Microsoft KB Archive/213484

= XL2000: How to Return Multiple Values from a Custom Function =

Article ID: 213484

Article Last Modified on 11/23/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q213484





SUMMARY
In Microsoft Excel, there are two different methods that you can use to return multiple values from a custom function: One method returns a variable-sized array, and the other method returns a fixed-size array.

This article contains sample Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications procedures that demonstrate each of these methods.



MORE INFORMATION
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For more information about the support options that are available and about how to contact Microsoft, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

Method 1: Return a Variable-Size Result Array
This method returns an array of values based on an argument range. The size of the resulting array varies, depending on the number of elements in the argument array.

The sample custom function in the following example accepts an array (a range of values) as its argument, and then multiplies each value in the range by 100.  Start Excel, and then create the following spreadsheet:

A1: 5

A2: 3

A3: 1

A4: 2

 Press ALT+F11 to start the Visual Basic Editor. On the Insert menu, click Module.  In the module sheet, type the following custom function: Function Multiply_Range(myrange As Object) As Variant Dim temp As Variant Dim i As Integer, j As Integer temp = myrange.Value 'creates a copy of the values in myrange ' if more than one element then loop through both dimensions of  ' the array and multiply each element by 100. ' if not more than one element then temp is multiplied by 100. If IsArray(temp) Then For i = 1 To UBound(temp, 1) For j = 1 To UBound(temp, 2) temp(i, j) = temp(i, j) * 100 Next j     Next i   Else temp = temp * 100 End If  Multiply_Range = temp End Function  Press ALT+F11 to return to Excel. Select the range B1:B4.</li> Type the following formula in the formula bar:

=Multiply_Range(A1:A4)

</li> Press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to enter the formula as an array formula.

The formula returns the following results:

B1: 500

B2: 300

B3: 100

B4: 200

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Method 2: Return a Fixed-Size Result Array
This method for returning multiple values from a custom function assumes that you have a fixed number of elements in the resulting array.

The following custom function accepts a starting time and an ending time, and returns the number of hours, minutes, and seconds between them in a three-row by one-column array. <ol> Start Excel, and then create the following spreadsheet:

A1: 1:00:00

A2: 6:49:34

</li> Press ALT+F11 to start the Visual Basic Editor.</li> On the Insert menu, click Module.</li>  In the module sheet, type the following custom function: Function Elapsed_Time(start, finish As Date) As Variant Dim hours, minutes, seconds As Integer hours = Hour(finish - start) minutes = Minute(finish - start) seconds = Second(finish - start) Elapsed_Time = Application.Transpose(Array(hours, minutes, seconds)) End Function </li> Press ALT+F11 to return to Excel.</li> Select three contiguous cells in a column (for example, A3:A5).</li> Type the following formula in the formula bar:

=Elapsed_Time(A1,A2)

</li> Press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to enter the formula as an array formula.

The formula returns the following results:

A3: 5

A4: 49

A5: 34

</li></ol>

NOTE: If you prefer to enter the function horizontally into a range of cells instead of vertically, change the Elapsed_Time line to read as follows:

Elapsed_Time = Array(hours, minutes, seconds)

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