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Vijeo Citect v7.

40
CitectVBA Reference Guide
August 2013
Legal Information
DISCLAIMER
Schneider Electric makes no representations or warranties with respect to this manual and, to the maximum extent permitted by law,
expressly limits its liability for breach of any warranty that may be implied to the replacement of this manual with another. Further,
Schneider Electric reserves the right to revise this publication at any time without incurring an obligation to notify any person of the
revision.
The Example Projects are provided to you for the purpose of illustrating how the SCADA software v7.40 could be used in an oper-
ational environment ("the Purpose").Schneider Electric grants you a royalty free, non exclusive, non transferable license to use the exam-
ple projects installed with your SCADA software version v7.40 (“the Example Projects”) for the Purpose only.
The Example Projects are provided by Schneider Electric as part of the SCADA software version v7.40 on an "as is" basis and Schneider
Electric does not guarantee the reliability, serviceability or function of the Example Projects.
Should you modify the Example Projects, you bear the risk of any use of such modified Example Projects.
Schneider Electric gives no express warranties, guarantees or conditions and to the extent permitted under applicable laws, Schneider
Electric disclaims all implied warranties, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-
infringement of third parties’ intellectual property rights.
Schneider Electric shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential damages or costs of any type arising out of any action
taken by you or others related to the Example Projects.

TRADEMARKS
Schneider Electric has made every effort to supply trademark information about company names, products and services mentioned in
this manual.
Citect, CitectHMI, Vijeo Citect, Vijeo Citect Lite PowerSCADA Expert and CitectSCADA are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Schneider Electric.
Pelco, Spectra, Sarix, Endura, are registered trademarks of Pelco, Inc.
IBM, IBM PC and IBM PC AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
MS-DOS, Windows, Windows NT, Microsoft, and Excel are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.
DigiBoard, PC/Xi and Com/Xi are trademarks of Digi International Inc.
Novell, Netware and Netware Lite are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other
countries.
dBASE is a trademark of dataBased Intelligence, Inc.
All other brands and products referenced in this document are acknowledged to be the trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Some product names used in this manual are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective com-
panies.
August 2013 edition for Vijeo Citect Version v7.40.
Manual Revision Version v7.40.

PLEASE NOTE
Electrical equipment should be installed, operated, serviced, and maintained only by qualified personnel. No responsibility is assumed
by Schneider Electric for any consequences arising out of the use of this material. © 2012 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
Validity Note
The present documentation is intended for qualified technical personnel responsible for the implementation, operation and main-
tenance of the products described. It contains information necessary for the proper use of the products. However, those who wish to
make a more "advanced" use of our products may find it necessary to consult our nearest distributor in order to obtain additional infor-
mation.
The contents of this documentation are not contractual and in no way constitute an extension to, or restriction of, the con-
tractual warranty clauses.

Contact Schneider Electric today at www.schneider-electric.com

Contents

Legal Information 1

Contents 3

Safety Information 7

Chapter 1: Introducing CitectVBA 9

Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project 11

Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA 11
Using CitectVBA in Command or Expression fields 12
Accessing ActiveX Objects with CitectVBA 13
Multithread Considerations with CitectVBA 14
Calling CitectVBA from Cicode 15
Calling Cicode from CitectVBA 17

Chapter 3: Using the CitectVBA Test Project 21

Creating the Test Project 21
Opening the Test Project 22
Setting up Test Project Communications 22
Setting up the Test Project Computer 23
Adding a Variable Tag 23
Adding a Graphics Page 24
Saving Your Graphics Page 24
Opening the Graphics Page 25

Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics 27

CitectVBA Files 27
Cicode Editor 27

3
Contents

Scope of CitectVBA 28
Procedural (local) level scope 28
Modular level scope 29
Global level scope 29
CitectVBA Statements 30
Comments 30
Header information 31
Labels 32
CitectVBA Line Continuation Character 32
Naming 33
Option Statements 34
Option Explicit statement 34
Option Compare statement 35
Option Base statement 35
CitectVBA Data Types 36
Constants 37
Declaration of constants 38
Intrinsic constants 39
Variables 40
Variable declaration 40
Variable initialization values 42
Arrays of Variables 43
Variant Declaration 48
Numbers 50
Numeric Data Types 50
Exponential Notation 51
Floating Point Calculation Rules 52
Rounding Numbers 53
Date and Time Handling 54
Date Constants 55
Formatting Date Values 57
Date and Time Data Constraints 59
Date Data Type Structure 60
Date-values 61
Time-values 61
Dates in Databases Using Different Calendars 62
Operators 63
Assignment Operator 63
Arithmetical (Math) Operators 64
Relational Operators 65
Logical Operators 65
Operator Precedence 66
Strings 67
String Comparisons 68
String Concatenation 68
Control Structures 69
GoTo statement 70
Do statement 70
While statement 71

4
Contents

For statement 71
If statement 72
Select case statement 74
End statement 76
Exit statement 76
OnError statement 77
Stop statement 77
With statement 78
Subroutines and Functions 78
Subroutines 79
Functions 80
Arguments 82
DLLs and APIs 84
Accessing Functions in DLLs 85
Passing Arguments to DLL Functions from CitectVBA 89
OLE Services 90
OLE terminology 90
OLE automation objects 91
Declaration of OLE automation objects 92
Assigning references to OLE automation objects 93
Using OLE automation objects 94
Accessing the object model of OLE automation server applications 95
Understanding object models in OLE automation 96
Using the Microsoft Word object model 99
OLE automation example using the Microsoft Word object 99
Using the Microsoft Excel object model 100
Deleting OLE automation objects 100
File Input/Output with CitectVBA 101

Chapter 5: CitectVBA Function Reference 103

Array Functions 103
Conditional Statements 108
109
Conversion Functions 117
ASCII character code conversion 117
Date conversion 119
Date and time formatting/conversion 123
Number and string conversion 124
Declarations 135
Date and Time Functions 148
DateValue 152
File I/O Functions 160
Math/Trigonometry Functions 194
Numeric functions 194
Trigonometric functions 200
Miscellaneous Functions 203
Procedural Statements 205
String Functions 217

5
Contents

Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings 233

6
Safety Information

Safety Information
Hazard categories and special symbols

The following symbols and special messages may appear in this manual or on the prod-
uct to warn of potential hazards or to call attention to information that clarifies or sim-
plifies a procedure.

Symbol Description

The addition of either symbol to a “Danger” or “Warning” safety

label indicates that an electrical hazard exists which will result in
or personal injury if the instructions are not followed.

This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to personal

injury hazards. Obey all safety messages that follow this symbol to
avoid possible injury or death.

DANGER indicates an imminently hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, will result in
death or serious injury.

WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, can result in
death or serious injury.

CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, can result in
minor or moderate injury.

NOTICE
NOTICE used without a safety alert symbol, indicates a potentially hazardous situation
which, if not avoided, can result in property or equipment damage.

Please Note

Electrical equipment should be installed, operated, serviced, and maintained only by

qualified personnel. No responsibility is assumed by Schneider Electric for any con-
sequences arising out of the use of this material.

7
Safety Information

Before You Begin

Vijeo Citect is a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) solution. It facil-
itates the creation of software to manage and monitor industrial systems and processes.
Due to Vijeo Citect's central role in controlling systems and processes, you must appro-
priately design, commission, and test your Vijeo Citect project before implementing it in
an operational setting. Observe the following:

UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

Do not use Vijeo Citect or other SCADA software as a replacement for PLC-based control pro-
grams. SCADA software is not designed for direct, high-speed system control.

Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equip-
ment damage.

LOSS OF CONTROL

l The designer of any control scheme must consider the potential failure modes of con-
trol paths and, for certain critical control functions, provide a means to achieve a safe
state during and after a path failure. Examples of critical control functions are emer-
gency stop and overtravel stop, power outage and restart.
l Separate or redundant control paths must be provided for critical control functions.
l System control paths may include communication links. Consideration must be given
to the implications of unanticipated transmission delays or failures of the link.
l Observe all accident prevention regulations and local safety guidelines. 1
l Each implementation of a control system created using Vijeo Citect must be individ-
ually and thoroughly tested for proper operation before being placed into service.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equip-
ment damage.

1. For additional information, refer to NEMA ICS 1.1 (latest edition) "Safety Guidelines
for the Application, Installation, and Maintenance of Solid State Control", and to NEMA
ICS 7.1 (latest edition) "Safety Standards for Construction and Guide for Selection, Instal-
lation and Operation of Adjustable-Speed Drive Systems" or their equivalent governing
your particular location.

8
Chapter 1: Introducing CitectVBA
CitectVBA is a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and VBScript-compatible Basic script-
ing language. Vijeo Citect has embedded support for CitectVBA.
CitectVBA has the following features:
l CitectVBA code is multithreaded and fully scheduled within the Vijeo Citect Kernel.
l CitectVBA uses the same well proven engine that Cicode uses and can be used
wherever Cicode is used.
l CitectVBA has a small footprint of under 400K.
l CitectVBA code is directly callable from Vijeo Citect Command and Expression fields.
l CitectVBA code is callable from Cicode and visa-versa.
l CitectVBA code provides native support for ActiveX objects, Vijeo Citect Variable
Tags and Alarm Tags.
l CitectVBA makes ActiveX object manipulating easier. It allows direct interaction with
the object models from 3rd party applications such as Word, Excel, etc.

Note: You may notice slight differences between CitectVBA and VBA in other
applications; this is normal as each application has a different object model.

The Cicode Editor has been upgraded to fully support CitectVBA. New features of the
editor include:
l Integrated Cicode and CitectVBA compiler
l Integrated Cicode and CitectVBA source code editor
l Integrated Cicode and CitectVBA debugger
See Also
Integrating CitectVBA with Vijeo Citect

9
Chapter 1: Introducing CitectVBA

10
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project
You can integrate CitectVBA into your Vijeo Citect project in two ways:
l Use CitectVBA code script directly in your Command or Expression fields within
Vijeo Citect.
l Store user-defined CitectVBA script in a separate CitectVBA file.
In either case, all procedures within a CitectVBA script can access (read and write) any
Vijeo Citect variable tag in the same way as Cicode can access Vijeo Citect tags.
See Also
Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA

Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA

CitectVBA can use your Vijeo Citect project variable tag and alarm tag variables in the
same way as could Cicode (except for syntax differences). Both programming languages
refer to a project's variable tags by using the name of the tags as defined in the project.

Note: Project variable tags are defined (in Vijeo Citect) by using the Variable Tags
form in the Citect Project Editor. For details, see Adding a Variable Tag.

For instance, in the following example, two variable tags in your Vijeo Citect project may
be named B1_PUMP_101_SP and B1_PUMP_101_PV respectively, representing the Set
Point and Process Variable values of Pump 101. These variable tag names can be used
within a CitectVBA statement (just as you would use any other variable in CitectVBA).
Both values can be read-from and written-to directly using CitectVBA:

' set pump speed to 500 rpm

B1_PUMP_101_SP = 500
' calculate pump speed error
Dim varPumpSpeedError
varPumpSpeedError = B1_PUMP_101_PV - B1_PUMP_101_SP

You should note that CitectVBA does not recognize Vijeo Citect variable tags that are
named with an initial digit (0-9).
To access such tags using CitectVBA, you must precede the tag name with a case-insen-
sitive string containing the letters 'V', 'B,' and the underscore character (VB_) as in the
following example:

11
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

Vijeo Citect Tag Name: "123Pump"

CitectVBA reference "VB_123Pump"

For details about accessing ActiveX objects using CitectVBA, see Accessing ActiveX
Objects with CitectVBA. For details of using tags that have a number as their first digit
in your Vijeo Citect project, consider using the [General]TagStartDigit Citect.INIparam-
eter.
See Also
Using CitectVBA in Vijeo Citect Command or Expression fields>Calling CitectVBA from
Cicode
Calling CitectVBA from Cicode

Using CitectVBA in Command or Expression fields

Vijeo Citect expects that all code contained within a Vijeo Citect Command or Expres-
sion field to be Cicode by default. When using CitectVBA code script directly in a Vijeo
Citect Command or Expression field within Vijeo Citect, you must precede the CitectVBA
script with the keyword CiVBA, as shown here:

CiVBA
TestTag_1 = TestTag_1 + 1

This is known as the language override command. When the Vijeo Citect compiler reads
the keyword CiVBA, it knows to handle that code (within the same Vijeo Citect Com-
mand or Expression field) as CitectVBA script, and compiles it as such. No such over-
ride command is required to use Cicode.
The CiVBA language override statement must be placed first in the Vijeo Citect Com-
mand or Expression field if you want to use CitectVBA script code instead of Cicode in
that Vijeo Citect Command or Expression field.

Note: You must use either Cicode or CitectVBA in a Vijeo Citect Command or Expres-
sion field. You cannot change or swap between the two programming languages
(within the same Vijeo Citect Command or Expression field) once you've started
using one or the other.

You can, however, call a single Cicode function from within CitectVBA script if you
wrap the Cicode call within special CitectVBA functions CicodeCallOpen()and Cicode-
CallReturn(). For details, see Calling Cicode from CitectVBA.

12
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

Alternatively, to call a single CitectVBA function (from within the Vijeo Citect Command
or Expression field) after you have already used Cicode in that field, you can wrap the
CitectVBA within three nested special Cicode functions: VbCallOpen(), VbCallRun()and
VbCallReturn(). See Calling Cicode from CitectVBA.

See Also
Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA
Accessing ActiveX Objects with CitectVBA
Multithread Considerations with CitectVBA
Calling CitectVBA from Cicode
Calling Cicode from CitectVBA

Accessing ActiveX Objects with CitectVBA

ActiveX objects which have been added to a graphics page in your Vijeo Citect project
can be referred to in CitectVBA by constructing a unique reference name using the page
name, the underscore character, the letters 'AN', and the animation number of the object.
This reference name is called the Event Class name in Vijeo Citect. To view the reference
name, double-click the ActiveX object, select the Access tab, then click the Identification
tab.

In this example, the reference name for the Temperature meter object would be referred to
in CitectVBA as ActiveX_AN125.
All object properties can be accessed and manipulated using CitectVBA in the same way
that object properties can be manipulated using Cicode.
See Also
Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA

13
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

Using CitectVBA in Vijeo Citect Command or Expression fields

Multithread Considerations with CitectVBA

Cicode is pre-empted and executed on an instruction-by-instruction basis. This means
that execution of a simple unnested Cicode thread can only switch to another thread
after the current Cicode instruction has completed execution.
CitectVBA code is pre-empted and executed on a line-by-line basis (as opposed to an
instruction-by-instruction basis), and pre-empting can only occur after the current line
has completed execution.
Each line of CitectVBA script is handled as a separate thread in Vijeo Citect. Therefore
multiple procedures placed on one line may not complete before another subsequent
thread is processed in a multithreading environment. This could cause unpredictable
results and consequences, including data invalidation and corruption.

UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

l Create your CitectVBA program so that every code statement

is positioned on a unique line.
l Do not group more than one code statement on a single line
in your program. Grouping CitectVBA statements on a single
line can cause data corruption during multithreaded
execution.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equip-
ment damage.

If, for example, you were reading or setting some variable or point in a multi-statement
thread, and further processing that data in a later thread,that data might become invalid
or incorrect. For this reason, you should separate every statement onto separate lines in
CitectVBA.
For example, it is better to write:

A = Motor1.speed() + Motor4.speed() + Motor5.speed()

A = Motor1.speed()
A = A + Motor4.speed()
A = A + Motor5.speed()

14
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

in situations where the method speed()may take a long time to execute.

In the first example above, the CitectVBA thread executes for three times longer before it
can be pre-empted than in the latter example.

Note: This does not apply to Cicode because the Cicode engine can pre-empt aggre-
gated code.

See Also
Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA
Using CitectVBA in Vijeo Citect Command or Expression fields
Calling CitectVBA from Cicode
Calling Cicode from CitectVBA

Calling CitectVBA from Cicode

Three new Cicode functions allow CitectVBA code to be called from within Cicode script,
and be pre-emptively multitasked by Vijeo Citect. These calls VbCallOpen(), VbCallRun(),
and VbCallReturn()can be nested to implement the entire function set with a single line of
Cicode.

Note: When using the CiVBA language override in a Command field, the compiler
constructs the nested call for you. The same mechanism is used even though it is not
self evident. For details, see Using CitectVBA in Vijeo Citect Command or Expression
fields.

For information on multithreading in CitectVBA, see Multithread Considerations with

CitectVBA.
To call a given CitectVBA function or subroutine from Cicode, use the VbCallOpenfunc-
tion. This returns a handle which can then be used to execute the call by passing it to
the VbCallRunfunction. Upon return from VbCallRun, you can call the VbCallReturnfunction
to get the return value of the CitectVBA function called.
The Cicode VbCallOpen()function is used to initiate a call to the CitectVBA function or
subroutine, and returns a handle to the open function.

<ReturnValue> = VbCallOpen(<FunctName>, <ArgList>)

where:

15
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

l <ReturnValue> represents the handle to the opened function.

l <FunctName> represents the name of the CitectVBA function or subroutine being called.
l <ArgList>represents a comma separated list of arguments to pass to the opened
CitectVBA function or subroutine named in <FunctName>.
The Cicode VbCallRun()function is used to execute the CitectVBA function or subroutine
(previously opened with the Cicode VbCallOpenfunction), and requires the handle
returned from the VbCallOpenfunction call. The VbCallRunfunction provides an opportunity
for the opened CitectVBA function to complete and return a value in the multi-threaded
Vijeo Citect environment. It passes its argument value (of OBJECT data type) through as
its return value upon completion.

<ReturnValue> = VbCallRun(<CallHandle>)

where:
l <ReturnValue> represents the handle to the opened CitectVBA function passed through
for the <CallHandle>argument.
l <CallHandle> represents the handle to the previously opened CitectVBA function as
returned by the Cicode VbCallOpenfunction.
The Cicode VbCallReturn()function is used to obtain the return value of the completed
CitectVBA function (previously opened with the Cicode VbCallOpenfunction), and requires
the handle returned from the VbCallRunfunction call.

<ReturnValue> = VbCallReturn(<CallHandle>)

where:
l <ReturnValue> represents the value returned by the completed CitectVBA function
(which was previously opened by the Cicode VbCallOpenfunction). The data type of the
return value is dependent upon the data type of the return value for the CitectVBA
function opened.
l <CallHandle> represents the handle to the previously opened CitectVBA function as
returned by the Cicode VbCallRunfunction.

Example

FUNCTION
TestCitectVBA()
INT iRet;
STRING sMsg = "Hello";
INT iVal = 123;
iRet = VbCallReturn(VbCallRun(VbCallOpen("CiVBATest", iVal)));
Message("TestCitectVBA Function", "CiVBATest = " +

16
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

IntToStr(iRet), 0);
END

Example

Function CiVBATest(Value As Integer) As Integer

CiVBATest = Value * 2
End Function

Calling Cicode from CitectVBA

Calling a Cicode function from CitectVBA is accomplished by two CitectVBA functions:
CicodeCallOpen()and CicodeCallReturn().

To call a given Cicode function, use the CicodeCallOpenfunction which will create and
execute a Cicode thread that runs the function. For multitasking purposes, a separate
function CicodeCallReturnis used to obtain the return-value of the completed Cicode func-
tion most recently called by the CicodeCallOpenfunction.

UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

Do not nest the CicodeCallOpen and CicodeCallReturn functions. Nesting these functions
can lead to unintended equipment operation when your program is run.

Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equip-
ment damage.

The return value is initialized when control is returned to the Vijeo Citect kernel. This
occurs only after completion of the line of CitectVBA code containing CicodeCallOpen. For
details on multithreading in CitectVBA, see Multithread Considerations with CitectVBA.
To call a given Cicode function or subroutine from CitectVBA, use the CicodeCallOpenfunc-
tion. Upon return from CicodeCallOpen, you can call the CicodeCallReturnfunction to
obtain the return value of the Cicode function called.
The CicodeCallOpenfunction is a CitectVBA function used to call a Cicode function from
CitectVBA. It is used to initiate and execute a call to the Cicode function and returns an
integer value representing the success or the type of error encountered by the Cicode-
CallOpen function.

17
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

<ReturnValue> = CicodeCallOpen(<FunctName>, <ArgList>)

where:
l <ReturnValue> represents the return value of:
l 0 if CicodeCallOpenfunction was successful
l 1 for CicodeCallOpenfunction general error
l 2 for specified Cicode function not found
l 3 for incorrect number of arguments for specified Cicode function passed in
<ArgList>.

l <FunctName> is a string representing the name of the Cicode function being called. The
function name should be enclosed in double quotes.
l <ArgList> represents a variable length comma separated argument list of all the argu-
ments to be passed to the Cicode function being opened (dependant upon which
Cicode function is being called and the arguments that Cicode function requires). The
argument list should not be enclosed within brackets, although when using variable
names as arguments, those variable arguments within the list need to be individually
enclosed within brackets to force the passing of the variable to Cicode by value.
The CicodeCallReturnfunction is a CitectVBA function used to obtain the return value of
the most recently completed Cicode function opened with the CitectVBA
CicodeCallOpenfunction.

<ReturnValue> = CicodeCallReturn()

where:
l <ReturnValue> represents the return value of the Cicode function specified in the most
recent call of the CicodeCallOpenfunction. Note that the return data type of Cicode-
CallReturnwill depend upon the return data type of the Cicode function called in the
most recent call of the CicodeCallOpenfunction.
No arguments are passed to the CicodeCallReturnfunction, as it can only return the result
of the most recent return-value for the Cicode function called by the CitectVBA Cicode-
CallOpenfunction.

Note:In the following example, a CitectVBA variable is enclosed in brackets to force

the passing of the variable by value. See Passing variables Byref and Byval.

CitectVBA

' declare modular variant variable to store function results

Dim vntRet as Variant
Function TestCicode() As Integer

18
Chapter 2: Integrating CitectVBA into your Project

' declare local variables

Dim intRet As Integer
Dim strReply as String
Dim intMaxScale as Integer
' copy current tag value to variable
' uses the project variable tag named MAX_SCALE
intMaxScale = MAX_SCALE
' call Cicode function
' for example: TrnSetScale( AN, Pen, Percent, Scale)
intRet = CicodeCallOpen( "TrnSetScale", 53, -1, 100, (IntMaxScale) )
' Note the syntax used:
'- brackets around the CitectVBA function argument list
'(Only necessary when the CitectVBA function is preceded by an equals (=) sign .)
' - double quotes around the Cicode function name
'- no brackets around the Cicode function argument list
'- brackets around individual variable arguments
' test results
If intRet = 0 Then
'
' insert code for successful completion here
'
vntRet = CicodeCallReturn()
strReply = "CicodeCallOpen Function successfully called"
Else
'
' insert code for unsuccessful completion here
'
Select Case intRet
Case = 1
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "CicodeCallOpen Function call general error"

Case = 2
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Cicode Function not found"
Case = 3
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Wrong number of arguments "_
& "in Cicode CallOpen function call"
Case Else
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Unknown error"
End Select
End If
' display return comment for your information
MsgBox strReply
' assign return value for this function
TestCicode = intRet
End Function

Creating the Test Project

Creating the project requires you to specify the destination folder for the test project so
that Vijeo Citect can find it.
To create the CitectVBA test project

1. Start Vijeo Citect (if not already started).

2. Click the Citect Explorer button.
3. Choose New Project from the Filemenu, or click the New Project button.
4. In the Name field, type CitectVBA Test.
5. In the Location field, check that the path is displaying the project name as a sub-
folder name beneath the User folder. The User folder is the parent folder where Vijeo
Citect expects all projects to be stored in separate subfolders.

Note: The name of the project is appended as a sub folder name to the User
folder. Your path will depend upon the actual path of your Vijeo Citect instal-
lation.

6. Click OK. The test project has been created.

Opening the Test Project

You open the test project from Citect Explorer.
To open the CitectVBA test project

1. Start Vijeo Citect (if not already started).

2. Click the Citect Explorer button.
3. From the Project List, click on the folder named CitectVBA Test.

Note: Vijeo Citect stores the most recently opened project name in the Citect.ini
file, so that the next time Vijeo Citect is started, that project opens automatically
ready for further editing.

See Also
Setting up Test Project Communications

Setting up Test Project Communications

You only need to perform this procedure once for the test project.
To set up test project communications

1. Open the test project.

2. Click the Citect Explorer button.
3. Double-click the Communications folder.
4. Double-click the Express I/O Device Setup button.
5. Select Next and click the Create a New I/O Server check box.
6. In the Name field, replace the default name IOServer_1 with CiVBAIOServer.

Note:Vijeo Citect stores the communication details as records in a database. Each

record name is limited to a maximum of 16 characters. These records are acces-
sible with the Citect Project Editor.

7. Select Next and click the Create a New I/O Device check box.
8. In the Name field, replace the default name IODev with CiVBAIODevice.
9. Click Next and click the Disk I/O Device check box.
10. Click Next to accept the defaultVijeo Citect Generic Protocol.

22
Chapter 3: Using the CitectVBA Test Project

11. ClickNext to accept the default remaining unlinked to any external tag database.
12. Select Next and Finish to create the CitectVBA Project communications.
See Also
Setting up the Test Project Computer

Setting up the Test Project Computer

You need to set up the test project computer only once for the project.
To set up the CitectVBA test project computer

1. Open the CitectVBA Test Project.

2. Click the Citect Explorer button.
3. In the project list column, click the root computer icon named My Projects.
4. Double-click the Computer Setup Wizard button. (You can also click the Computer
Setup button, or choose Computer Setup from the Tools menu.).
5. Select Next accepting the Express Setup default.
6. Select Next accepting the Standalone Computer - Server and Control Client default.
7. From the Project Name list, select CitectVBA Test and click Next.
8. Click Next and then Finish to complete the CitectVBA project communications setup.
See Also
Adding a Variable Tag

Adding a Variable Tag

You need to add a variable tag only once for the project.
To add a variable tag to the CitectVBA test project

1. Open the CitectVBA test project.

2. Click the Project Editor button.
3. Click the Variable Tags button.
4. In the Variable Tag Name field, replace the default name Tag_1 with TestTag_1.

Note:Vijeo Citect stores the communication details as records in a database. Each

record name is limited to a maximum of 16 characters.

23
Chapter 3: Using the CitectVBA Test Project

5. In the I/O Device Name field, check that the device name selected is CiV-
BAIODevice. (If other I/O Devices have been created for this project, they will display
in this menu.)
6. In the Data Type field, select INT from the menu.
7. In the Address field, typeI1 (the capital letter i and the number one).
8. Click Add.
See Also
Adding a Graphics Page

Adding a Graphics Page

Adding a test page to your test project allows you to view the features of the Citect
Graphics Builder.
To add a graphics page to the CitectVBA test project

1. In Citect Explorer, double-click the Graphics folder.

2. Double-click the Create a new page button in the Pages folder, or click the Graphics
Builder button.
3. Click New, and then click Page.
The Graphics Builder appears showing the templates that are available. Accept the
default template and click OK.
See Also
Saving Your Graphics Page

Saving Your Graphics Page

To save a graphics page, you must give it a name.
To save the graphics page

1. Click Save.
2. In the Page field on the Page tab, replace the default name Untitled1 with Startup.
When you start this project, this page will be displayed by default.
3. Click OK.
See Also
Opening the Graphics Page

24
Chapter 3: Using the CitectVBA Test Project

Opening the Graphics Page

Opening the graphics page allows you to edit the page.
To open the CitectVBA test project graphics page

1. Choose Open from the File menu in Graphics Builder, or click Open.
2. In the Project field on the Page tab, change to the CitectVBA Test project (if not
already selected).
3. In the Page field on the Page tab, select the file named Startup.
4. Click OK.

Note: Double clicking a graphic page icon in the Citect Explorer launches the Citect
Graphics Builder and displays the selected graphics page.

See Also
Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA

25
Chapter 3: Using the CitectVBA Test Project

26
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language
Basics
This section describes the basics of the CitectVBA programming language.

CitectVBA Files
CitectVBA code scripts can be saved to file, can include comments, statements, various
representations of numbers, can handle many different data types, and can have mul-
tiple and nested control structures. However, CitectVBA is primarily provided with Vijeo
Citect to interact with ActiveX objects.
CitectVBA files are ASCII text files stored in ANSI format with a BAS extension
(filename.BAS), and are known as file modules.
CitectVBA file modules can be viewed and edited in any text editor program. They can
be used in Vijeo Citect, but must be saved as 'text with linebreaks' with a '.BAS' file exten-
sion or Citect will not be able to open the file.

Cicode Editor
The Cicode Editor is CitectVBA aware and designed to help you create, edit, test, and
debug CitectVBA file modules in your Vijeo Citect project.
The Cicode Editor has features suitable for use with CitectVBA file modules including:
l Ability to create, open, edit, and save CitectVBA file modules
l Customizable coloration of CitectVBA code syntax structure
l Recognition of predefined keywords with tooltip prompting and auto-completion
functionality
l Fully integrated debugging of CitectVBA file modules
l Separate VB Watch window for viewing runtime CitectVBA variable values
A sample CitectVBA file module named Sample.Bas is included in the User\Example
subfolder on the drive on which you installed Vijeo Citect. This module explains most of
the CitectVBA functionality.

27
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

CitectVBA file modules will never be compiled into standalone Windows executable
files; instead, they're included with the compiled Vijeo Citect. As a result, they don't
require a Mainprocedure to be declared. Therefore, CitectVBA file modules are structured
to contain only their header information, modular constant and variable declarations,
then procedures (subroutines, and functions).
CitectVBA file modules are automatically included with a Vijeo Citect project if they are
stored in the same file folder as your project. When saving a CitectVBA file module to
disk, save it to your project folder.
All files with a BAS extension in your project folder appear in the CitectVBA Files folder
of your project in Citect Explorer. To launch the Cicode Editor, double-click the
CitectVBA file you want to edit in Citect Explorer.

Scope of CitectVBA
The scope of an object determines which portions of your code scripts can use that
object.

Note: The use of Global, Public, and Privatekeywords has no effect on scope in
CitectVBA.

Procedural (local) level scope

Variables and constants declared (using the Dim, Static, or Conststatements) within a
CitectVBA procedure (subroutine or function) have local scope to only that within the
procedure. This means that procedural level variables and constants cannot be ref-
erenced (accessed and used) from anywhere outside of that procedure.

UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

Do not use the Global, Public, or Private keywords in your CitectVBA procedures. Using
these keywords in procedures can lead to unintended equipment operation when your pro-
gram is run.

Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equip-
ment damage.

28
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Procedural level variables declared using the Dimstatement do not retain their assigned
values when dereferenced. Procedural level variables declared using the Staticstatement,
however, do retain their assigned values between references, even after that procedure
moves out of scope.

Modular level scope

Constants declared (using the Conststatement) and variables declared (using the
Staticstatement) at the modular level (outside any procedure) in a CitectVBA file have
modular scope to all procedures within that same CitectVBA module (file). This means
that modular constants and static variables can only be referenced from a procedure
located within the same file module, and cannot be referenced from outside of that file
module. This has no effect in CitectVBA, even if declared using the Globalkeyword.
Modular level constants and static variables retain their assigned values for the entire
runtime of the project.

Global level scope

Variables declared (using the Dim, Global, or Publicstatements) at the modular level (out-
side any procedure) in a CitectVBA module (file), have global scope within the Vijeo
Citect project. This means that modular CitectVBA variables (except statics) can be ref-
erenced from both inside and outside of their file module.
Global level variables can be used directly within Vijeo Citect command or expression
fields.
Procedures (subroutines or functions) declared within a CitectVBA file module, like
global variables, have global scope within a Vijeo Citect project. They can be referenced
or called from any CitectVBA module, as well as from any Vijeo Citect command or
expression field.
Equally important, all Vijeo Citect variable tags, alarm tags, and ActiveX objects are
accessible to all CitectVBA file modules (and their procedures) within that project, in the
same manner as they have always been accessible to project Cicode files. For infor-
mation about referencing Vijeo Citect project tags using CitectVBA, see Integrating
CitectVBA with Vijeo Citect.
Global level variables will also retain their assigned values between subsequent ref-
erences, behaving somewhat similarly to the values stored in Vijeo Citect tags. In this
regard, Globaland Publicstatements are redundant at the modular (global) level in
CitectVBA, as they perform the exact same duty as the Dimstatement.
See Also
Multithread Considerations with CitectVBA

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

CitectVBA Files

CitectVBA Statements
A statement in CitectVBA is an unbroken sequence of syntactically correct code script
containing at least one CitectVBA keyword instruction. A single statement in CitectVBA
is one complete segment of code script that instructs Vijeo Citect to do something.
In CitectVBA there is no statement terminator. As in other BASIC programming lan-
guages, the end of the line containing the statement is treated as the statement ter-
minator by default.
Most often, a statement consists of a single line of CitectVBA script. However, more than
one statement can be placed on one line of CitectVBA script, provided each statement is
separated by a colon character (:); for example:

Pump234.AddPoint( 25, 100): Pump234.AddPoint( 0, 75)

is equivalent in CitectVBA to:

Pump234.AddPoint( 25, 100)

Pump234.AddPoint( 0, 75)

Using complex multi-statement lines of CitectVBA script is not recommended in Vijeo

Citect. Multithreading should be considered when using more than one statement per
line in CitectVBA. For details, see Multithread Considerations with CitectVBA.

Comments
Comments are non-executed sections of code that are ignored by the CitectVBA compiler.
Comments allow programmers to describe the purpose of a section of code to facilitate
code maintenance.
As in other BASIC programming languages, both the apostrophe character ( ' ), and the
keyword REMare recognized as the start of a comment in CitectVBA. All characters fol-
lowing an apostrophe or the keyword REMare ignored by the CitectVBA compiler until it
reaches the end of the line. Line continuation characters do not work inside comments.
REM, like all other keywords and most names in CitectVBA, is not case sensitive.

' This whole line is a comment

rem This whole line is a comment
Rem This whole line is a comment
REM This whole line is a comment

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Both types of comments can be used on their own separate line, or the apostrophe char-
acter can be used to start a comment at the end of a statement on the same line as a state-
ment.

Pump234.AddPoint( 25, 100 ' Add point to pump 234

Everything placed on the same line after an apostrophe is treated by CitectVBA as a com-
ment. If you want to place a comment on the same line as a statement, the comment
must be placed last after all statements on that line. Comments cannot be placed
between multiple statements on the same line.
Not every line of code requires a comment. In fact, CitectVBA should contain under-
standable naming structures and be laid out in such a manner as to make comments
unnecessary. However, where a complex function, equation, or logic structure is not
readily understandable by viewing the code, it is good practice to include a pertinent
comment to make the code more understandable when viewed in isolation.
See Also
Comments

Header information
You should include header information with every file you create or edit. Data such as
the file name, author name, creation date, update date, editing history, and the like
should be included to form the header information. Each function or subroutine should
include a brief comment describing the purpose or function of the procedure.

CitectVBA file header example

' FILE IDENTIFICATION

' CitectVBA example named CitectVBA.bas
' Created by Citect Documentation Team
' Created in April 2001

See Also
Header information
CitectVBA Files

31
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Labels
Labels can be used to divide a large CitectVBA function or subroutine into logical sub-
sections of code script. Labels are often used in association with the GoTo statement. All
of the CitectVBA script following the label and extending through to another label, or to
the end of the function or subroutine containing the label, is regarded as belonging to
that label. Or more appropriately, the label is said to identify, or be attached to, that par-
ticular section of CitectVBA script.
Labels must begin with a letter, be no longer than 40 characters, and cannot be a
reserved word. Labels must terminate with the colon character (:). Label names can only
contain the letters 'A' to 'Z' and 'a' to 'z', the underscore '_' character, and the digits '0' to
'9'. Label names cannot contain the space character.
Label names (once declared), become a keyword in CitectVBA. Like most keywords in
CitectVBA, label names are not case sensitive. For example, all of the following label
examples are treated identically in CitectVBA:

label1:
Label1:
LABEL1:

Note: Labels as used in CitectVBA are not the same as labels used in Vijeo Citect.

CitectVBA Line Continuation Character

The underscore is the line continuation character in CitectVBA. There must be a space
before and after the line continuation character. Line continuation characters do not
work inside comments.
The following sample code statements are treated identically in CitectVBA:

Pump234.AddPoint _
( 25, 100)

Pump234.AddPoint( 25, 100)

Strings cannot be separated between lines using the line-break character in CitectVBA,
unless the strings are properly enclosed within double quotes on each line, and
appended together as per the following example:

32
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Dim strSample as String

strSample = "This sentence on the first line in my code. " _
& "This sentence is on the second line in my code. " _
& "Yet all would display on the same line " _
& "if the display were wide enough."

