XL98: How to Show Quotation Marks in Function Results and Macros

ID: Q193660

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SUMMARY

When you type directly in a cell, you can type quotation marks and they appear in the cell both on screen and when you print them. However, if you use the CONCATENATE() function or the concatenation operator (&), the quotation marks must be enclosed in quotation marks if you want them to be visible. Similarly, if you want to display a quotation mark in a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications procedure (for example, if you want a quotation mark to appear in a dialog box), you must precede it with a second instance of a quotation mark.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

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

Example 1: Displaying Quotation Marks with CONCATENATE() or &

To use the CONCATENATE() function or the concatenation operator (&) to create worksheet formulas that display quotation marks, use the following format:

   =CONCATENATE("My name is ","""Jane Doe.""")

   -or-

   ="My name is " & """Jane Doe."""

These examples will both display the following text string:

   My name is "Jane Doe."

Example 2: Displaying Quotation Marks in a Text String with a Macro

When you construct a text string in Visual Basic for Applications, you must precede the quotation mark you want to display with a second instance of a quotation mark, as in the following examples:

   MsgBox "My name is ""Jane Doe."""

   -or-

   ActiveCell.Value = "My name is ""Jane Doe."""

NOTE: The outermost set of quotation marks is required by Visual Basic for Applications to define the text string.

Additional query words: XL98

Keywords          : kbdta kbdtacode xlvbahowto 
Version           : MACINTOSH:98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: May 18, 1999