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Automating Excel with VB.NET Arrays

This document describes how to automate Microsoft Excel from Visual Basic .NET by filling a range of cells with an array of values or retrieving a range of cells into an array. It provides code samples to create an Excel automation client in Visual Basic, fill a 5x5 range with numeric or string data from an array using the Range.Value property, and retrieve the range data back into an array to display the values.

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Benix
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274 views4 pages

Automating Excel with VB.NET Arrays

This document describes how to automate Microsoft Excel from Visual Basic .NET by filling a range of cells with an array of values or retrieving a range of cells into an array. It provides code samples to create an Excel automation client in Visual Basic, fill a 5x5 range with numeric or string data from an array using the Range.Value property, and retrieve the range data back into an array to display the values.

Uploaded by

Benix
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

PrintWhatYouLike on Automate Excel from Visual Basic .NET to fill o... [Link]

How to automate Excel from Visual Basic .NET to fill or to obtain


data in a range by using arrays

This article demonstrates how to automate Microsoft Excel and how to fill a multi-cell range with an array of
values. This article also illustrates how to retrieve a multi-cell range as an array by using Automation.

More Information
To fill a multi-cell range without populating cells one at a time, you can set the Value property of a Range object
to a two-dimensional array. Likewise, a two-dimensional array of values can be retrieved for multiple cells at
once by using the Value property. The following steps demonstrate this process for both setting and retrieving
data using two-dimensional arrays.

Build the Automation Client for Microsoft Excel

1. Start Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.

2. On the File menu, click New, and then click Project. Select Windows Application from the Visual Basic
Project types. By default, Form1 is created.

3. Add a reference to Microsoft Excel Object Library. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Project menu, click Add Reference.


2. On the COM tab, locate Microsoft Excel Object Library, and then click Select.

Note Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2003 include Primary Interop Assemblies (PIAs).
Microsoft Office XP does not include PIAs, but they can be downloaded.

4. Click OK in the Add References dialog box to accept your selections. If you are prompted to generate
wrappers for the libraries that you selected, click Yes.

5. On the View menu, select Toolbox to display the Toolbox. Add two buttons and a check box to Form1.

6. Set the Name property for the check box to FillWithStrings.

7. Double-click Button1. The code window for the Form appears.

8. Add the following to the top of [Link]:


Imports [Link]

9. In the code window, replace the following code


Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As [Link], _
ByVal e As [Link]) Handles [Link]
End Sub

with:
'Keep the application object and the workbook object global, so you can
'retrieve the data in Button2_Click that was set in Button1_Click.
Dim objApp As [Link]
Dim objBook As Excel._Workbook

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As [Link], _


ByVal e As [Link]) Handles [Link]

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Dim objBooks As [Link]


Dim objSheets As [Link]
Dim objSheet As Excel._Worksheet
Dim range As [Link]

' Create a new instance of Excel and start a new workbook.


objApp = New [Link]()
objBooks = [Link]
objBook = [Link]
objSheets = [Link]
objSheet = objSheets(1)

'Get the range where the starting cell has the address
'm_sStartingCell and its dimensions are m_iNumRows x m_iNumCols.
range = [Link]("A1", [Link])
range = [Link](5, 5)

If ([Link] = False) Then


'Create an array.
Dim saRet(5, 5) As Double

'Fill the array.


Dim iRow As Long
Dim iCol As Long
For iRow = 0 To 5
For iCol = 0 To 5

'Put a counter in the cell.


saRet(iRow, iCol) = iRow * iCol
Next iCol
Next iRow

'Set the range value to the array.


[Link] = saRet

Else
'Create an array.
Dim saRet(5, 5) As String

'Fill the array.


Dim iRow As Long
Dim iCol As Long
For iRow = 0 To 5
For iCol = 0 To 5

'Put the row and column address in the cell.


saRet(iRow, iCol) = [Link]() + "|" + [Link]()
Next iCol
Next iRow

'Set the range value to the array.


[Link] = saRet
End If

'Return control of Excel to the user.


[Link] = True
[Link] = True

'Clean up a little.
range = Nothing
objSheet = Nothing
objSheets = Nothing
objBooks = Nothing
End Sub

10. Return to the design view for Form1, and then double-click Button2.

11. In the code window, replace the following code


Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As [Link], _

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ByVal e As [Link]) Handles [Link]

End Sub

with:
Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As [Link], _
ByVal e As [Link]) Handles [Link]
Dim objSheets As [Link]
Dim objSheet As Excel._Worksheet
Dim range As [Link]

'Get a reference to the first sheet of the workbook.


On Error Goto ExcelNotRunning
objSheets = [Link]
objSheet = objSheets(1)

ExcelNotRunning:
If (Not ([Link] = 0)) Then
[Link]("Cannot find the Excel workbook. Try clicking Button1 to " + _
"create an Excel workbook with data before running Button2.", _
"Missing Workbook?")

'We cannot automate Excel if we cannot find the data we created,


'so leave the subroutine.
Exit Sub
End If

'Get a range of data.


range = [Link]("A1", "E5")

'Retrieve the data from the range.