Naming
Function, subroutine, variable, constant, and label naming in CitectVBA must begin with
a letter, be no longer than 40 characters, and cannot be a reserved word. Names can only
contain the letters 'A' to 'Z' and 'a' to 'z', the underscore '_' character, and the digits '0' to
'9'. Names cannot contain the space character. You cannot use the name of a CitectVBA
predefined function as a name. For a list of predefined functions, see CitectVBA Function
Reference.
Function, subroutine, variable, constant, and label object names (once declared), become
a keyword in CitectVBA. Like most keywords in CitectVBA, these names are not case sen-
sitive. For example, all of the following examples are treated identically in CitectVBA:

pump234.addpoint(25, 100)
Pump234.AddPoint(25, 100)
PUMP234.ADDPOINT(25, 100)

When naming in CitectVBA, make the name an appropriately descriptive term that is
easily recognizable. For example:

X.addpoint(25, 100)

doesn't make as much sense as:

Pump234.AddPoint(25, 100)

Combining upper- and lowercase letters between words in the name is an acceptable
common programming practice, and aids in readability.
Identically named objects cannot be declared more than once per Vijeo Citect project,
even though they may exist in different CitectVBA code file modules. However, if an
object declared locally within a procedure has the same name as an object declared in a
module, CitectVBA will reference the local procedure scope object instead of the modular
scope object.
See Also
Scope of CitectVBA

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

CitectVBA Files
Accessing Cicode Tags with CitectVBA

Option Statements
CitectVBA supports the use of file scope Optionstatements which determine the default
behaviour of some CitectVBA functions. For instance, the Option Explicitstatement
causes the CitectVBA compiler to produce compile errors whenever it encounters the use
of previously undeclared variables. The Option Comparestatement sets the default com-
parison method for string comparisons. The Option Basestatement sets the default base
number for CitectVBA variable arrays to either zero or one.
You must declare all optionstatements in CitectVBA at the beginning of your CitectVBA
code files.
See Also
Option Explicit statement
Option Compare statement
Option Base statement
CitectVBA Function Reference

Option Explicit statement

As in other BASIC programming languages, CitectVBA supports the declaration of var-
iables both implicitly and explicitly. An unfortunate consequence of implicit variable dec-
laration is the possible misspelling of the variable name in subsequent code writing,
with unreliable program behaviour and unpredictable consequences.
To minimize implicit declaration, and to foster good, consistent programming standards,
use the option explicit statement at the beginning of all your CitectVBA files:

Option Explicit

This causes the CitectVBA compiler to produce a compile error whenever it encounters
an undeclared variable. This can be useful in locating and identifying variable name typ-
ing errors in your CitectVBA code at compile time, thus trapping and minimizing the
likelihood of runtime errors caused by such mistakes.
See Also
Option Explicit statement
Variable declaration

34
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Option Statements

Option Compare statement

The Option Comparestatement determines how strings are compared within a CitectVBA
file, and like other Optionstatements in CitectVBA, should be declared at the beginning of
your CitectVBA code files.
When strings are compared using CitectVBA functions such as StrComp()or InStr(),
CitectVBA determines whether they contain equivalent characters and how they differ if
they do not match.

Note: When comparing strings, CitectVBA compares the ANSI values of each char-
acter in the strings. For example, the character capital 'A' has the ANSI value of 65,
and the character lowercase 'a' has the ANSI value of 97. For a listing of ANSI char-
acter values, see ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings.

You can use the Option Comparestatement to specify the default case-sensitivity behavior
for CitectVBA functions when making string comparisons.
The Option Comparestatement in CitectVBA has two settings:
l Option Compare Binary: String comparisons are case-sensitive, and this is the
default string-comparison setting.
l Option Compare Text: String comparisons are case-insensitive.
See Also
Strings
Option Statements

Option Base statement

The Option Basestatement determines the default base number for the indexing of var-
iable arrays created within a CitectVBA file, and like other Optionstatements in
CitectVBA, should be declared at the beginning of your CitectVBA code files.
There are two settings for the Option Basestatement in CitectVBA:
l Option Base 0: Variable arrays are indexed from number zero, and this is the default
setting.
l Option Base 1: Variable arrays are indexed from number one.
For an example of using the Option Base statement, see Fixed Size Arrays
See Also
Arrays of Variables

35
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Option Statements

CitectVBA Data Types

CitectVBA uses ten predefined data types:

Variable C- Type Dec- Size Value Range

h- laration
ar

Byte Dim bytVar 1 byte (8 bits) 0 to 255

As Byte

Boolean Dim binVar 2 bytes True or False

As Boolean

String $ Dim strVar As 10 bytes + 1 byte 0 to 65,535 characters

String per character

Integer % Dim intVar As 2 bytes -32,768 to 32,767

Integer

Long & Dim lngVar 4 bytes -2,147,483,648 to 2,

Integer As Long 147,483,647

Single ! Dim sglVar 4 bytes 3.4E-38 to 3.4E+38

precision As Single

Double # Dim dblVar 8 bytes 1.79D-308 to

Precision As Double 1.79D+308

Variant Dim vntVar 16 bytes Same ranges as data

As Any types stored

Object Dim objVar 4 bytes Any OLE Object ref-

As Object erence

Date/Tim- Dim dtmVar 8 bytes Jan 1, 100 to Dec 31,

e As Date 9999

Note: CitectVBA does not support user-defined data types.

'modular level constant declaration

Const Pi = 3.1415926
Function CircleArea(Byval Radius)
' calculate and return area of circle
' using radius passed in as argument
CircleArea = Pi * (Radius * Radius)
End Function
Function CircleCircumference(Byval Radius)
' calculate and return circumference of circle
' using radius passed in as argument
CircleCicumference = Pi * Radius * 2
End Function

These CitectVBA functions would be called from a Vijeo Citect command or expression
field like this:

CiVBA
TestTag_1 = CircleArea(TestTag_1)

CiVBA
TestTag_1 = CircleCircumference(TestTag_1)

Passing variables Byref and Byval

Integrating CitectVBA with Vijeo Citect
Intrinsic constants
Scope of CitectVBA
CitectVBA Function Reference

Declaration of constants
CitectVBA constants can only be declared and referenced within CitectVBA file modules.
CitectVBA modular constants have modular scope and cannot be referenced (accessed
and used) from outside their CitectVBA module (file).

Note: CitectVBA constants cannot be used directly in Vijeo Citect command or

expression fields.

Once declared within a CitectVBA module, CitectVBA constants can be referenced and
used in any procedure within the same code module. A constant declared outside a pro-
cedure has modular scope to all procedures within that same CitectVBA module (file).
See Scope of CitectVBA. Constants declared in a Sub or Function procedure have local
scope only within that procedure.
CitectVBA constants are declared with the Conststatement in the following format.

Const <ConstantName> [ As <DataType> ] = <expression>

where:
l Const is the required constant declaration statement BASIC keyword
l <ConstantName> represents the required name of the constant being declared
l <DataType> represents the optional CitectVBA data type of the constant being declared
l <expression> represents the required value being assigned to the constant

Note: Do not include the brackets from the explanation in the actual code statement.

If no data type is declared, CitectVBA automatically assigns one of the following data
types to the constant:
l Long (if it is a long or integer).
l Double (if a decimal place is present).
l String (if it contains quote marks).

38
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Constant statements can only be declared and assigned using simple expressions. Con-
stants cannot be assigned values from variables, user-defined functions, intrinsic
CitectVBA functions (such as Chr), or from any expression that involves an operator. A
constant needs to be defined before it can be used.

Example

' Correct declaration examples

Const Seven = 7

' long assignment

Const Pi = 3.14159

' double assignment

Const Lab = "Laboratory"

' string assignment

' Incorrect declaration examples. Note that the following
declarations demonstrate incorrect assignments because each
contains an operator
Const conPi = 4 * Atn(1)
' will cause a CitectVBA compile error
Const conDegToRad = (conPi / 180)
' will cause a CitectVBA compile error

For an example of using constants in CitectVBA, see Constants.

Note: The use of Global, Public, and Private keywords has no effect on scope in
CitectVBA.

See Also
Constants
Intrinsic constants
Variables
CitectVBA Data Types
CitectVBA Function Reference

Intrinsic constants
CitectVBA has no predefined intrinsic (built-in and declared) constants, however, does
provide limited support for intrinsic constants provided in object libraries of ActiveX
objects when the object they refer to is loaded using the predefined CitectVBA Create-
Object() function.

39
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

See Also
Declaration of constants
Constants

Variables
Variables are used in CitectVBA to temporarily store data values. Variables let you
assign a descriptive name to the data you are working with. You can create a variable
once only in your code, and reference (refer to) it thereafter as many times as you like, by
using its name in your code in place of the data value. Unlike constants, the value that a
variable holds can be changed during the runtime of the project.
All variables declared within a CitectVBA procedure (subroutine or function) have local
scope to that procedure only. Procedural level variables declared using the Dim statement
do not retain their assigned values when dereferenced. Procedural level variables
declared using the Static statement, however, retain their assigned values between ref-
erences, even after that procedure moves out of scope.
CitectVBA code used within a Vijeo Citect command or expression field is treated as if
the command or expression is a separate CitectVBA procedure. Variables declared
within such a command procedure have procedural scope and lifetime, as described
above.
Variables declared using the staticstatement at the modular level (outside any pro-
cedure) in a CitectVBA file, have modular scope to all procedures within that same
CitectVBA module (file). Modular level staticvariables retain their assigned values for
the entire runtime of the project.
Variables declared (using the dim,global,orpublicstatements) at the modular level (out-
side any procedure) in a CitectVBA file do, however, have global scope within the Vijeo
Citect project.

Note:Global and public statements are redundant at the modular (global) level in
CitectVBA, as they perform the exact same duty as the dim statement.

Variable declaration
In CitectVBA, variables are declared (dimensioned) with the dim statement in the fol-
lowing format.

Dim <VariableName> [ As <DataType> ]

40
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

where:
l Dim is the required Variable declaration statement BASIC keyword
l <VariableName> represents the required name of the variable being declared (dimen-
sioned)
l <DataType> represents the optional CitectVBA data type of the variable being declared

Note: In the variable declaration statement:

l Every placeholder shown inside arrow brackets (
<placeholder>) should be replaced in any actual code with the
value of the item that it describes. The arrow brackets and the
word they contain should not be included in the statement,
and are shown here only for your information.
l Statements shown between square brackets ( [ ]) are optional.
The square brackets should not be included in the statement,
and are shown here only for your information.

If no data type is declared, the data type is Variant by default. To declare a variable
other than a Variant, the variable declaration needs to be immediately followed by As
<datatype> (where <datatype> represents one of the 10 data types), or appended by a type
declaration character such as a $, %, &, !, or # for string, integer, long, single, or double
data types respectively. For example:

Dim intVar As Integer

Dim dblVar As Double
Dim vntVar ' as variant by default
Dim strName$, Age% ' multiple declarations on one line

Be aware that multiple declarations in the same statement require individual data type
assignment if you want them be other than the variant type. In the following example,
only the first variable is not a variant. For example:

Dim strName As String, vntAge, vntAddress

The same statement with data type assignment for every variable would look like the fol-
lowing example:

Dim strName As String, intAge As Integer, strAddress As String

See Also
CitectVBA Data Types
Variable initialization values

41
Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Constants
Variant Declaration
Arrays of Variables
CitectVBA Function Reference

Variable initialization values

CitectVBA variables are initialized when first declared. Numeric variables are initialized
to 0 (zero). Variable-length strings are initialized to zero-length strings (""). Fixed length
strings are filled with zeros. Variant variables are initialized to Empty.
To be sure of the contents of a variable, a valid value needs to be assigned to it before it
is used as a operand in a CitectVBA statement. For details, see Assignment Operator.

Note: Only implicitly declared variables can be assigned an initial value in the dec-
laration. However, as explicit declaration is preferred practice in CitectVBA, explicit
variables need to be declared before they can be assigned a value.

Every call to a procedure will reinitialize the value of all objects (except static variables)
declared within that procedure.

Note: In CitectVBA, use a static variable, a modular variable, or a Vijeo Citect tag to
store variable values between procedures. For details, see Scope of CitectVBA.

Objects (including variables) declared in CitectVBA are only initialized when referenced
by a running piece of code, and are removed from memory when all references are
closed.
In the Vijeo Citect multithreaded environment, CitectVBA remains active in memory
only so long as a procedure is being processed. At the completion of a CitectVBA pro-
cedure, all objects no longer referenced by that procedure are removed from memory. For
details, see Multithread Considerations with CitectVBA.
See Also
CitectVBA Data Types
Variable initialization values
Constants
Variant Declaration
Arrays of Variables

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Arrays of Variables
Arrays of variables allow you to group like variables together, somewhat similar to the
grouping of like items in fields of a database. An array is an ordered group of variables
of the same name, containing values of the same data type. Individual member elements
of the array are identified by a separate index number. Arrays in CitectVBA start their
indexing sequence by default at zero. This default base value can be changed in a
CitectVBA file module by using the option base statement.
CitectVBA supports single and multi-dimension arrays of variables. CitectVBA creates
single dimension arrays by default. Multi-dimension arrays must be specifically
declared.
CitectVBA allocates memory space for each element of the array. To minimize the
amount of memory used storing arrays, and to minimize the time required to access
array data, arrays should not be declared any larger than required.
All elements in an array must be of the same data type. CitectVBA supports arrays of
bytes, booleans, longs, integers, singles, doubles, strings, and variants. For details about
CitectVBA data types, see CitectVBA Data Types.
Arrays declared in a sub or function procedure have local scope only within that pro-
cedure. An array declared outside a procedure has modular (global) scope to all pro-
cedures within the project.

Note: CitectVBA arrays cannot be used directly in Vijeo Citect command or expres-
sion fields. Also, CitectVBA does not support user-defined data types.

Arrays declared (using the dim statement within procedures,) do not retain their values
between procedure calls in CitectVBA.
See Also
Fixed Size Arrays
Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Dynamic Size Arrays

Variable Array Declaration

Arrays of variables are declared within a CitectVBA file module, function, or subroutine,
using the dim statement with parentheses positioned after the array name, in the fol-
lowing syntax:

Dim <ArrayName>( [<Subscripts>] ) [As <DataType>]

where:

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

l dim is the required variable declaration statement BASIC keyword.

l <ArrayName> represents the required name of the array being declared (dimensioned).
l ( )are the required parentheses to hold the array subscript range (dimensions).
l <Subscripts> represents the optional subscript ranges and dimensions for the array.
l As is the optional As statement keyword declaring the array data type.
l <DataType> represents the optional CitectVBA data type declaration for the array.
In the variable array declaration statement:
l Every placeholder shown inside arrow brackets ( <placeholder> ) should be replaced
in any actual code with the value of the item that it describes. The arrow brackets
and the word they contain should not be included in the statement, and are shown
here only for your information.
l Statements shown between square brackets ( [ ]) are optional. The square brackets
should not be included in the statement, and are shown here only for your infor-
mation.
See Also
Fixed Size Arrays
Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Dynamic Size Arrays
Array Subscripts
Arrays of Variables
Dim

Array Subscripts

Arrays can be declared with default or defined boundaries known as bounds. Unless spe-
cifically defined in the array declaration statement, default lower bound settings are
used. The default lower bound is zero, unless set by the module option base statement
setting.
CitectVBA does not have an arbitrary upper bound on array dimensions. The upper
bound of the array dimension must be defined before the array can be used. All bound
values must be whole integers.
Subscripts are contained within one set of parentheses positioned immediately after the
array name in the array declaration statement.

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Subscripts are used to specify the bounds of each dimension of an array when the array
is declared. If a single value is used, for instance (5), this represents the upper bound for
that dimension of the array. If a range is specified, for instance (1 to 9), this specifies
both the lower and upper bounds for that dimension of the array. If more than one sub-
script is used, for instance ( 5, 1 To 9), each subscript must be separated by a comma,
and each subscript represents a separate dimension of the array.
The syntax of an array subscript range consists of a numeric value range separated by
the to clause:

(<LowerBound> To <UpperBound>)

where:
l ( )are the required parentheses to hold an array subscript range (dimensions).
l <LowerBound> represents the lower bound of the subscript range for the array dimen-
sion.
l To is the clause linking the lower and upper bounds of the subscript range.
l <UpperBound> represents the upper bound of the subscript range for the array dimen-
sion.
See Also
Fixed Size Arrays
Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Dynamic Size Arrays
Arrays of Variables
Dim

Fixed Size Arrays

To declare a fixed size array, the array name must be followed by the upper bound sub-
script enclosed within parentheses. The upper bound must be an integer.

Dim ArrayName(10) As Integer

Dim Sum(20) As Double

Unless specifically defined in the array declaration statement, default lower bound set-
tings are used. The default lower bound is zero, unless set by the module option base
statement setting. For details, see Array Subscripts.
The first declaration in the previous example creates an array with 11 elements, with
index numbers running from 0 to 10. The second creates an array with 21 elements (if
base 0). One way to specify the lower bound is to provide it explicitly (as an integer in
the range -32,768 to 32,767) using the To clause within the subscript:

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Dim intCounters (1 To13) As Integer

Dim strSums (100 To126) As String

In the preceding example, the index numbers of intCounters run from 1-13, and the
index numbers of strSums run from 100-126.

Note: An array in CitectVBA must be declared before it can be referenced.

Loops often provide an efficient way to manipulate arrays. For example, the following
for loop initializes all elements in the array to 5:

Dim int As IntegerDim Counters(1 To 20) As Integer

For int = 1 To 20
Counters(int) = 5
Next int

Arrays declared (using the dim statement within procedures) do not retain their values
between procedure calls in CitectVBA.
See Also
Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Dynamic Size Arrays
Arrays of Variables
Array Subscripts
Option Base statement

Multi-Dimensional Arrays

CitectVBA supports multi-dimensional arrays, declared using multiple subscripts. Each

subscript must be separated by a comma, and each subscript represents a separate
dimension of the array.
The following example declares a two-dimensional array.

Dim dblMat(20, 20) As Double

Unless specifically defined in the array declaration statement, default lower bound set-
tings are used. The default lower bound is zero, unless set by the module option base
statement setting. For more information on bounds, see "Array Subscripts in CitectVBA."
Reusing the previous example, either or both dimensions can be declared with explicit
lower bounds.

Dim dblMat(1 To10, 1 To10) As Double

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Arrays can be more than two dimensional. This declaration creates an array that has
three dimensions with sizes 6 elements by 4 elements by 3 elements, using base 0:

Dim ArrTest(5, 3, 2)

You can efficiently process a multi-dimensional array with the use of for loops. In the fol-
lowing statements the elements in a multi-dimensional array are set to a value.

Dim L As Integer, J As Integer

Dim TestArray(1 To 10, 1 to 10) As Double
For L = 1 to 10
For J = 1 to 10
TestArray(L,J) = I * 10 + J
Next J
Next L

Arrays declared (using the dim statement within procedures,) do not retain their values
between procedure calls in CitectVBA.
See Also
Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Dynamic Size Arrays
Arrays of Variables
Array Subscripts
Option Base statement
Fixed Size Arrays

Dynamic Size Arrays

To declare a dynamic sized array, the array must first be declared using the dim state-
ment with an empty pair of parentheses following the array name. For example:

Dim ArrayName( ) As Integer

Once declared as dynamic in this manner, the array can then ONLY be resized within a
function or subroutine using the redim statement.

ReDim ArrayName(20) As Integer

Note: You cannot resize an array whose size was predefined in its initial declaration.

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In the above examples, the first declaration creates an array with 0 elements. The second
recreates the array to contain 21 elements, with index numbers running from 0 to 20,
unless the option base statement has been set previously in the code module (file), in
which case the array will contain 20 elements with index numbering ranging from 1 to
21.
Unless specifically defined in the array declaration statement, default lower bound set-
tings are used. The default lower bound is zero, unless set by the module option base
statement setting. For more information on bounds, see "Array Subscripts in CitectVBA."
erases all values the array may have held. To preserve the contents of the array
Redim
when resizing, precede the Redim statement with the preserve keyword.

Preserve ReDim ArrayName(20) As Integer

Redimensioning an array to a smaller value, will erase any values it may have con-
tained in the removed portions.
Arrays declared (using the dim statement within procedures,) do not retain their values
between procedure calls in CitectVBA.
See Also
Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Arrays of Variables
Array Subscripts
Option Base statement
Fixed Size Arrays

Variant Declaration
As is the case with Visual Basic, when a variable is introduced in CitectVBA, it is not
necessary to declare it first (see Option Explicit statement for an exception to this rule).
When a variable is used but not declared, it is implicitly created as a variant data type.
Variants can also be declared explicitly using As Variant. Both of the following example
declarations as treated identically in CitectVBA:

Dim vntVar ' implicit variant declaration

Dim vntVar As Variant ' explicit variant declaration

The IsEmpty( ) function can be used to find out if a variant variable has been previously
assigned a value.

