XL98: Default Property/Methods for Objects in Visual Basic

ID: Q192355

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, if an object has a Value property, then this property is the default value for the object. If an object does not have the Value property, then that object does not have a default value.

MORE INFORMATION

The default value of an object is the value that is returned when you use the object in a procedure, without specifying a property or method for the object.

For example, if you use the Name object, without designating a specific property of Name, such as Count, the default value for Name is the Value property. The Value property of the Name object returns a string containing the formula that the name is defined to refer to.

In the following example, the Name object is used as an element of the Names collection, without a property.

   Sub Default_Name_Property()
       Dim n as Object
       For Each n In Names
           'Display default property of each Name
           '(Value property) in Names collection
           MsgBox n
       Next
   End Sub

When you run this macro, the formula that the name refers to displays in a dialog box for each name in the active workbook.

Collections

When you use a collection in a Visual Basic macro, you can use the Item method to return a part of the collection. The Item method is the default value for a collection. For example, the following code

   ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets.Item(1)

is equivalent to:

   ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets(1)

The Item method is the default value for a collection in the same way that the Value property is the default value for those objects that have the Value property. Note that you can use the Item method with any collection.

Additional query words: XL98

Keywords          : kbdta xlvbainfo 
Version           : MACINTOSH:98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: September 12, 1998