XL: Min and Max Functions Do Not Work Properly with Arrays

ID: Q149226

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

In Visual Basic for Applications, when you use the Date data type in an array, the Application.Max and Application.Min functions return zero. You should use Application.Max and Application.Min against individual items in the arrays to return the correct value.

When you use the Double data type in an array, Application.Min returns 0 while Application.Max gives the correct value.

WORKAROUND

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   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/

With a Double data type, the first element in an array is 0 by default (unless Option Base 1 is declared).

In the following sample macro, Dim dblarr(2) defines an array of three elements with the first element being referred to as zero. The remaining issue lies in converting an array of dates to an array of strings. The Min and Max functions do not evaluate each element of the array; therefore, they evaluate the strings to zero.

Sample Visual Basic Procedure

   Option Explicit

   Sub DateArrayArithTest()
      Dim dtarr() As Date
      ReDim dtarr(1 To 2)

      Sheets("sheet1").Activate
      dtarr(1) = DateSerial(1997, 3, 12)
      dtarr(2) = DateSerial(1996, 3, 12)

      ActiveSheet.Cells(3, 2).Value = Application.Min(dtarr)
      ActiveSheet.Cells(4, 2).Value = Application.Max(dtarr)
      ActiveSheet.Cells(3, 3).Value = Application.Min(dtarr(1), dtarr(2))
      ActiveSheet.Cells(4, 3).Value = Application.Max(dtarr(1), dtarr(2))

      Dim dblarr() As Double
      ReDim dblarr(1 To 2)

      dblarr(1) = CDbl(dtarr(1))
      dblarr(2) = CDbl(dtarr(2))

      ActiveSheet.Cells(3, 4).Value = Application.Min(dblarr)
      ActiveSheet.Cells(4, 4).Value = Application.Max(dblarr)

   End Sub

REFERENCES

For additional information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for
               Applications

Keywords          : kbprg kbdta kbdtacode PgmHowto KbVBA kbhowto 
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0,5.0c,7.0,7.0a,97; MACINTOSH:5.0,5.0a,98
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: May 17, 1999