Variant Data Types and Coercion

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The variant data type is capable of storing numbers, strings, dates, and times. When
using a variant, you do not have to explicitly convert a variable from one data type to
another. This data type conversion is handled automatically, and is termed data type
coercion.

' declares variant variable

Dim vntVar
' assign numeric 10 to variant
vntVar = 10
' add numeric 8 to numeric variant value
vntVar = vntVar + 8
' convert variant to string value and concatenates strings
vntVar = "F" & vntVar
' print string "F18"
print vntVar

Numeric characters inside quotes ("567") will be stored and treated as a string in a var-
iant data type variable. If this string (containing numeric characters) is subsequently
used in a numeric operation, it will be coerced into a numeric data type and treated as a
number in the operation. Conversely, numeric characters stored as a number data type
in a variant variable, and subsequently used in an operation with a string, will be
coerced into a string data type, and treated as a string value in the operation.

Note: To determine the type of a variant variable, use the function VarType( ), which
returns a value that corresponds to the explicit data types. See VarType for return
values.

Numbers in Variants

When storing numbers in variant variables, the data type used is the most compact type
possible. For example, if you first assign a whole number to the variant it will be stored
as an integer or long. If you assign a number with a fractional component, it is stored as
a single or double.
For doing numeric operations on a variant variable, it is sometimes necessary to deter-
mine if the value stored is a valid numeric, thus avoiding an error. This can be done
with the IsNumeric( ) function.
See Also
CitectVBA Data Types
Variables
Constants
Strings
Numbers

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

CitectVBA Function Reference

Numbers
CitectVBA supports three representations of numbers: decimal, octal, and hexadecimal.
To indicate the use of octal (base 8) or hexadecimal (base 16) numbers, prefix the number
with &O or &H respectively. If no prefix is included with a number, it is treated as decimal
(base 10). For example:

Dim vntVar as Variant

vntVar = 12345 ' assign decimal value
vntVar = &o12345 ' assign octal value
vntVar = &h12345 ' assign hexadecimal value

Most numbers used in CitectVBA formulas are decimal numbers. Decimal numbers con-
sist of integral values (known as integers) positioned to the left of the decimal point, and
fractional values (known as fractions) positioned to the right of the decimal point. If the
decimal point is omitted, the number is treated as an integer (whole number with no frac-
tion).
When using numbers in CitectVBA, consideration needs to be given to the data type of
the variables that hold and store the numbers, as well as to the behaviour of CitectVBA
when dealing with numbers. For details, see Numeric Data Types, Floating Point Cal-
culation Rules, and Rounding Numbers.
See Also
Date Handling
Variant Declaration
Strings
Variables
Constants
CitectVBA Data Types
CitectVBA Function Reference

Numeric Data Types

Numbers are expressed in CitectVBA in decimal format by default, and can be stored in
variables of different numeric data types-integer, long, single, double, and variant-pro-
viding different levels of numeric accuracy.

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l Integer (Integer data type) variables can only store whole number values (no decimal
or fraction values) within the range -32,000 to +32,000. If you use a number outside
this range, the long integer (Long data type) can store whole number values in the
range -2.1 million to +2.1 million.
l Floating point numbers contain both integer and fractional values with a floating dec-
imal point. CitectVBA provides both single precision (Single data type) and Double
Precision (Double data type) variables for handling floating-point numbers.
l Single-precision variables can store floating-point numbers within the range of
approximately 3.4E-38 to 3.4E+38, with 7 significant digits and occupying 4 bytes of
memory.
l Double-precision variables can store floating-point numbers within the range of
approximately 1.79D-308 to 1.79D+308, with 15 significant digits and occupying 8
bytes of memory.
For an explanation of exponential notation, see Exponential Notation.
The principal differences between single and double data types, are the significance they
can represent, the storage they require, and their range. Double data type variables have
a smaller range, but hold more precision and occupy more memory than single data
type variables.
If precision is less of a concern than storage, consider using single for floating-point var-
iables. Conversely, if precision is the most important criterion, use double.
Variant (variant data type) variables in CitectVBA can store numbers by storing them as
integer, long, single, or double data types within the variant structure. See Variant Dec-
laration.
See Also
Numbers

Exponential Notation
CitectVBA can handle very large numbers, up to a value of 1.7976931486232 raised to
the power of 308, (1.7 308). To represent very large numbers such as these, exponential
notation is used.
Commonly, exponential notation uses the letter 'E' in the number, followed by the sign of
the number (+ or -), and then the exponential value (power) of the number. CitectVBA
uses the letter 'E' for Single data type exponential values, and the letter 'D' for Double
data type exponential values. The maximum size number for a double precision data
type, as quoted above, would be represented using exponential notation as
1.7976931486232D+308, or abbreviated to 1.79D+308.

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You can use exponential notation in your CitectVBA calculations, so long as the data
types of all the variables in the calculation are capable of storing floating point values;
i.e.: Single, Double or Variant.
For details about precision, accuracy, and rounding issues with using floating point var-
iables in CitectVBA, see Numeric Data Types, Floating Point Calculation Rules, and
Rounding Numbers.
See Also
Numbers

Floating Point Calculation Rules

Often precision, rounding, and accuracy in floating-point calculations can generate
unexpected results. To avoid this situation, follow these rules:
1. In a calculation involving both single and double precision, the result will not
usually be any more accurate than single precision. If double precision is required, be
certain all terms in the calculation, including constants, are specified in double pre-
cision.
2. Never assume that a simple numeric value is accurately represented in the computer.
Most floating-point values can't be precisely represented as a finite binary value. For
example .1 is .0001100110011... in binary (it repeats forever), so it can't be represented
with complete accuracy on a computer using binary arithmetic, which includes all
PCs.
3. Never assume that the result is accurate to the last decimal place. There are always
small differences between the "true" answer and what can be calculated with the
finite precision of any floating point processing unit.
4. Never compare two floating-point values to see if they are equal or not-equal. This is
a corollary to rule three. There are almost always going to be small differences
between numbers that "should" be equal. Instead, always check to see if the numbers
are nearly equal. That is, check to see if the difference between them is very small or
insignificant.
See Also

Calculating disk storage

Numbers

Date Handling

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Rounding Numbers
Rounding occurs when you convert a number of greater precision into a number of
lesser precision. For instance, when converting a floating-point number (single precision,
double precision, or variant data types) into an integer or long data type number. The
possible ways of numeric rounding are discussed below.

Rounding down

The simplest form of rounding is truncation. Any digits after the desired precision are
ignored and dropped. The CitectVBA Fix()function is an example of truncation. For
example, Fix(3.5)is 3, and Fix(-3.5)is -3.
The Int()function rounds down to the highest integer less than the value. Both Int()and
Fix()act the same way with positive numbers (truncating), but give different results for
negative numbers: Int(-3.5)gives -4.
The Fix()function is an example of symmetric rounding because it affects the magnitude
(absolute value) of positive and negative numbers in the same way. The Int()function is
an example of asymmetric rounding because it affects the magnitude of positive and neg-
ative numbers differently.

Rounding up

CitectVBA does not have a specific round-up function. However, for negative numbers,
both Fix() and Int() can be used to round upward, in different ways:
l Fix() rounds towards 0 (up in the absolute sense, but down in terms of absolute mag-
nitude). For example: Fix(-3.5) is -3.5.
l Int() rounds away from 0 (up in terms of absolute magnitude, but down in the abso-
lute sense). For example: Int(-3.5) is -4.

Arithmetic rounding

When continually rounding in one direction (down or up), the resulting number is not
necessarily the closest to the original number. For example, if you round 1.9 down to 1,
the difference is a lot larger than if you round it up to 2. It is easy to see that numbers
from 1.6 to 2.4 should be rounded to 2. However, what about 1.5, which is equidistant
between 1 and 2? By mathematical convention, the half-way number is rounded up.
To implement rounding half-way numbers in a symmetric fashion, -.5 is rounded down
to -1, or in an asymmetric fashion, where -.5 is rounded up to 0.
CitectVBA does not have a function for arithmetic rounding.

Banker's rounding

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When you add rounded values together, always rounding .5 in the same direction
results in a bias that grows with the more numbers you add together. One way to mini-
mize the bias is with banker's rounding.
Banker's rounding rounds .5 up sometimes and down sometimes. The convention is to
round to the nearest even number, so that both 1.5 and 2.5 round to 2, and 3.5 and 4.5
both round to 4. Banker's rounding is symmetric.
In CitectVBA, the CByte(), CInt(), CLng(), CCur(), and Round() numeric functions perform
banker's rounding.

Random rounding

Even banker's rounding can bias totals. You can take an extra step to remove bias by
rounding .5 up or down in a truly random fashion. This way, even if the data is delib-
erately biased, bias might be minimized. However, using random rounding with ran-
domly distributed data might result in a larger bias than banker's rounding. Random
rounding could result in two different totals on the same data.
CitectVBA does not have a function for random rounding.

Alternate rounding

Alternate rounding is rounding between .5 up and .5 down on successive calls.

CitectVBA does not have a function for alternate rounding.
See Also
Numbers

Date and Time Handling

CitectVBA has several pre-defined date and time functions that return date/time values.
There are three functions enabling you to determine the current date and time set in Win-
dows. The Now function, Date function, and Time function check your system clock and
return all or part of the current setting.
To retrieve the date portion of a date/time value, use the pre-defined DateValue function.
This function takes in either a string or a date value and returns only the date portion.
Using DateValue, you can compare the date portion of a date variable to a specific date
value, like this:

If DateValue(dtmSomeDate) = #5/14/70# Then

' You know the date portion of dtmSomeDate is 5/14/70
End If

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If you need just the time portion of a date variable, use the TimeValue function. Using this
function, you could write code that checks the time portion of a date variable against a
particular time, like this:

If TimeValue(dtmSomeDate) > #1:00 PM# Then

' You know the date variable contained a date portion
' with a time after 1:00 PM.
End If

You can perform arithmetic or mathematics (math) on date/time values because

CitectVBA stores dates internally as serial values. Adding or subtracting integers adds or
subtracts days, while adding or subtracting fractions adds or subtracts time. Therefore,
adding 20 to a date value in CitectVBA adds 20 days, while subtracting 1/24 subtracts
one hour. For example, to get tomorrow's date, you could just add 1 to today's date, like
this:

dtmTomorrow = Date()+ 1

Date is a built-in CitectVBA function that returns the date portion (the integer part) of the
current date and time retrieved from the Windows operating system. Adding 1 to that
value returns a date that represents the next day.
The same mechanism works for subtracting two dates. Although CitectVBA supplies the
DateDiff function for finding the interval spanned by two date/time values, if you just
need to know the number of days between the two dates, you can simply subtract one
from the other.
See Also
Date and Time Functions
Date Constants
Formatting Date Values
CitectVBA Function Reference

Date Constants
You can use date/time literals in CitectVBA code by enclosing them with the hash sign
(#), in the same way you enclose string literals with double quotation marks (""). This is
commonly known as declaring date constants.
For example, #2/6/10# represents the Australian date value of 2nd June, 2010 if the short
date setting for the locale was set to d/MM/yyyy. The same date constant would rep-
resent the American date value of February 6, 2010 if the short date setting for the locale
was set to MM/d/yyyy. See Formatting Date Values.

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Note: The system locale settings are determined using Regional Settings in Windows
Control Panel.

Similarly, you can compare a date/time value with a complete date/time literal:

If SomeDate > #3/6/99 1:20pm# Then

If you don't include a time in a date/time literal, CitectVBA sets the time part of the
value to midnight (the start of the day). If you don't include a date in a date/time literal,
CitectVBA sets the date part of the value to December 30, 1899.
CitectVBA accepts a wide variety of date and time formats in literals. These are all valid
date/time values:

SomeDate = #3-6-93 13:20#

SomeDate = #March 27, 1993 1:20am#
SomeDate = #Apr-2-93#
SomeDate = #4 April 1993#

In the same way that you can use the IsNumeric function to determine if a Variant var-
iable contains a value that can be considered a valid numeric value, you can use the
IsDate function to determine if a variant contains a value that can be considered a valid
date/time value. You can then use the CDate function to convert the value into a
date/time value.
For example, the following code tests the Text property of a text box with IsDate. If the
property contains text that can be considered a valid date, CitectVBA converts the text
into a date and computes the days left until the end of the year:

Dim SomeDate, daysleft

If IsDate(Text1.Text) Then
SomeDate = CDate(Text1.Text)
daysleft = DateSerial(Year(SomeDate) + _
1, 1, 1) - SomeDate
Text2.Text = daysleft & " days left in the year."
Else
MsgBox Text1.Text & " is not a valid date."
End If

See Also
Date and Time Functions
Formatting Date Values
CitectVBA Function Reference
Date Handling

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Formatting Date Values

Date values in CitectVBA can be formatted and displayed as strings containing any com-
bination of the following lists of values, all of which are case-sensitive.
Most CitectVBA date and time functions are locale-aware and recognise the order for
day, month, and year according to the short date format in the Regional Settings section
of Windows Control Panel.

Note: Always use long date format whenever possible. Also, please ensure that you
enter and display dates in an unambiguous format. For example, dates in short date
format might be misinterpreted in queries if the year or the day of the month are 12
or less (for example, 3/11/10). Dates in medium date format display only the first few
characters of the month name, which can create ambiguity or an undesirable appear-
ance.

Text

All strings should be surrounded by single quotes, and any single quotes should be
entered as four single quotes in a row:

Value Example

it''''s it's

'Today is 'M/dd/yy' and it''''s 'h:mm Today is 01/22/99 and it's 8:18

Day

The day can be displayed in one of four formats using a lowercase "d".

Val- Meaning Exam-

ue ple

d Day of the month as digits without leading zeros for single digit days. 5

dd Day of the month as digits with leading zeros for single digit days. 05

ddd Day of the week as a three letter abbreviation. Mon

dd- Day of the week as its full name. Mon-

dd day

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

Month

The month can be displayed in one of four formats using capital "M". The letter "M"
must be uppercase to distinguish months from minutes.

Valu- Meaning Exam-

e ple

M Month as digits without leading zeros for single digit months. 1

MM Month as digits with leading zeros for single digit months. 01

MMM Month as a three letter abbreviation. Jan

MMM- Month as its full name. January

Year

The year can be displayed in one of three formats using lowercase "y"..

Va- Meaning Exam-

lue ple

y Year represented only by the last digit, if the year is less than 10. 9
Years greater than 10 will be given the value of yy.

yy Year represented only by the last two digits. 09

yyy- Year represented by the full 4 digits. 1909

Period/Era

The period/era string can be displayed in a single format using the letter "g". The letter
"g" must be lowercase. If you include the gg in a date string that does not have any asso-
ciated Era string, the gg is ignored.

Valu- Meaning
e

(Nul- Gregorian dates are used. Does nothing if Gregorian is value of iCalendarType
l)

gg Period/era string. This is used by Windows to calculate the year when an

optional calendar is selected. See iCalendarType for optional Calendars.

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Time

The time can be displayed in one of many formats using the letter "h" or "H" to denote
hours, the letter "m" to denote minutes, the letter "s" to denote seconds and the letter "t"
to denote the time marker. The lowercase "h" denotes the 12 hour clock and uppercase
"H" denotes the 24 hour clock. The "m" must be lowercase to denote minutes as opposed
to Months. The "s" for seconds and "t" for the time marker string must also be lowercase.

Va- Meaning Exam-

lue ple

h Hours without leading zeros for single digit hours (12 hour clock). 1

hh Hours with leading zeros for single digit hours (12 hour clock). 01

H Hours without leading zeros for single digit hours (24 hour clock). 1

HH Hours with leading zeros for single digit hours (24 hour clock). 01

m Minutes without leading zeros for single digit minutes. 9

m- Minutes with leading zeros for single digit minutes. 09

s Seconds without leading zeros for single digit seconds. 5

ss Seconds with leading zeros for single digit seconds. 05

t One character time marker string. This will be the first letter of the A
values in the AM symbol or PM symbol boxes in Regional Options

tt Multi-character time marker string. This will be values in the AM sym- AM

bol or PM symbol boxes in Regional Options

See Also
Date Handling
Date Constants
Date and Time Data Constraints

Date and Time Data Constraints

CitectVBA has several constraints on date and time values based upon the Gregorian
Calendar:

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l The value of the month field must be between 1 and 12, inclusive.
l The value of the day field must be in the range from 1 through the number of days in
the month. The number of days in the month is determined from the values of the
year and months fields and can be 28, 29, 30, or 31. (The number of days in the
month can also depend on whether it is a leap year.)
l The value of the hour field must be between 0 and 23, inclusive.
l The value of the minute field must be between 0 and 59, inclusive.
l For the trailing seconds field of interval data types, the value of the seconds field
must be between 0 and 59.9(n), inclusive, where n is the number of digits in the frac-
tional seconds precision.
l For the trailing seconds field of datetime data types, the value of the seconds field
must be between 0 and 61.9(n), inclusive, where n specifies the number of "9" digits
and the value of n is the fractional seconds precision. (The range of seconds allows as
many as two leap seconds to maintain synchronisation of sidereal time.)
See Also
Date Handling
Date Constants
Formatting Date Values
Date Data Type Structure
Dates in Databases Using Different Calendars

Date Data Type Structure

The date data type structure in CitectVBA is a junction of two very different methods of
data storage. It is formed from the serial concatenation of a date-value followed by a
time-value, separated by a floating point, and stored in an 8-byte floating-point date data
type value.
l The integer (whole) portion of the value represents the number of days elapsed since
December 30, 1899.
l The remainder (fractional) portion of the value represents the elapsed portion of the
day since midnight.
The integer (date-value) portion (to the left of the floating point) and the remainder (time-
value) portion (to the right of the floating point) must be handled differently as they are
structured very differently. CitectVBA has a number of pre-defined date and time func-
tions to convert between the internal floating-point date data type format and visibly rec-
ognisable dates and times.

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Note: Dates in CitectVBA are based upon the Gregorian Calendar.

For example, the date and time of 5/22/97 at 3:00 p.m. would be stored in CitectVBA as
35572.625 representing the 35572 days since 12/30/1899, and 3:00 p.m. as 625/1000 of a
full day.

Note: Don't confuse Date data types used in CitectVBA with date and time values
used in Windows, DLLs, Vijeo Citect, or in Cicode. For instance, Vijeo Citect stores
time/date-related variables as a single integer representing the number of seconds
since 01/01/1970.

Date-values
A date-value in CitectVBA is a count of the number of days from December 30, 1899.
December 31, 1899 has the date-value of 1, and the 1st January 1900 is 2. December 30,
1899 has the date value of zero. Negative date-values represent dates prior to December
30, 1899.
A date-value in CitectVBA can actually range from January 1, 0100, to December 31,
9999 inclusive, which is a integer value ranging from -657434 up to +2958465 respec-
tively. Using values outside this range will cause compilererrors in CitectVBA.
The pre-defined CitectVBA Year, Month, and Day functions calculate and return the appro-
priate year, month or day value (as an integer) from a date-value.

