vba instr

In VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), the Instr function is used to find the position of one string within another string. It returns the starting index of the first occurrence of the search string within the main string.

Syntax:

Instr([searchString], [mainString])

Parameters:

• searchString (required): The string to search for.
• mainString (required): The string in which to search for the searchString.

Return Value:

• Returns the starting index of the searchString in mainString, or 0 if the string is not found.

Example:

Dim startPos As Long
startPos = Instr("Hello, world!", "world")
Debug.Print startPos  ' Output: 7

This will return 7, which is the starting index of the substring "world" in "Hello, world!".

Notes:

• If searchString is empty, Instr returns 0.
• If mainString is empty, Instr returns 0.
• If searchString is longer than mainString, it returns 0.

Common Use Cases:

• Finding the position of a substring.
• Checking if a substring exists in a string.
• Used in string manipulation or data validation.

Example with Instr and InstrRev:

Dim startPos As Long
startPos = Instr("Hello, world!", "w")
Debug.Print startPos  ' Output: 3

startPos = InstrRev("Hello, world!", "w")
Debug.Print startPos  ' Output: 3

Summary:

• Instr is used to find the starting index of a substring in a string.
• It returns 0 if the substring is not found.
• It is commonly used in VBA for string operations.

Let me know if you want to use it in a specific context or with a custom example!