Dim saRet(,) As Object
saRet = [Link]

'Determine the dimensions of the array.


Dim iRows As Long
Dim iCols As Long
iRows = [Link](0)
iCols = [Link](1)

'Build a string that contains the data of the array.


Dim valueString As String
valueString = "Array Data" + vbCrLf

Dim rowCounter As Long


Dim colCounter As Long
For rowCounter = 1 To iRows
For colCounter = 1 To iCols

'Write the next value into the string.


valueString = [Link](valueString, _
saRet(rowCounter, colCounter).ToString() + ", ")

Next colCounter

'Write in a new line.


valueString = [Link](valueString, vbCrLf)
Next rowCounter

'Report the value of the array.


[Link](valueString, "Array Values")

'Clean up a little.
range = Nothing
objSheet = Nothing
objSheets = Nothing
End Sub

Test the Automation Client

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1. Press F5 to build and to run the sample program.


2. Click Button1. Microsoft Excel is started with a new workbook, and cells A1:E5 of the first worksheet are
populated with numeric data from an array.
3. Click Button2. The program retrieves the data in cells A1:E5 into a new array and displays the results in a
message box.
4. Select FillWithStrings, and then click Button1 to fill cells A1:E5 with the string data.

References
For additional information about using arrays to set and retrieve Excel data with earlier versions of Visual
Studio, click the article numbers below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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Common questions

Powered by AI

Handling the possiblity of Excel not running when retrieving data using Button2 is crucial to avoid runtime errors if the Excel instance or the required workbook is not found. The program addresses this by using error handling to check whether the Excel workbook is available or if an error has occurred. If the workbook isn't found, an appropriate error message is displayed to prompt the user to create an Excel workbook first by clicking Button1 before attempting to retrieve data with Button2 .

Setting the 'UserControl' property to true allows Excel to be visible and ensures that control of the application is returned to the user after automation tasks are completed. This setting enables users to interact with Excel normally, manually manipulating the workbook and worksheets after the automated processes have been executed. By setting 'UserControl' to true, the automation client is designed to be a supportive tool rather than a restrictive automation process .

Using arrays to automate Excel from Visual Basic .NET allows for setting or retrieving data in multi-cell ranges all at once, rather than handling each cell individually. This improves efficiency by reducing the number of operations and interactions with Excel, which can be slow when manipulating each cell separately. Arrays enable more concise code and fewer resources are used, leading to faster execution times when populating or retrieving data in Excel .

The program distinguishes between filling cells with numeric versus string data based on the state of the 'FillWithStrings' checkbox. If unchecked, it creates a numeric array and performs calculations for populating the range; if checked, it creates a string array with formatted addresses of the cells. This distinction affects visual representation by altering cell content types, allowing users to choose between viewing computed numeric results or formatted string expressions within the Excel range .

The example program uses the 'Resize' method to adjust the dimensions of a range in Excel. This technique allows the program to define a specific multi-cell range for data manipulation, ensuring that the desired area of cells is targeted for automation. Adjusting range dimensions is crucial for correctly assigning data from arrays and for manipulating cell blocks efficiently, avoiding operations on unwanted cells .

When designing a form for Excel automation in Visual Basic .NET, it is important to consider how user-interface elements convey functionality and facilitate user interaction. Buttons should be clearly labeled to indicate their function, such as 'Fill Excel' or 'Retrieve Data,' and provide an intuitive workflow. Checkboxes can be used to toggle options, such as data type (string vs. numeric), giving users control over specific options without cluttering the interface. The design should ensure accessibility, guide the user's focus to important actions, and include error messages or statuses to inform users of automation outcomes or issues .

The example automation program ensures type-safety by using the 'Microsoft.Office.Interop' namespace, which provides strongly-typed references to Excel objects and methods. By leveraging the interop assemblies, the program compiles with full type information, allowing it to detect compile-time errors and provide IntelliSense guidance. This eliminates many of the risks associated with late binding and dynamic operations, ensuring accurate object manipulation and method invocation in the .NET environment .

Displaying array data in a message box provides immediate visual feedback to the user about the data retrieved or manipulated, allowing swift verification of the automation process results. This feature facilitates debugging and validation of data correctness by showing the data in a compact and readable format without switching contexts or requiring additional steps to check data in Excel itself. It enhances the usability of the automation client .

Cleaning up objects at the end of automation scripts is necessary to release the resources they consume and to prevent memory leaks. Objects like 'range', 'objSheet', and 'objBooks' hold references to Excel components, and if they are not properly disposed of, they can lead to excessive memory use or unresolved COM object references. Proper cleanup ensures that the automation client releases all resources efficiently, maintaining optimal performance and stability of both the automation process and the host application .

Primary Interop Assemblies (PIAs) are necessary for Visual Basic .NET to interoperate with COM objects like Excel. PIAs provide the metadata required for managed code to interact with unmanaged COM components, facilitating type-safe calls and efficient development. They help ensure compatibility and stability when automating Excel from Visual Basic by determining the correct references and ensuring that objects are properly marshaled between managed and unmanaged environments .

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