Time-values
A time-value in CitectVBA represents the fractional time of day since the previous mid-
night. Unlike a date-value which is simply a count of the number of days, the time-value
is a decimal fraction of a day.
As every day invariably consists of 24 hours, or 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds, the
time of day can be readily determined from a time-value using simple math. An hour
has the time-value of one twenty-fourth of one day (0.0416'), one minute has the time-
value of 0.000694', and a second has the time-value of 0.000011574'0'7'. Midday has the
time-value of 0.50. 1AM has the time-value of 0.0416'. 1PM has the time value of
0.5416'.
The pre-defined CitectVBA Hour function, Minute function, and Second function calculates
and returns the appropriate hour, minute or second value (as an integer) from a time-
value.

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See Also
Date Handling
Date Constants
Formatting Date Values
Dates in Databases Using Different Calendars
Date and Time Data Constraints

Dates in Databases Using Different Calendars

If you use an existing database with date references of a different calendar type than
your current operation system locality settings, CitectVBA could report a variety of errors
or perform in an unexpected manner at runtime. For example, if you have used Hijri Cal-
endar dates in your database, a syntax error message will occur if CitectVBA makes ref-
erence to Gregorian dates that are invalid Hijri dates (for example, the 31st of any month
will produce a syntax error because no Hijri month has 31 days).

UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

Always confirm that calendar types in existing databases are compatible with the locality
(regional and language) options of the operating system.

Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equip-
ment damage.

To avoid problems of this sort, all date references in an external database should be
based on the Gregorian Calendar, or the database tables can be exported to text files
before use in Vijeo Citect. Dates in Microsoft Access database tables exported as text files
are always stored as Gregorian values. If the database calendar is set to Hijri for exam-
ple, automatic Hijri to Gregorian conversion is performed during the export process.
You can't set a database calendar programmatically using CitectVBA.

Note: When you want to use characters for Baltic, Central European, Cyrillic, Greek,
Turkish, and Asian languages, or right-to-left languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, and
Urdu) the operating system would need to have the corresponding language version
of Windows, or have installed system support for that language.

' declares integer variable named X

Dim X As Integer
' declares integer variable named Y
Dim Y as Integer
X = 123 ' assigns numeric value 123 to variable X
Y = X ' assigns value of variable X to variable Y

Only one variable can be assigned at any one time with the assignment operator.

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There must be a space on either side of the assignment operator, or the equals character
may be confused with either the variable name or the value being assigned, and a com-
pile error may occur.
Unless the variable is a variant data type, the value being assigned must be the same
data type as the variable receiving the assigned value. For instance, if you assign a text
string into a long data type variable, you'll cause an error to occur.
The variable must be previously declared before being assigned a value. The value of a
variable can be changed any number of times in a later statements, as in the following
CitectVBA example:

' declare integer variable named X

' and assign an initial numeric value of 123 to it
Dim X = 123 As Integer
' <statement>
' <statement>
' <statement>
' reassign X to store the numeric value 456
X = 456
' <statement>
' <statement>
' <statement>
' reassign X to store the numeric value 789
X = 789

See Also
Operators

Arithmetical (Math) Operators

CitectVBA arithmetic operators are used in CitectVBA statements to mathematically
manipulate numeric variables and numbers. The resultant is often assigned to a third
variable using the assignment operator.
The arithmetic operation as determined by the arithmetic operator is performed between
the values of the operands (variables or numbers positioned immediately on either side
of the arithmetic operator).

Operator Function Usage

^ Exponentiation X=Y^2

- Negation X=-2

* Multiplication X=2*3

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/ Division X = 10 / 2

Mod Modulo X = Y MOD Z

+ Addition X=2+3

- Addition X=6-4

See Also
Operators

Relational Operators
CitectVBA Relational Operators are used in CitectVBA statements to compare the rela-
tionship between operands (values positioned immediately on either side of the Rela-
tional Operator). The boolean result is either True or False. .

Operator Function Usage

< Less than X<Y

<= Less than or equal to X <= Y

= Equals X=Y

>= Greater than or equal to X >= Y

> Greater than X>Y

<> Not equal to X <> Y

See Also
Operators

Logical Operators
Logical (boolean) operators are used to perform digital logic operations on variables. All
logical operations result in either a boolean True or False.

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Operator Function Usage

Not logical negation if not X

And logical And If (X> Y) And (X < Z)

Or logical Or If (X = Y) Or (X = Z)

See Also
Operators

Operator Precedence
The operator precedence in CitectVBA runs like this:

Operator Description Order

() Parenthesis Highest

^ Exponentiation

- Unary minus

/, * division/multplication

Mod Modulo

+, -, & addition, subtraction, concatenation

=, <>, <, >,<=,>= Relational

Not Logical negation

And Logical conjunction

Or logical disjunction

Xor logical exclusion

Eqv logical equivalence

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Imp logical implication Lowest

See Also
Operators

Strings
Strings can be stored in variables of string and variant. When using variant strings, be
aware of type coercion in CitectVBA. Strings can be compared with each other in
CitectVBA to determine whether they contain the same characters or not. Strings can be
joined together to create longer strings in CitectVBA using the concatenation operator.
Strings can be searched using the:
l InStr()function, which returns the character position of the first occurrence of a string
within another;
l Left()function or Right()function which return a copy of the left or right most char-
acters of a string respectively; and
l Mid() function, which returns the copy of a substring from within another string.
To determine the length of a string, use the Len() function which returns a Long variable
containing the number of characters in the string.
String characters can be converted to ASCII values using the Asc()function, and ASCII
values can be converted to their string characters using the Chr()Function.
String characters can be converted to all lowercase or all uppercase using the Lcase()
Function or the Ucase() Function respectively.
Leading or trailing spaces can be stripped off strings using the Ltrim()function or the
Rtrim()function respectively.

Strings can be created consisting of a specified number of spaces or characters using the
Space() function or the String() function respectively.

For syntax details of using string functions, see String Functions.

See Also
Operators
Numbers
Control Structures

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String Comparisons
CitectVBA compares ANSI values of characters when comparing strings. For example,
the character capital 'A' has the ANSI value of 65, and the character lowercase 'a' has
the ANSI value of 97. For a listing of ANSI characters values, see ASCII/ANSI Character
Code Listings.
You can use CitectVBA relational operators (less than, greater than, equal to, not equal
to, and so on) to compare string variables. All relational operators return either true or
false.

With comparisons made using relational operators, the result depends on the option com-
pare string-comparison option setting of the CitectVBA file. Consider the following exam-
ple:

"Citectvba" > "CitectVBA"

If the file Option string-comparison setting is Option Compare Binary (or not set at all),
the comparison returns true. CitectVBA compares the binary (ANSI) values for each cor-
responding position in the string until it finds two that differ. In this example, the low-
ercase letter "v" corresponds to the ANSI value 118, while the uppercase letter "V"
corresponds to the ANSI value 86. Because 118 is greater than 86, the comparison
returns true.
If the file Option string-comparison setting is Option Compare Text, "Citectvba" >
"CitectVBA" returns false, because the strings are equivalent apart from case.
The built-in CitectVBA StrComp() Function returns a variant containing a value rep-
resenting the result of the comparison of two strings. It has an optional third argument
Comp which can override the file Option string-comparison setting.
See Also
Option Compare statement
Strings

String Concatenation
To concatenate strings in CitectVBA, use the ampersand ( & ) concatenation operator
between the strings. Multiple concatenations can occur in the same CitectVBA statement.

Dim strFirstName As String

Dim strLastName As String
Dim strFullName As String
Const strSpaceChar = " "
' note the space character between the quotes

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strFirstName = "Colin"
strLastName = "Ramsden"
strFullName = strFirstName &strSpaceChar &strLastName
' concatenates string values

The & concatenation operator does not perform arithmetic, and will convert variable
data types to strings for concatenation. For instance, if a variant string and a variant
number are concatenated, the result is a string. For more details of variant data types,
see Variant Declaration and CitectVBA Data Types.
See Also
Strings
Operators
Control Structures

Control Structures
CitectVBA provides conditional control functionality, which can be used to conditionally
perform CitectVBA statements or blocks of statements dependant upon the result of the
condition tested. This is known as logical decision making.
The logical decision making control structures available in CitectVBA consist of three
conditional looping or repetitive statements (Do Statement, While Statement, and For
Statement), and two conditional flow control sequence statements (Select Case Statement,
and variations of the If Statement). In addition, CitectVBA provides one unconditional
branching GoTo Statement.

Note: In the control structure syntax examples, every placeholder shown inside
arrow brackets ( <placeholder> ) should be replaced in any actual code with the value
of the item that it describes. The arrow brackets and the word they contain should
not be included in the statement, and are shown here only for your information.
Also, statements shown between square brackets ( [ ]) are optional. The square brack-
ets should not be included in the statement, and are shown here only for your infor-
mation.

See Also
Operators
GoTo statement
Do statement
While statement
For statement

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If statement
Select case statement
End statement
Exit statement
OnError statement
Stop statement
With statement
CitectVBA Function Reference

GoTo statement
The GoTo conditional statement branches unconditionally and without return to the label
specified in the GoTo statement. The label must be located in the same subroutine or func-
tion as the Goto statement.

<statement/s>
If <condition> then
GoToLabel1
Else
GoToLabel2
End If
Label1:
<statement/s>
GoToLabel3
Label2:
<statement/s>
GoToLabel3
Label3:
<statement/s>

In this example, CitectVBA tests the If condition, and jumps to the part of the script that
begins with the label "Label1:" if the condition was true, or jumps to the part of the script
that begins with the label "Label2:" if the condition was false. This could be anywhere in
the same subroutine or function.
See Also
Control Structures

Do statement
The Do...Loop conditional statement allows you to execute a block of statements an indef-
inite number of times. The variations of the Do...Loop are Do While, Do Until, Do Loop
While, and Do Loop Until.

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Do While|Until <condition>
<statement/s>
Loop

Do Until <condition>
<statement/s>
Loop

Do
<statement/s>
Loop While <condition>

Do
<statement/s>
Loop Until <condition>

Do While and Do Until check the condition before entering the loop, thus the block of
statements inside the loop are only executed when those conditions are met. Do Loop
While and Do Loop Until check the condition after having executed the block of state-
ments so that the block of statements is executed at least once.
Any Do statement can be exited using the Exit Do statement.
See Also
Control Structures

While statement
The While...Wend loop conditional statement is similar to the Do While loop statement.
The condition is checked before executing the block of statements comprising the loop.

While <condition>
<statement/s>
Wend

See Also
Control Structures

For statement
The For...Next loop conditional statement repeats its block of statements a set number of
times as determined by the values used with the To clause.

For <CounterName> = <BeginValue> To <EndValue> [Step <StepValue>]

<statement/s>
Next

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The counter variable is increased or decreased (by the value stated in the optional Step
parameter), with each reiteration of the loop. The counter default is to increment by one
if the Step parameter is omitted.
See Also
Control Structures

If statement
The If statement in CitectVBA tests an initial condition and then either performs or omits
to perform the statements it contains, dependant upon the logical result of the test con-
dition. The condition can be a comparison or an expression, and must logically evaluate
to either True or False. The If statement has both single line and multiple line syntax
structure.
The single line syntax uses the If <TestCondition> Then <StatementToPerformIfTrue>
structure, however, can only perform a single statement if and only if the test condition
result is True. No 'End If' statement is required:

If <Condition> Then <Statement>

If the result of the If test condition was True, the program flow continues into and per-
forms the statement following the Then statement, until it reaches the end of the line.
To perform a single statement conditionally upon a False result, use the NOT logical
operator:

If NOT <Condition> Then <Statement>

To perform multiple statements, use the multiple line syntax structure which ends with
the 'End If' statement:

If <Condition> Then
' Then statement block
' perform only if true
<Statement/s>
End If

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The mutiple line If structure can perform different blocks of statements dependant upon
EITHER a True OR a False result to the test condition, through the use of the Else state-
ment block:

If <Condition> Then
' Then statement block
' perform only if true
<Statement/s>
Else
' Else statement block
' perform only if false
<Statement/s>
End If

If the result of the If test condition was True, the program flow performs the Then block
statements, until it reaches the Else statement. It then jumps over the Else statement
block and exits the If structure (without performing any of the Else statement block state-
ments).
If the result of the If test condition was False, the program flow jumps over the Then
statement block (without performing any of those statements) to the Else statement to per-
form the statements in the Else statement block until it reaches the End If statement.
Further test conditions can be placed into an If structure through the use of the optional
Else If <Condition> statement block. ElseIf statement blocks can only be positioned
within an If structure before the Else statement block.

If <Condition> Then
' Then statement block
' perform only if true
<Statement/s>
ElseIf <Condition>
' Else If statement block
' perform only if true
<Statement/s>
Else
' Else statement block
' perform only if false
<Statement/s>
End If

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If the result of the ElseIf test condition was False, the program flow jumps over the ElseIf
statement block (without performing any of those statements) to the Else statement to per-
form the statements in the Else statement block until it reaches the End If statement.
There is no apparent limit to the number of Else If statement blocks that any one If struc-
ture can hold, however, the Select Case Statement structure handles multiple condition
result alternatives much more efficiently.
See Also
Control Structures

Select case statement

The Select Case statement tests the same variable for many different conditions. The test
value provided with the initial Select Case statement is logically tested against the Case
test condition.
The Select Case structure can perform different blocks of statements dependant upon
whichever Case statement test condition (if more than one) first results as True, through
the use of the Case statement block:

Select Case <TestValue>

Case <Condition>
' Case statement block
' perform only if case true
<Statement/s>
Case Else
' Else statement block
' perform only if all cases false
<Statement/s>
End Select

If the result of the Case test condition was True, the program flow performs the state-
ments contained within that Case statement block, and will then exit the Select Case
structure (without performing any of the Else statement block statements).
If the result of the Case test condition was False, the program flow jumps over the Case
statement block (without performing any of those statements) to the Case Else statement
to perform the statements in the Else statement block until it reaches the End Select state-
ment.
Further test conditions can be placed into a Select Case structure through the optional
use of further Case statement blocks. Case statement blocks can only be positioned
within a Select Case structure before the Case Else statement block.

Select Case <TestValue>

Case <Condition>

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' Case statement block

' perform only if case true
<Statement/s>
Case <Condition>
' Case statement block
' perform only if case true
<Statement/s>
Case Else
' Else statement block
' perform only if all cases false
<Statement/s>
End Select

Each Case statement block is evaluated in order until the test condition of one results as
True. The program flow performs the statements contained within that Case statement
block, and will then exit the Select Case structure (without performing any other state-
ments).
The statements of ONLY one Case statement block are ever performed, unless all result
in False and there is no Case Else block declared, in which case no Case statement
blocks are performed at all.
The following example may help clarify the logic testing being performed in a Select
Case structure. Lets say that we have a variable named (intDayOfWeek) containing an
integer (ranging from 1 to 7) representing the day of the week, and we wished to display
that value as a string (named strDayOfWeek) containing the name of the day of the
week, assuming in this example, that Sunday is the first day of the week (1). The Select
Case structure would look like this:

Dim strDayOfWeek As String

Select Case intDayOfWeek
Case = 1
StrDayOfWeek = "Sunday"
Case = 2
StrDayOfWeek = "Monday"
Case = 3
StrDayOfWeek = "Tuesday"
Case = 4
StrDayOfWeek = "Wednesday"
Case = 5
StrDayOfWeek = "Thursday"
Case = 6
StrDayOfWeek = "Friday"
Case = 7
StrDayOfWeek = "Saturday"
Case Else
StrDayOfWeek = "Invalid"
End Select

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The Select Case structure tends to be easier to read, understand, and follow and should
be used in place of a complicated multi-nested If...ElseIf structure.
See Also
Control Structures

End statement
The End statement Ends a block of statements such as a Sub procedure or Function.

End[{Function | If | Sub}]

Example

Dim Var1 as String

Var1 = "hello"
' Calling Test
Test Var1
MsgBox Var1

Sub Test(wvar1 as string)

MsgBox wvar1
wvar1 = "goodbye"
End
End Sub

See Also
Control Structures

Exit statement
Exits a loop or procedure

Exit {Do | For | Function | Sub }

Example

' This sample shows Do ... Loop with Exit Do to get out.
Dim Value, Msg ' Declare variables
Do
Value = InputBox("Enter a value from 5 to 10.")
If Value >= 5 And Value <= 10 Then ' Check range
Exit Do ' Exit Do...Loop
Else
Beep ' Beep if not in range
End If

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Loop

See Also
Control Structures

OnError statement
CitectVBA's error-handling routine and specifies the line label of the error-handling rou-
tine. The line parameter refers to a label. That label needs to be present in the code or an
error is generated.

Syntax

On Error { GoTo line | Resume Next | GoTo 0 }

Example

On Error GoTo errHandler

Dim x as object
x.draw ' Object not set
..
Exit Sub
errHandler:
Print Err.Number, Err.Description
Resume Next

See Also
Control Structures

With statement
The With Statement is not supported in CitectVBA. When performing a series of com-
mands on an object, you must explicitly refer to the name of the object with each com-
mand.
See Also
Control Structures

Subroutines and Functions

Commonly used sequences of CitectVBA statements can be grouped together into func-
tions and subroutines, so that they can be keyed in once, and used many times in many
places, by 'calling' the name of the subroutine or function in code.
A subroutine or function is a group or list of sequential statements that CitectVBA can
perform (execute) in the logical order that they exist within the subroutine or function
from top to bottom in the order they are listed within the function or subroutine.
If the group of statements returns a value, it must be declared as a function. If it does not
return a value, it must be declared as a subroutine. A subroutine or function is called by
placing the name of the subroutine or function in a code statement where you want the
action of the subroutine or function to occur.

Note: Subroutines and functions can contain statements that call other subroutines
or functions (to perform, before returning to the following statements within the call-
ing subroutine or function).

Both subroutines and functions can similarly be passed values as arguments when they
are called:
l Arguments are passed to subroutines in CitectVBA code following the subroutine
name and separated by space characters.
l Arguments are passed to functions enclosed within parentheses in CitectVBA code,
similarly following the subroutine name and separated by space characters.

Note:Vijeo Citect tag values must be declared by value when passed as argument

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Chapter 4: Understanding CitectVBA Language Basics

values to a CitectVBA procedure from within a Vijeo Citect command or expression

field (see Passing variables Byref and Byval).

See Also
Subroutines
Functions
Arguments

Subroutines
A CitectVBA subroutine starts with the SUB statement and finishes with the END SUB
statement. All other statements that lie between the SUB and END SUB statements, will
be executed by the subroutine, when called to do so.
Note: In the following subroutine syntax example:
l Every placeholder shown inside arrow brackets ( <placeholder>) should be replaced
in any actual code with the value of the item that it describes. The arrow brackets
and the word they contain should not be included in the statement, and are shown
here only for your information.
l Statements shown between square brackets ( [ ]) are optional. The square brackets
should not be included in the statement, and are shown here only for your infor-
mation.
In CitectVBA, Subroutines are created with the SUB statement in the following format.

