficient coding. It helps in reducing repetition, improving readability, and simplifying the process of passing arguments to procedures and functions. It is important to understand the syntax and best practices for using this statement to make the most out of it in our VBA projects.

Have you used the Call statement in your VBA projects? What are your thoughts on its usage? Do you think it is a necessary feature or can be replaced by other methods of calling procedures and functions?

Share your feedback and views in the comments section below.