WD98: How to Determine the Number of Days Between Two Dates

ID: Q182432

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SUMMARY

To determine the number of days between two dates, using Visual Basic for Applications, you can convert dates to serial numbers and subtract one number from the other.

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/

The following Visual Basic for Applications sample macro prompts for a date in the mm/dd/yy format, and returns the number of days between the current date and the specified date.

The DateValue() function converts a specified date, beginning with December 30, 1899, to a serial number.

Syntax: DateValue(DateText$)

Examples

   x = DateValue("12/30/1899")  ' returns 0 or zero
   x = DateValue("12/31/1899")  ' returns 1
   x = DateValue("12/5/1992")   ' returns 33943

The Sgn() function is used to determine if the difference between two dates is a negative (date in the past) or positive (date in the future) number.

   Sub DayDiff()
      Dim sDate As String
      Dim intNumDays As Integer
      On Error GoTo errhandler
      ' Prompt for a date.
      sDate = InputBox$("Enter a date in the mm/dd/yyyy format")
      ' Get difference between dates.
      intNumDays = CInt(DateValue(sDate) - Now())
      ' Determine if difference is past or future.
      If Sgn(intNumDays) = 1 Then
         MsgBox "Days between " + sDate + " and today :" + CStr(intNumDays)
      Else
         MsgBox "The date " + sDate + " was" + CStr(Abs(intNumDays)) _
         + " day(s) ago."
      End If
   errhandler:
      If Err > 0 Then MsgBox "Please enter a valid date."
   End Sub

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q181058
   TITLE     : OFF98: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

REFERENCES

For more 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

Additional query words: wordcon vb vba vbe calculate difference

Keywords          : kbcode kbprg kbdta kbdtacode OffVBA kbmacroexample macword98 
Version           : MACINTOSH:98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Hardware          : MAC
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: April 7, 1999