Sub <SubName> ( [ Byval ] [ <Argument/s> ] [ <As Data Type> ])

<statement>
<statement>
<statement>
End Sub

where:
l [Byval] is the optional parameter for the argument;
l Sub is the required subroutine statement basic keyword
l <SubName> represents the required name of the subroutine being created
l <Argument/s> represents the optional argument/s of the subroutine
l <statement> represents the executable CitectVBA script statement/s
l End Sub is the subroutine terminating statement

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The name given to the subroutine immediately follows the SUB keyword, and is used to
identify the subroutine to CitectVBA. This name is referred to when the subroutine is
called upon (called) to be executed (perform the statements it contains) by some other
procedure in CitectVBA.
Subroutine names can contain the letters 'A' to 'Z' and 'a' to 'z', the underscore '_' and
digits '0' to '9'. The subroutine name must begin with a letter, be no longer than 40 char-
acters, cannot contain the space character, and cannot be a reserved word. Subroutine
names (once declared), become a keyword in CitectVBA. Like most keywords in
CitectVBA, these names are not case sensitive.
The subroutine name always ends with a pair of parentheses ( ) which may or may not
contain one or more arguments required by (necessary for use in) the subroutine . Mul-
tiple arguments if used, are separated by commas ( , ). See Arguments for more details
and argument syntax.
All the lines located between the SUB and the END SUB statements, contain the state-
ments that will be executed when the subroutine is called in CitectVBA. These state-
ments will be executed one at a time in logical order from top to bottom within the
subroutine.
See Also
Subroutines and Functions
Functions
Arguments

Functions
A CitectVBA function starts with the FUNCTION statement and finishes with the END
FUNCTION statement. All other statements that lie between the FUNCTION and END
FUNCTION statements, will be executed by the function, when called to do so.
Note: In the following function syntax example:
l Every placeholder shown inside arrow brackets ( <placeholder>) should be replaced
in any actual code with the value of the item that it describes. The arrow brackets
and the word they contain should not be included in the statement, and are shown
here only for your information.
l Statements shown between square brackets ( [ ]) are optional. The square brackets
should not be included in the statement, and are shown here only for your infor-
mation.
A typical CitectVBA function is structured like in the following example:

Function <FunctionName> ( [ Byval ] [ <Argument/s> ] ) [ As <ReturnDataType> ]

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<statement>
<statement>
<statement>
[ <FunctionName> = <value> ]
End Function

where:
l Function' is the required function statement basic keyword
l [ Byval ] is the optional parameter for the argument;
l <FunctionName> represents the required name of the function being created
l ( <Argument/s> ) represents the optional argument/s of the function
l <ReturnDataType> represents the optional return data type of the function
l <statement> represents the executable CitectVBA script statement/s
l = <value> represents the optional assignment of the return value for the function
l 'End Function' is the function terminating statement
The name given to the function, immediately follows the FUNCTION keyword, and is
used to identify the function to CitectVBA. This name is referred to when the function is
called upon (called) to be executed (perform the statements it contains) by some other
procedure in CitectVBA.
Function names can contain the letters 'A' to 'Z' and 'a' to 'z', the underscore '_' and dig-
its '0' to '9'. The function name must begin with a letter, be no longer than 40 characters,
cannot contain the space character, and cannot be a reserved word. Function names
(once declared), become a keyword in CitectVBA. Like most keywords in CitectVBA,
these names are not case sensitive.
The function name always ends with a pair of parentheses ( ) which may or may not
contain one or more arguments required by (necessary for use in) the function. Multiple
arguments if used, are separated by commas ( , ). See the section titled 'Arguments in
CitectVBA' for more details and argument syntax.
All the lines located between the FUNCTION and the END FUNCTION statements, con-
tain the statements that will be executed when the function is called in CitectVBA. These
statements will be executed one at a time in logical order from top to bottom within the
function.
The return value of the function is optionally assigned within the function in a state-
ment using the function name. This value is often used within the calling procedure to
determine the status of the function. Commonly, this value may be a Boolean True or
False to indicate the successful completion or not of the function.

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See Also
Subroutines and Functions
Arguments
Subroutines
Accessing Functions in DLLs

Arguments
Arguments are used in CitectVBA to pass values into subroutines and functions when
they are being called. Arguments are positioned between parentheses '( )' immediately
after the subroutine or function name in the subroutine or function declaration. If no
arguments are required for the subroutine or function, the parentheses must be included
and left empty in the declaration.
Arguments are optional in the sense that subroutines and functions do not require them.
However, if arguments are to be used in a subroutine or function, the arguments must
first be declared with the subroutine or function declaration, before they can be used. If
declared, they must be used whenever the subroutine or function is called.
CitectVBA does NOT support named arguments so all arguments must be used in dec-
laration order. If omitted, strings default to an empty string (""), and numeric values
default to zero (0). Boolean values in CitectVBA are represented with -1 for TRUE, and 0
for FALSE.
Multiple arguments must be separated by a comma ( , ) placed between the arguments.
The number of arguments that can be used in any single subroutine or function is not
stated, (but likely limited to something like 255). If you are declaring a subroutine or func-
tion with that many arguments, you should probably split your subroutine or function
into smaller separate logical routines with less arguments for each routine. If an argu-
ment is omitted, its place must be declared by the use of a comma in the call.
If you want to use the value in a Vijeo Citect tag as an argument to a function or sub-
routine, you must assign the value of the tag to a CitectVBA variable, and then pass the
variable as the argument. You cannot pass a Vijeo Citect tag name as an argument to a
function or subroutine.
Each argument declaration in a subroutine or function must be structured using the
proper CitectVBA argument syntax as described below.
CitectVBA argument structure syntax in the declaration of functions or subroutines is as
follows:

( [ Byval ] <Argument/s> [ As <DataType> ] )

where:

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l [ Byval ] is the optional parameter for the argument.

l <Argument/s> represents the argument/s required by the function or subroutine.
l [ As <DataType> ] represents the optional data type declaration of the argument.
The optional 'Byval' parameter specifies that the variable is passed by value instead of
by reference (see the section titled 'Passing Variables Byref and Byval with CitectVBA').

Note:Vijeo Citect tag values MUST be declared by value when passed as argument
values to a CitectVBA procedure from within a Vijeo Citect command or expression
field. This is best done by declaring a variable, assigning it the tag value, then pass-
ing the variable by value.

The function or subroutine name always ends with a pair of parentheses ( ) which may
or may not contain one or more arguments required by (necessary for use in) the func-
tion or subroutine. Multiple arguments if used, are separated by commas ( , ).
The optional 'As <DataType>' parameter is used to specify the data type of the argument
variable. The argument data types must be individually declared, or will be of Variant
data type by default. Valid data types for arguments in CitectVBA are: String, Integer,
Double, Long, and Variant (see the section titled 'CitectVBA_Data_Types' for descrip-
tions of data types in CitectVBA).

Example

' Arguments are declared with the function or subroutine

' The function is called from the subroutine highlighted below
Function longArea(Byval longLength As Long, _
Byval longWidth As Long) As Long
' multiplies arguments and
' assigns result to return value
longArea = longLength * longWidth
End Function
Sub FindArea
' declare long variables X Y and Z
Dim longX As Long
Dim longY As Long
Dim longZ As Long

' assign numeric value 12 to variable X

X = 12
' assign numeric value 34 to variable Y
Y = 34

' call function named longArea,

' passing in values of X and Y variables
' as arguments
'store result in variable Z
Z = longArea(X, Y)
' copy result Z to tag

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TestTag_1 = Z
End Sub

Granted, that's not likely the way you'd actually calculate an area given two fixed values
in a subroutine that calls a function. You could just as easily do the calculation within
the subroutine. However, this example does demonstrate the passing of values from a
subroutine to a function, and the retrieval of a return value from the function back to the
calling subroutine.
Note in the previous example, that the argument names ('longLength' and 'longWidth')
are only used within the function in which they were declared. The values they rep-
resented were passed in with the call to the function in the statement line:

Z = longArea(X, Y)

The values of the variables 'X' and 'Y' were passed into the function 'longArea' and were
handled within the function as its argument names 'longLength' and 'longWidth'. The
result was returned and stored in the variable named 'Z'.
See Also
Subroutines and Functions
Subroutines
Functions

DLLs and APIs

Dynamic Linked Libraries (DLLs) are files that contain functions which can be called
from any application running under Microsoft Windows. At run time, a function in a
DLL is dynamically linked into an application that calls it. No matter how many appli-
cations call a function in a DLL, that function exists in only a single file on the com-
puter, and the DLL is loaded only once in memory.
An application programming interface (API) is a set of functions you can use to work
with a component, application, or the operating system. Typically an API consists of one
or more DLLs that provide some specific functionality.
For example, the Windows API includes the DLLs that make up the Windows Operating
System (OS). Every Windows application interacts with the Windows API directly or
indirectly. The Windows API is provided so that all applications running under Win-
dows can behave in a consistent manner.

Note: Vijeo Citect itself provides an API for external access to Vijeo Citect I/O

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variable tags via a DLL interface.

APIs are traditionally written for C and C++ programmers who are building Windows
applications, however, the functions in a DLL can also be called by other programming
languages, including CitectVBA. Because most DLLs are written and documented pri-
marily for C/C++ programmers, calling a DLL function may differ somewhat from call-
ing a CitectVBA function. In order to work with an API, you need to understand how to
pass arguments from CitectVBA to a DLL function. See Passing Arguments to DLL Func-
tions from CitectVBA.
See Also
Passing variables Byref and Byval
CitectVBA Function Reference

Accessing Functions in DLLs

To be able to call and use an external DLL function using CitectVBA, you must have pre-
viously provided CitectVBA with details about the function being called. CitectVBA
requires information like the name of the function, where that function is located, what
arguments it expects, and what type of data it returns. CitectVBA uses the Declare state-
ment to detail that information.
The Declare statement must be positioned in the CitectVBA file in your project above
and before any code that calls that declared function of the DLL.

Declare statement structure

The Declare statement consists of the required Declare keyword, followed by the required
Function statement, the required Lib statement, the optional Alias statement, the optional
Argument statement(s) contained within braces, and the optional return data type state-
ment.

Note: The use of the OPTIONAL components of the Declare statement syntax indi-
cates that they may not be required in all DLL functions. It is not up to you whether
you can optionally use them or not. If included in a DLL function, they MUST be
used when declaring that function to CitectVBA.

The Declare statement in CitectVBA details the name, file location, arguments, intrinsic
constants, and type definitions that the DLL function requires. Here's an example of the
Declare statement for the Windows API GetTempPathA function, which returns the path
to the Windows system temporary folder:

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Declare Function GetTempPathA Lib "kernel32" _

(Byval nBufferLength As Long, _
Byval lpBuffer As String) As Long

The Declare keyword indicates to CitectVBA that you intend to call a function belonging
to an external DLL. The Declare keyword must be used first in the declaration statement.

Declare - Function Statement

The Function statement consists of the Function keyword, followed by the name that you
will use when calling this function from CitectVBA.

Declare - Lib Statement

The Lib statement specifies which DLL contains the function you wish to use. The Lib
statement consists of the Lib keyword, followed by the name of the DLL contained
within string double quotes. Some commonly used DLLs in the Windows API for exam-
ple, are Kernel32.dll - which performs low level OS functions like memory management
and resource handling, the User32.dll - which performs Windows message handling,
timers, menus and communication functions, and the GDI32.dll - which performs the
graphics display and font management functions.

Declare - Alias Statement

In the previous Declare statement example, the name of the declared function in
CitectVBA is the same as the name of the actual function within the DLL. This does not
necessarily have to be the case. There are some instances where the name of the function
in the DLL is incompatible with the naming structure of CitectVBA, and cannot be used
as a declared function name in CitectVBA. An example would be those DLL function
names that start with an underscore.
To overcome such incompatibilities, the CitectVBA Declare statement supports the use of
an alias name for the DLL function, through the use of the optional Alias statement . The
Alias statement consists of the Alias keyword, followed by the actual name of the DLL
function contained within string double quotes. The Alias statement must be positioned
within the Declare statement between the Lib statement and the Argument statement.
Here's an example of the Declare statement for the Windows API GetTempPathA func-
tion as used above, however, this time using the optional Alias statement:

Declare Function GetWinTempPath Lib "kernel32" _

(Byval nBufferLength As Long, _ Alias "GetTempPathA" _
Byval lpBuffer As String) As Long

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In this example, the name of the API function in the DLL is GetTempPathA, and the
name by which you would call this function from CitectVBA is GetWinTempPath. Note
that the actual name of the DLL function appears contained within string double quotes
positioned after the Alias keyword. This instructs CitectVBA to use the alias function
name when calling the DLL.
Because an alias allows you to name a declared DLL function anything you want in
CitectVBA, you can make the function name conform to your own naming standards.

Note: DLL functions are case sensitive; CitectVBA function names are not. When
declaring DLL functions in CitectVBA, be careful to accurately remain case sensitive
in the declaration.

See Also
Functions
Passing variables Byref and Byval
Passing Arguments to DLL Functions from CitectVBA
DLLs and APIs

Passing variables Byref and Byval

Passing an argument by reference (using the Byref parameter) passes a pointer to the
memory location of that argument. A pointer is just a memory address that indicates
where the value is stored. If the procedure modifies that argument's value, it modifies
the source of that argument, so when execution returns to the calling procedure, the
source contains the modified value.
Passing an argument to a function by value (using the Byval parameter), on the other
hand, passes a copy of the value as the argument. This prevents that function from mod-
ifying the source of the argument. When execution returns to the calling procedure, the
source contains the same value it did before the function was called.
The Byref parameter is the default in CitectVBA and does not need to be used explicitly
within CitectVBA. Byref gives other subroutines and functions permission to make
changes to the source of the values that are passed in Byref. The keyword Byval denies
this permission so the argument source cannot be altered.
There are two possible methods for indicating to CitectVBA that you wish to pass an
argument by value :
l When declaring the argument in the subroutine or function declaration statement, by
using the Byval keyword placed immediately before the argument name. This forces
the subroutine or function to use a copy of the argument passed in and not modify
the source. For example, the following function TestPassArg has declared its first

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argument intVal as being requested Byval.

Function TestPassArg(ByvalintVal As Integer, varVal, strVal as String)

l When passing an argument to a subroutine or function, by enclosing the individual

argument within parentheses. Only the value of the argument, and not its address in
memory, is passed to the subroutine or function, so that the source of the argument is
not modified. For example, only the variable var3 is passed by value to the sub-
routine TestPassArg (because only that argument is enclosed within parentheses in
the subroutine call).
TestPassArg var1, var2,(var3)

l In the next example, the parameter iVar is passed by value to the function Test-
Function. Since arguments passed to functions must be enclosed in parentheses, an
extra pair is used to force the argument to be passed by value.
TestFunction((iVar))

Note:Vijeo Citect does not support passing by reference, so Vijeo Citect tag values
MUST be declared by value when passed as arguments to a CitectVBA procedure
from within a Vijeo Citect command or expression field. This is best done by
declaring the variable, assigning it the tag value, then passing the variable by
value. (See the Example below.)

Example

Suppose you had a variable tag of integer type named "iTag1" and you need to pass it to
a function. From within a CitectVBA script, or Vijeo Citect command or expression field,
you would use the following code example to pass the variable tag value to a function
named TagArgumentTest:

CiVBA
Dim iVar1 as Integer
iVar1 = iTag1
TagArgumentTest(iVar1)

Note: Cicode does not support passing by reference, so CitectVBA variables passed
to Cicode functions using the CicodeCallOpen function must be enclosed in brackets to
force the passing of those variables by value.

See Also
Passing Arguments to DLL Functions from CitectVBA
DLLs and APIs
Arguments

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Passing Arguments to DLL Functions from CitectVBA

Many arguments to DLL functions are passed by value. By default, arguments in
CitectVBA are passed by reference, so it's important that you include the Byval keyword
in the function definition when the DLL function requires that an argument be passed by
value. See Passing variables Byref and Byval.

Note: Although the Byval keyword appears in front of some arguments of type
String, strings are always passed to Windows API functions by reference, therefore
any DLL function can always modify a string source directly.

DLL functions don't return strings in the same way that CitectVBA functions do.
Because strings are always passed to DLL functions by reference, the DLL function can
modify the value of the string argument. Rather than returning a string as the return
value for the function, as you would probably do in CitectVBA, a DLL function returns a
string into an argument of type String that was passed to the function. The actual return
value for the function is often a long integer specifying the number of bytes that were
written into the string argument.
To call a DLL function that writes to a String variable, you need to take additional steps
to format the string properly. First of all, the String variable must be a null-terminated
string. A null-terminated string ends in a special null character. Secondly, a DLL func-
tion can't change the size of a string once it has been created.
Therefore, you need to make sure that the string that you pass to a function is large
enough to hold the entire return value, and that it terminates with a Null character.
When you pass a string to a DLL function, you'll usually need to specify the size of the
string that you've passed in another argument. Windows keeps track of the length of the
string so that it doesn't overwrite any memory that the string is using.

Note: It's only necessary to pass in a null-terminated string and its size if you're
returning a string from a function. If the function does not return a string into a
string argument, but instead takes a string that provides information to the function,
you can simply pass in a normal CitectVBA String variable.

A Nullstring is a string of value 0 [no Character code]; note that this is not the same as
an empty string ("").
See Also
DLLs and APIs
Arguments
Passing variables Byref and Byval

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OLE Services
OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) services is the term used to generally describe the
integrated use of separate software components (applications) working together to pro-
vide custom software solutions based upon the Microsoft Component Object Model
(COM) architecture.
Note: When considering the use of OLE services, you should be aware that there are dif-
ferent uses of OLE which have developed over the years and which may be confused
with one another. Examples of different OLE services include: object linking, object
embedding, visual editing, drag-and-drop, ActiveX Controls, OLE Automation, OLE DB,
OLE Messaging, and OLE Networking services. See OLE terminology.
Vijeo Citect supports linked and embedded OLE objects in its graphics pages with the
use of ActiveX Controls. See Accessing ActiveX Objects with CitectVBA.
Vijeo Citect can use CitectVBA to perform as an OLE Automation controller. See OLE
automation objects. Vijeo Citect can also exchange data with other applications using
other data transfer technologies.

OLE terminology
OLE superceded the Dynamic Data Exchange protocol. Network DDE was introduced to
afford the same data transfer facility between Windows applications connected across
the same network. Vijeo Citect supports both DDE and Network DDE connectivity.

OLE Linking and Embedding

The differences between linked objects and embedded objects which may affect you, con-
cern where the data is stored, and how it is updated after you place it in the destination
file. With linked OLE objects, the source of the OLE object data remains in the original
data file of the application that was used to create it, and only a copy of the data is ever
displayed in the destination document. The data is updated only when the source file is
modified. Embedded OLE objects duplicate and store a local copy of the source file data
within the destination document data file, and are not linked to the source file. That is,
the data copy in the destination file does not change when you modify the source file.
With both linked and embedded OLE objects, when the OLE object in the destination doc-
ument is double-clicked, the original application (that was used to create the data) of the
OLE object is launched to permit editing of the data using that source program's editor.
Linked OLE objects store their data back in the original source data files, while embed-
ded OLE objects store their data in the destination program data files.

OLE Automation

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'OLE Automation' was developed to permit the (remote) control of other applications on
the same computer. Applications which expose their functionality using OLE Auto-
mation are known as OLE Automation servers, and could be automated by code run-
ning in a completely separate application, known as OLE Automation clients or
controllers.
OLE Automation servers exposed their functionality through structured object models,
which are listings of the internal functions, methods and properties of the application
object. All Microsoft Office applications are OLE Automation servers to some extent, and
can be subsequently controlled by any OLE Automation compliant controller, using the
appropriate syntax to manipulate and control the relevant application object model.
Not all applications that support OLE services support OLE Automation. For example,
many products support drag-and-drop, and object linking and embedding, but do not
support OLE Automation. Linking and embedding allow the user to access the object,
whereas OLE Automation allows one application to control another application, pos-
sibly with minimal or no user interaction.
See Also
OLE Services

OLE automation objects

CitectVBA supports the referencing and control of OLE Automation objects of external
applications, permitting you to use the properties, methods and events of those objects
from within Vijeo Citect.
To access an OLE Automation object using CitectVBA, you must first declare an object
variable in your CitectVBA code, then assign an OLE Automation reference to the var-
iable. See Declaration of OLE Automation objects in CitectVBA, and Assigning references
to OLE Automation objects in CitectVBA.
Objects declared in a CitectVBA Sub or Function procedure are local to that procedure,
and their lifetime ends along with the end of the procedure. An object declared outside a
procedure has modular scope to all procedures within the same CitectVBA file module
and lasts for the lifetime of the variable that retains the reference to the object.
All object references must be deleted when they are no longer required, to release the
memory they were using.
When considering the use of OLE Automation, you should be aware that there are dif-
ferent uses of OLE which have developed over the years and which may be confused
with one another.
See Also
OLE Services

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Declaration of OLE automation objects

CitectVBA objects can only be declared and referenced within CitectVBA file modules.
CitectVBA modular objects have modular scope and cannot be referenced (accessed and
used) from outside their CitectVBA module (file).

Note: CitectVBA objects cannot be used directly in Vijeo Citect command or expres-
sion fields.

Once declared within a CitectVBA module, CitectVBA objects can be referenced and used
in any procedure within the same code module. An object declared outside of a pro-
cedure has modular scope to all procedures within that same CitectVBA module (file).
Objects declared within a Sub or Function procedure have local scope only within that
procedure.
The object variable must be declared before it can be assigned an object reference. Object
variables are declared by the Dim Statement with the As Object CitectVBA data type
using the following syntax:

Dim <VariableName> As Object

where:
l Dim is the required Variable declaration statement BASIC keyword
l <VariableName> represents the required name of the variable being declared (dimen-
sioned)
l As Object declares the variable as a CitectVBA 'object' data type

Note: The placeholder shown inside arrow brackets (<placeholder>) should be

replaced in any actual code with the value of the item that it describes. The arrow
brackets and the word they contain should not be included in the statement, and are
shown here only for your information.

For example:

' create local variables to store object references

Dim objExcelApp As Object
Dim objWordApp As Object

Once declared, you can then assign an OLE Automation reference to the object variable
in CitectVBA.

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See Also
Deleting OLE automation objects
Using OLE automation objects

Assigning references to OLE automation objects

An OLE Automation object MUST be defined before it can be used. Once defined (see
Declaration of OLE Automation objects in CitectVBA), you assign an OLE Automation
reference to the object variable in CitectVBA using the CitectVBA CreateObject function
within a CitectVBA Set statement in the following syntax:

Set <objVarName> = CreateObject(<objClassName>)

where:
l Set is the required reference assignment statement keyword
l <objVarName> represents the required name of the variable receiving the reference
l CreateObject() function creates the object of the class type specified in the argument
l <objClassName> represents the required name of the class providing the object
The object class name passed as the argument to the CreatObject function usually con-
sists of the fully qualified class name of the object being created, for example "Word.A-
pplication" or "Excel.Application".

Example

' create variable to store object reference

Dim objExcelApp As Object
' create the app object and assign the reference
Set objExcelApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
' or
' create variable to store object reference
Dim objWordApp As Object
' create the app object and assign the reference
Set objWordApp = CreateObject("Word.Application")

Once assigned, you can then use that object variable in your CitectVBA code to manip-
ulate the referenced object model. See Using OLE automation objects.
Dependant objects (which cannot be created independantly) can be "drilled-down" to
and subsequently assigned from existing (externally creatable) independant object s, by
using a method of the higher level object. See Understanding object models in OLE Auto-
mation.

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For examples of independant objects, Microsoft Excel provides the "Excel.Application",

"Excel.Sheet ", and "Excel.Chart" externally creatable objects amongst others, (two of
which are demonstrated in OLE Automation example using the Microsoft Excel object),
and Microsoft Word provides the "Word.Application", "Word.Document", and "Word.Pi-
cture" externally creatable objects amongst others (and is demonstrated in OLE Auto-
mation example using the Microsoft Word object).
See Also
OLE automation objects

Using OLE automation objects

The trick with successfully using OLE Automation is determining what you can and
can't do with it. In theory, you can do anything the OLE Automation server application
can do. However, in practice, not every OLE Automation server application exposes all
of its functionality through its OLE Automation interface.
You have to be able to use the native programming language of the OLE Automation
server application in your code. You also need to know about the limitations imposed by
the Vijeo Citect operating environment, and its implementation of the CitectVBA pro-
gramming language.
CitectVBA does not support early binding of OLE Automation objects, as there is no
mechanism for providing a reference to the object type library (like you can do in Micro-
soft Visual Studio) until runtime. So, CitectVBA compile errors can occur with valid
VBA code which may work well in other VBA supporting applications. Most ported
VBA code will require some modification to compile and perform as expected in
CitectVBA. For example, CitectVBA does not support the use of "With" statements con-
cerning properties or methods of an object, yet does support the use of "For Each" state-
ments with objects in a collection.
CitectVBA does not support the use of named arguments using the ":=" named argument
operator (colon followed by an equal sign). Nor does it support the use of missing argu-
ments using placeholder commas, however, CitectVBA does support the use of the
"empty" keyword in place of missing arguments.
CitectVBA does not support the passing of SCADA variable tags by reference, however,
the tag value can be copied to a CitectVBA variable, and it can be passed by value. See
Passing Variables Byref and Byval with CitectVBA.
To help manage these considerations, you should know how to access the object model
of the OLE Automation server applications. CitectVBA does not support the use of appli-
cation-defined object types nor intrinsic constants due to late-binding of the object model.
CitectVBA supports only 10 data-types, so be aware of the possibility of data being lost

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due to rounding when converting between different data types. See Rounding Numbers
in CitectVBA.
To make full use of the OLE Automation object models, you should make yourself famil-
iar with Object related terms. See Understanding object models in OLE Automation.
See Also
OLE automation objects

Accessing the object model of OLE automation server applications

During the development stage of your project, to access the object model of any OLE
Automation server applications, you must have a copy of the appropriate application
program installed on the computer you are developing the OLE Automation controller
with.
Equally, during Vijeo Citect runtime, there must be a copy of the appropriate application
program installed on the computer you are running the OLE Automation controller
from. If, for example, you were calling the code which creates the object from say a but-
ton on a graphics page on a Vijeo Citect Client machine, the appropriate application pro-
gram must be installed on every Client machine with access to that graphics page, for
the code to work (if called) on that Client machine.
All of the Microsoft Office suite of products support the VBA language in some manner,
and export an OLE Automation object type library which you can view and use. See
How to view an OLE Automation object type library from a Microsoft Office product.
Also, the VB programming IDE within Visual Studio can be referenced to load the appro-
priate type library as required. See How to view an OLE Automation object type library
in VB.
Both these suites provide an object browser which you can use to explore the object mod-
els. You use the structure of the object model to access, manipulate and control the OLE
Automation object using CitectVBA. See Understanding object models in OLE Auto-
mation.
See Also
OLE automation objects

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Understanding object models in OLE automation

Objects are the fundamental building blocks of OLE Automation, and object models are a
roadmap to the object structure. OLE Automation using CitectVBA involves creating and
modifying the objects provided by other applications (external to the Vijeo Citect appli-
cation). For instance, every element of Microsoft Word ( documents, tables, paragraphs,
bookmarks, fields and so on) can be represented by an object in CitectVBA using OLE
automation with the Word object model.

What are objects and collections?

An object represents an element of the OLE Automation application. A collection is an

object that contains several other objects, usually of the same type. For example, all the
bookmark objects in a document are contained in a single Bookmarks collection object of
the Word application. Using appropriate properties and methods, OLE Automation per-
mits the modification of a single object or an entire collection of objects.

What is a property?

A property is an attribute of an object or an aspect of its behavior. For example, prop-

erties of a Word document include its name, its content, and its save status, as well as
whether change tracking is turned on. To change the characteristics of any referenced
object, you change the values of its properties.
To set the value of a property, follow the reference to an object with a period, the prop-
erty name, an equal sign, and the new property value. The following example turns on
change tracking in the Word document named "MyDoc.doc."

objWordApp.Documents("MyDoc.doc").TrackRevisions = True

In this example, Documents refers to the collection of open documents, and the name
"MyDoc.doc" identifies a single document in the collection. The TrackRevisions property
is set for that single document.
You can also return information about an object by returning the value of one of its prop-
erties. The following example returns the name of the active Word document.

docName = objWordApp.ActiveDocument.Name

In this example, ActiveDocument refers to the document in the active window in Word.
The name of that document is assigned to the variable "docName".

Note: Some properties cannot be set. The Help topic for each property indicates

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whether you can set that property (read-write), only read the property (read-only), or
only write the property (write-only). Also the Object Browser in the Visual Basic
Editor displays the read-write status at the bottom of the browser window when the
property is selected.

What is a method?

A method is an action that an object can perform. For example, just as a Word document
can be printed, the Document object has a PrintOut method. Methods often have argu-
ments that qualify how the action is performed. The following example prints the first
three pages of the active Word document.

objWordApp.ActiveDocument.PrintOut From:=1, To:=3

In most cases, methods are actions and properties are qualities. Using a method causes
something to happen to an object, while using a property returns information about the
object or it causes a quality about the object to change.

Returning an object

Most objects return a single object from the collection. For example, the Documents col-
lection contains the currently open Word documents. You use the Documents property of
the Application object (the object at the top of the Word object hierarchy) to return the
Documents collection.
After you've accessed the collection, you can return a single object by using an index
value in parentheses (this is similar to how you work with VBA arrays). The index
value can be either a number or a name.
The following example uses the Documents property to access the Document collection.
The index number is used to return the first document in the Documents collection. The
Close method is then applied to the Document object to close the first document in the
Documents collection.

objWordApp.Documents(1).Close

The following example uses a name (specified as a string) to identify a Document object
within the Documents collection.

objWordApp.Documents("Sales.doc").Close

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Collection objects often have methods and properties which you can use to modify the
entire collection of objects. The Documents object has a Save method that saves all the
documents in the collection. The following example saves the open documents by apply-
ing the Save method.

objWordApp.Documents.Save

The Document object also has a Save method available for saving a single document.
The following example saves the document named Report.doc.

objWordApp.Documents("Report.doc").Save

To return an object that is further down in the Word object hierarchy, you must "drill
down" to it by using properties and methods to return objects.
To see how this is done, in Word, open the Visual Basic Editor and click Object Browser
on the View menu. Click Application in the Classes list on the left. Then click Active-
Document from the list of members on the right. The text at bottom of the Object Browser
indicates that ActiveDocument is a read-only property that returns a Document object.
Click Document at the bottom of the Object Browser; the Document object is auto-
matically selected in the Classes list, and the Members list displays the members of the
Document object. Scroll through the list of members until you find Close. Click the Close
method. The text at the bottom of the Object Browser window shows the syntax for the
method. For more information about the method, press F1 or click the Help button to
jump to the Close method Help topic.
Given this information, you can write the following instruction to close the active doc-
ument.

objWordApp.ActiveDocument.Close SaveChanges:=wdSaveChanges

The following example maximizes the active document window.

objWordApp.ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.WindowState =
wdWindowStateMaximize

The ActiveWindow property returns a Window object that represents the active window.
The WindowState property is set to the maximize constant (wdWindowStateMaximize).
The following example creates a new document and displays the Save As dialog box so
that a name can be provided for the document.

objWordApp.Documents.Add.Save

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The Documents property returns the Documents collection. The Add method creates a
new document and returns a Document object. The Save method is then applied to the
Document object.
As you can see, you use methods or properties to drill down to an object. That is, you
return an object by applying a method or property to an object above it in the object hier-
archy. After you return the object you want, you can apply the methods and control the
properties of that object.
See Also
OLE Services

Using the Microsoft Word object model

You should use the associated online help documentation that came with the object
application to obtain details of the object model.
The help is quite easy to use. Each of the classes and collections can be clicked to jump
to its page.
In CitectVBA, you must use the full Application object qualifier when referencing the
properties and methods of the object. For example, you must use the full syntax "Appli-
cation.ActiveDocument.PrintOut", instead of "ActiveDocument.PrintOut".
See Also
OLE Services

OLE automation example using the Microsoft Word object

All commands in Word are directed to the active document, which may be changed in
code. It is recommended to use named arguments, as the argument sequences are
recorded incorrectly in some documentation, including the type library and what the
recorder writes to macros.

Sub runWord()
' demonstrating the use of OLE Automation
' to manipulate Word

' create local variables

Dim objWordApp As Object
' create the app object and assign the reference
Set objWordApp = CreateObject("Word.Application")

' manipulate the app object

' insert appropriate VBA code here to manipulate Word object

' close Word

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objWordApp.Quit

' delete the object

Set objWordApp= Nothing

End Sub

See Also
OLE automation example using the Microsoft Word object
Using OLE automation objects

Using the Microsoft Excel object model

You should use the associated online help documentation that came with the object
application to obtain details of the object model.
See Also
Using the Microsoft Excel object model
Using OLE automation objects

Deleting OLE automation objects

All object references must be deleted when they are no longer required, to release the
memory they were using.
You delete an OLE Automation reference to the object variable in CitectVBA using the
CitectVBA Nothing keyword within a CitectVBA Set statement in the following syntax:

Set <objVarName> = Nothing

where:
l Set is the required reference assignment/release statement keyword.
l <objVarName> represents the required name of the variable holding the reference.
l Nothing is the keyword used to release the object reference.
When several object variables refer to the same object, they also refer to the memory and
system resources associated with the object. These resources are released only after all of
them have been set to Nothing, either explicitly using Set, or implicitly after the last
object variable set to Nothing goes out of scope.

Example

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' Word example

' create variable to store object reference
Dim objWord as Object
' create object and assign reference to variable
Set objWord = CreateObject( "Word.Document" )
' insert appropriate VBA code here to manipulate Word object
' release reference
Set objWord = Nothing
' Excel example
' create local variables
Dim objExcelApp As Object
Dim objExcelCht As Object
' create the app object and assign the reference
Set objExcelApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
' create a chart and assign the reference
Set objExcelCht = objExcelApp.Charts.Add()
' insert appropriate VBA code here to manipulate Excel objects
' delete the objects
Set objExcelApp = Nothing
Set objExcelCht = Nothing

File Input/Output with CitectVBA

CitectVBA supports full sequential and binary file Input/Output (I/O).
Files stored on disk, can contain text (ASCII) characters or binary (ones and zeros) digits.
All CitectVBA files that contain CitectVBA code are stored as text files. However, you
can use CitectVBA to store and retrieve files in either format, using CitectVBA file I/O
functions and statements.
The File I/O functions predefined in CitectVBA are:

ChDir, ChDrive, Close, CurDir, Dir, EOF, FileCopy, FileLen,

FreeFile, Get #, GetAttr, Input #, Kill, Line Input #, Loc, LOF,
MkDir, RmDir, Name, Open, Print #, Put, Seek, SetAttr, Write #.

For details of all predefined CitectVBA functions, see CitectVBA Function Reference.

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CitectVBA includes the following function categories.

Array Functions File I/O Functions

Conditional Statements Math/Trigonometry Functions

Conversion Functions Miscellaneous Functions

Declarations Procedural Statements

Date and Time Functions String Functions

Array Functions
CitectVBA array functions are provided to allow you to declare, resize, initialize, pop-
ulate, and erase arrays and their elements.
The array functions predefined in CitectVBA are:

Dim Allocates storage for, and declares the data type of, variables and arrays in a
module.

Erase Reinitializes the elements of a fixed array.

Lboun- Returns the smallest available subscript for the dimension of the indicated
d array.

Option Declares the default lower bound for array subscripts.

Base

ReDim Used to size or resize a dynamic array that has already been declared using
the Dim statement with empty parentheses.

Uboun- Returns the value of the largest usable subscript for the specified dimension of
d an array.

Dim
The Dim statement allocates storage for, and declares the data type of, variables and
arrays in a module.

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The To clause in the array subscript range of a Dim statement provides a more flexible
way to control the lower bound of an array. If you don't explicitly set the lower bound
with a To clause, the Option Base setting (if used) comes into affect, or defaults to zero (if
not used).

Syntax

Dim VariableName[(Subscripts)] [As DataType]

VariableName:

The name of the variable or array being declared (dimensioned).

Subscripts:

The optional subscript range (dimensions) for an array in parentheses.

DataType:

The optional data type declaration for the variable or array.

Related Functions

Const | ReDim | Static

Example

Dim bytVar As Byte

Dim binVar As Boolean
Dim strVar As String
Dim intVar As Integer
Dim lngVar As Long
Dim sngVar As Single
Dim dblVar As Double
Dim vntVar As Variant
Dim objVar As Object
Dim dtmVar As Date

Dim daysOfWeek() As String ' declares an array variable to hold strings

Dim monthsOfYear(12) As Date ' declares an array variable to hold 12 strings

Dim users(,) As String ' declares a two dimensional array to hold strings
Dim usernames(5,5) As String ' declares a two dimensional 5 x 5 array to hold
strings

Dim MyArray(1 To 10, 5 To 15, 10 To 20) ' declares the three dimensional array
MyArray and specifies the upper and lower bounds of each dimension

Erase
Reinitialises the elements of a fixed array specified in the ArrayList parameter.

Syntax

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Erase(Arraylist)
Arraylist:

A comma delimited list of valid variable array names.

Related Functions

Dim | ReDim

Example

Option Base 1
Dim Num(10) As Integer ' Integer array.
Dim StrVarArray(10) As String ' Variable-string array.
Dim StrFixArray(10) As String * 10 ' Fixed-string array.
Dim VarArray(10) As Variant ' Variant array.
Dim DynamicArray() As Integer ' Dynamic array.
ReDim DynamicArray(10) ' Allocate storage space.
Erase Num ' Each element set to 0.
Erase StrVarArray ' Each element set to zero-length string ("").
Erase StrFixArray ' Each element set to 0.
Erase VarArray ' Each element set to Empty.
Erase DynamicArray ' Free memory used by array.
Erase StrVarArray,StrFixArray,VarArray ' Reset three arrays at the same time.

Lbound
Determines the value of the lower bound for the dimension of the array specified in the
arguments.
Lbound expects the required argument ArrayName to be a valid variable array name. The
optional argument ArrayDimension must be a whole long number indicating which
dimension's lower bound is to be returned. Use 1 for the first dimension, 2 for the sec-
ond, and so on.

Syntax

Lbound(ArrayName, ArrayDimension)
ArrayName:

The name of the array.

ArrayDimension:

The dimension of the array for which you want to the lower bound. If ArrayDimension is omitted, 1
is assumed.

Return Value

Returns a number of Long data type.

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Related Functions

Ubound

Example

Dim Lower
Dim MyArray(1 To 10, 5 To 15, 10 To 20) ' Declare array variables.
Dim AnyArray(10)
Lower = LBound(MyArray, 1) ' Returns 1.
Lower = LBound(MyArray, 2) ' Returns 5.
Lower = LBound(AnyArray) ' Returns 1.

Option Base
Declares the default lower bound for array subscripts.
The Option Base statement is optional. If used, it can appear only once in a CitectVBA
file, and must be used before you declare the dimensions of any arrays.
The To clause in the array subscript range of a Dim statement provides a more flexible
way to control the lower bound of an array. If you don't explicitly set the lower bound
with a To clause, the Option Base setting (if used) comes into affect, or defaults to zero (if
not used).

Syntax

Option BaseNum
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value. The value of the 'number' parameter
must be either 0 or 1. The default is 0.

Related Functions

Dim | ReDim

Example

The example below uses the Option Base statement to override the default base array
subscript value of 0.

' Module level statement

Option Base 1

' Create the array

Dim Arr(20)
' Declare message variables
Dim Msg As String

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Dim NL as String
' Define newline
NL = Chr(10) & Chr(13)
' Create message
Msg = "The lower bound is " & LBound(Arr) & "."
Msg = Msg & NL & "The upper bound is " & UBound(Arr) & "."
' Display message
MsgBox Msg

ReDim
Used to size or resize a dynamic array that has already been declared using the Dim
statement with empty parentheses.
Use the ReDim statement to change the number of elements in an array, but not to
change the number of dimensions in an array or the type of the elements in the array.

Syntax

ReDimVariableName(Subscripts)
VariableName:

The name of the variable or array being redimensioned.

Subscripts:

An Integer or expression representing a valid To numeric value range when declaring the dimen-
sions of an variable array. Up to 60 multiple dimensions may be declared.

The subscripts argument uses the following syntax:

[lower To] upper [,[lower To] upper] . . .

When not explicitly stated in lower, the lower bound of an array is controlled by the
Option Base statement. The lower bound is zero if no Option Base statement is present
in the CitectVBA file.

Related Functions

Dim | Const | Static

Example

Dim TestArray() As Integer

Dim I
ReDim TestArray(10)
For I = 1 To 10
TestArray(I) = I + 10
Print TestArray(I)

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Next I

Ubound
Determines the value of the largest subscript for the ArrayDimension of the ArrayName
provided in the argument. Ubound expects the required argument ArrayName to be a
valid variable array name.
The optional argument ArrayDimension must be a whole long number indicating which
dimension's lower bound is to be returned. Use 1 for the first dimension, 2 for the sec-
ond, and so on. If ArrayDimensionis omitted, 1 is assumed.

Syntax

Ubound(ArrayName, ArrayDimension)
ArrayName:

A string or expression that can represent a valid variable array name.

ArrayDimension:

A numeric value or expression that can represent a valid long data type value.

Return Value

Returns a number of Long data type.

Related Functions

Lbound

Example

Dim Upper
Dim MyArray(1 To 10, 5 To 15, 10 To 20) ' Declare array variables.
Dim AnyArray(10)
Upper = UBound(MyArray, 1) ' Returns 10.
Upper = UBound(MyArray, 3) ' Returns 20.
Upper = UBound(AnyArray) ' Returns 10.

Conditional Statements

Do Loop Allows you to execute a block of statements an indefinite number of times.

End Func- Ends a block of statements such as a Sub procedure or function.

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tion

Exit Exits a loop or procedure.

For Repeats its block of statements a set number of times as determined by the
values used with the To clause.

Goto Branches unconditionally and without return to the label specified in the
GoTo statement.

If Tests an initial condition and then either performs or omits to perform the
statements it contains, dependant upon the logical result of the test con-
dition.

OnError CitectVBAs error-handling routine and specifies the line label of the error-
handling routine.

Select Tests the same variable for many different conditions.

Stop Ends execution of the program.

While...W- Similar to the Do While loop statement.

end

With Not supported in CitectVBA.

Do Loop
The Do...Loop conditional statement allows you to execute a block of statements an indef-
inite number of times. The variations of the Do...Loop are Do...While, Do...Until,
Do...Loop While, and Do...Loop Until.

Do While <condition>
<statement/s>
Loop

Do Until <condition>
<statement/s>
Loop

Do
<statement/s>

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Loop While <condition>

Do
<statement/s>
Loop Until <condition>

Do...While and Do...Until check the condition before entering the loop, thus the block of
statements inside the loop are only executed when those conditions are met. Do...Loop
While and Do...Loop Until check the condition after having executed the block of state-
ments so that the block of statements is executed at least once.
Any Do statement can be exited using the Exit Do statement.

End Function
The End Function statement ends a program or a block of statements within a function.
A CitectVBA function starts with the FUNCTION statement and finishes with the END
FUNCTION statement. All other statements that lie between the FUNCTION and END
FUNCTION statements will be executed by the function when called to do so.

Syntax

End {Function | Sub | If}

Related Functions

Call | Sub | End Sub | Exit

Example

Function GetColor2( c% ) As Long

GetColor2 = c% * 25
If c% > 2 Then
GetColor2 = 255 ' 0x0000FF - Red
End If
If c% > 5 Then
GetColor2 = 65280 ' 0x00FF00 - Green
End If
If c% > 8 Then
GetColor2 = 16711680 ' 0xFF0000 - Blue
End If
End Function

Sub TestColor2
Dim I as integer
For I = 1 to 10
Print GetColor2(I)
Next I
End Sub

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Exit
Exits a loop or procedure.

Syntax

Exit {Do | For | Function | Sub}

Example

For
Repeats its block of statements a set number of times as determined by the values used
with the To clause.

Example

For <CounterName> = <BeginValue> To <EndValue> [Step <StepValue>]

<statement/s>
Next

Goto
The GoTo conditional statement branches unconditionally and without return to the
label specified in the GoTo statement. The label must be located in the same subroutine
or function as the GoTo statement.

Example

<statement/s>
If <condition> then
GoTo Label1
Else
GoTo Label2
End If

Label1:

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<statement/s>
GoTo Label3

Label2:
<statement/s>
GoTo Label3

Label3:
<statement/s>

If
Tests an initial condition and then either performs or omits to perform the statements it
contains, dependant upon the logical result of the test condition. The condition can be a
comparison or an expression, and must logically evaluate to either True or False. The If
statement has both single line and multiple line syntax structure.
The single line syntax uses the If <TestCondition> Then <StatementToPerformIfTrue>
structure, however, can only perform a single statement if and only if the test condition
result is True. No 'End If' statement is required:

Example

If<Condition>Then<Statement>
If the result of the If test condition was True, the program flow continues into and per-
forms the statement following the Then statement, until it reaches the end of the line.
To perform a single statement conditionally upon a False result, use the NOT logical
operator:

If NOT <Condition> Then <Statement>

To perform multiple statements, use the multiple line syntax structure which ends with
the 'End If' statement:

If <Condition> Then
' Then statement block
' perform only if true
<Statement/s>
End If

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If the result of the If test condition was True, the program flow continues into the Then
statement block, and performs the statements following the Then statement, until it
reaches the End If statement.
If the result of the If test condition was False, the program flow jumps over the Then
statement block, which in this case exits the If structure (without performing any state-
ments other than the initial test condition).
The mutiple line If structure can perform different blocks of statements dependant upon
EITHER a True OR a False result to the test condition, through the use of the Else state-
ment block:

If <Condition> Then
' Then statement block
' perform only if true
<Statement/s>
Else
' Else statement block
' perform only if false
<Statement/s>
End If

If the result of the If test condition was True, the program flow performs the Then block
statements, until it reaches the Else statement. It then jumps over the Else statement
block and exits the If structure (without performing any of the Else statement block state-
ments).
Further test conditions can be placed into an If structure through the use of the optional
Else If <Condition> statement block. ElseIf statement blocks can only be positioned
within an If structure before the Else statement block. If the result of the If test condition
was False, the program flow jumps over the Then statement block (without performing
any of those statements) to the Else statement to perform the statements in the Else state-
ment block until it reaches the End If statement.

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The ElseIf test condition is only evaluated after the initial If structure test condition
results in False.
If the result of the ElseIf test condition was True, the statements within the ElseIf state-
ment block are performed. The program flow then jumps over the Else statement block
and exits the If structure (without performing any of the Else statement block state-
ments).
If the result of the ElseIf test condition was False, the program flow jumps over the ElseIf
statement block (without performing any of those statements) to the Else statement to per-
form the statements in the Else statement block until it reaches the End If statement.
There is no apparent limit to the number of Else If statement blocks that any one If struc-
ture can hold, however, the Select Case Statement structure handles multiple condition
result alternatives much more efficiently.

OnError
CitectVBA's error-handling routine and specifies the line label of the error-handling rou-
tine. The line parameter refers to a label. That label needs to be present in the code or an
error is generated.

Syntax

On Error{GoTo line| Resume Next | GoTo 0}

Example

On Error GoTo errHandler

Dim x as object
x.draw ' Object not set
..
Exit Sub
errHandler:
Print Err.Number, Err.Description
Resume Next

Select
The Select Case statement tests the same variable for many different conditions. The test
value provided with the initial Select Case statement is logically tested against the Case
test condition.
The Select Case structure can perform different blocks of statements dependant upon
whichever Case statement test condition (if more than one) first results as True, through
the use of the Case statement block:

Select Case <TestValue>

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Case <Condition>
' Case statement block
' perform only if case true
<Statement/s>
Case Else
' Else statement block
' perform only if all cases false
<Statement/s>
End Select

Select Case <TestValue>

Case <Condition>
' Case statement block
' perform only if case true
<Statement/s>
Case <Condition>
' Case statement block
' perform only if case true
<Statement/s>
Case Else
' Else statement block
' perform only if all cases false
<Statement/s>
End Select

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The following example may help clarify the logic testing being performed in a Select
Case structure. Lets say that we have a variable named (intDayOfWeek) containing an
integer (ranging from 1 to 7) representing the day of the week, and we wished to display
that value as a string (named strDayOfWeek) containing the name of the day of the
week, assuming in this example, that Sunday is the first day of the week (1). The Select
Case structure would look like this:

Dim strDayOfWeek As String

Select Case intDayOfWeek

Case = 1
StrDayOfWeek = "Sunday"
Case = 2
StrDayOfWeek = "Monday"
Case = 3
StrDayOfWeek = "Tuesday"
Case = 4
StrDayOfWeek = "Wednesday"
Case = 5
StrDayOfWeek = "Thursday"
Case = 6
StrDayOfWeek = "Friday"
Case = 7
StrDayOfWeek = "Saturday"
Case Else
StrDayOfWeek = "Invalid"
End Select

The Select Case structure tends to be easier to read, understand, and follow and should
be used in place of a complicated multi-nested If...ElseIf structure.

Stop
Ends execution of the program. The Stop statement can be placed anywhere in your
code.

Example

Dim x,y,z

For x = 1 to 5
For y = 1 to 5
For z = 1 to 5
Print "Looping",z,y,x
Next z
Next y
Stop
Next x

While...Wend

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The While...Wendloop conditional statement is similar to the Do Whileloop statement. The

condition is checked before executing the block of statements comprising the loop.

Example

While <condition>
<statement/s>
Wend

With
Note: The With statement is not supported in CitectVBA.
When performing a series of commands on an object, you must explicitly refer to the
name of the object with each command.

Conversion Functions
CitectVBA conversion functions are provided to assist with data manipulation and cal-
culation in your formulas. Conversion functions can be used in CitectVBA statements,
and will (like all other functions), return a value to the caller.

ASCII character code conversion

Vijeo Citect uses the following character code conversion functions:

Asc Returns the numeric ASCII value of a string.

Chr Returns the string ASCII value of a number.

Asc
Converts a text string character to its numeric ASCII code value. The Asc function
expects the argument Str to be a valid string expression. If Strcontains no characters, a
runtime error occurs. The Asc function performs the opposite of the Chr function, which
converts a number into its string character ASCII code value.

Syntax

Asc(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

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Return Value

Returns the numeric ASCII code value of the first character in Str provided in the argu-
ment.

Related Functions

Chr

Example

Dim vntVar ' declare result holder variable

vntVar = Asc("A")' returns 65
vntVar = Asc("Z")' returns 90
vntVar = Asc("a")' returns 97
vntVar = Asc("z")' returns 122
vntVar = Asc("Apple")' returns 65
vntVar = Asc("Zoe")' returns 90

Chr
Converts a number into its string character ASCII code value.
The Chr function expects the argument Num to be a valid numeric integer (whole pos-
itive number within the range 0 to 255 inclusive). If Chrcontains no number, a runtime
error occurs.

Note: Values 8, 9, 10, and 13 convert to backspace, tab, linefeed, and carriage return
characters respectively.

The Chr function performs the opposite of the Asc function, which converts a text string
character to it's numeric ASCII code value.

Syntax

Chr(Num)
Num:

An integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns a single character string representing the ASCII character code value of the
number Num provided in the argument.

Related Functions

Asc

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Example

Dim vntVar ' declare result holder variable

vntVar = Chr(65) ' returns "A"
vntVar = Chr(97) ' returns "a"
vntVar = Chr(90) ' returns "Z"
vntVar = Chr(122) ' returns "z"

Date conversion
Vijeo Citect uses the following date conversion functions:

CDate Converts an expression to a variant of date data type.

CDbl Converts an expression to a double data type.

CInt Converts an expression to a integer data type.

CLng Converts an expression to a long data type.

CSng Converts an expression to a single data type.

CStr Converts an expression to a string data type.

CVar Converts an expression to a variant data type.

CDate
Converts any valid date expression to a Date data type.
The CDate function expects the argument Date to be a date expression (limited to
numbers or strings in any combination) that can represent a date from January 1, 100
through December 31, 9999.

Syntax

CDate(Date)
Date:

A string or expression that can represent a date value. This includes any combination of date lit-
erals, numbers that look like dates, strings that look like dates, and dates from functions.

Return Value

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Returns the value of the expression Date provided in the argument as a variant with a
vartype of 7 (date data type).

Related Functions

CDbl | CInt | CLng | CSng | CStr | CVar

Example

Dim MybDate, MDate, MTime, MSTime

' Define date.
MybDate = "May 29, 1959"
' Convert to Date data type.
MDate = CDate(MybDate)
' Define time.
MTime = "10:32:27 PM"
' Convert to Date data type.
MSTime = CDate(MTime)

CDbl
Converts expressions to a double data type.

Syntax

CDbl(Exp)
Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or a number.

Return Value

Returns the value of the expression Exp provided in the argument as a double data type.

Related Functions

CDate | CInt | CLng | CSng | CStr | CVar

Example

Dim x as integer
Dim z as double
z = CDbl(x)'Converts the integer value of x to a double value in z

CInt
Converts expressions to an integer data type.

Syntax

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CInt(Exp)
Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns the value of the expression Exp provided in the argument as an integer data
type.

Related Functions

CDate | CDbl | CLng | CSng | CStr | CVar

Example

Dim x as integer
Dim y as long
x = CInt(y) 'Converts the long value of y to an integer value in x

CLng
Converts expressions to a long data type.

Syntax

CLng(Exp)
Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns the value of the expression Exp provided in the argument as a long data type.

Related Functions

CDate | CDbl | CInt | CSng | CStr | CVar

Example

Dim x as integer
Dim y as long
y = CLng(x) 'Converts the integer value of x to an long value in y

CSng
Converts expressions to a single data type.

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Syntax

CSng(Exp)
Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns the value of the expression Exp provided in the argument as a single data type.

Related Functions

CDate | CDbl | CInt | CLng | CStr | CVar

Example

Dim x as integer
Dim s as single
s = CSng(x) 'Converts the integer value of x to a single value in s

CStr
Converts expressions to a string data type.

Syntax

CStr(Exp)
Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns the value of the expression Exp provided in the argument as a string data type.

Related Functions

CDate | CDbl | CInt | CLng | CStr | CVar | CSng

Example

Dim x as integer
Dim t as string
t = CStr(x) 'Converts the integer value of x to a string value in t

CVar
Converts expressions to a variant data type.

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Syntax

CVar(Exp)
Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns the value of the expression (Exp) provided in the argument as a variant data
type.

Related Functions

CDate | CDbl | CInt | CLng | CSng | CStr

Example

Dim x as integer
Dim v as variant
v = CVar(x) 'Converts the integer value of x to a variant value in v

Date and time formatting/conversion

Vijeo Citect uses the following formatting/conversion functions:

DateSerial Constructs a date value.

TimeSerial Constructs an time value.

DateSerial
Constructs a date value from the given Year, Month, and Day arguments passed to the
function. The DateSerial function expects all three parameters to be valid. Date values in
CitectVBA are evaluated using the Gregorian Calendar.

Syntax

DateSerial(year,month,day)
year, month, day:

The year, month and day as integers.

Return Value

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Returns a Variant (of date data type) containing a date value corresponding to the Year,
Month and Day values that were passed in to the function.

Related Functions

TimeSerial

Example

Dim varMyBDate
varMyBDate = DateSerial(1958, 7, 08)
' constructs and stores date value.

TimeSerial
Constructs a time value serially from the given Hrs, Mins, and Secs arguments passed
to the function. The TimeSerial Function expects all three arguments to be valid.

Syntax

TimeSerial(hours,minutes,seconds)
hours, minutes, seconds:

The hours, minutes and seconds to be converted to serial form as integers.

Return Value

Returns a Variant (of date data type) containing a time value corresponding to the Hrs,
Mins, and Secs values that were passed in to the function.

Related Functions

DateSerial

Example

Dim varMyTime
varMyTime = TimeSerial(14, 35, 17)
' stores time as 2:35:17 PM

Number and string conversion

Vijeo Citect uses the following functions for converting and formatting numbers and
strings:

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For- Formats a string, number, or variant to the format expression (fmt ).

mat

Hex Converts a value to a string representing the hex value.

Oct Converts a value to a string representing the octal value.

Str Converts a value to a string containing numeric characters.

Val Converts a string containing numeric characters to a numeric value.

Format
Formats a string, number, or variant to the format expression fmt. The Format function
expects the argument Exp to be a valid expression to be formatted.
The Format function expects the argument fmt to be a string of characters that specify
how the expression is to displayed, or the name of a commonly used format that has
been predefined in CitectVBA. Do not mix different type format expressions in a single
fmt parameter.
If the fmt parameter is omitted or is zero-length and the expression parameter is a
numeric, Format[$] provides the same functionality as the Str[$] function by converting
the numeric value to the appropriate return data type. Positive numbers convert to
strings using Format[$] lack the leading space reserved for displaying the sign of the
value, whereas those converted using Str[$] retain the leading space.
To format numbers, you can use the commonly used formats that have been predefined
in CitectVBA, or you can create user-defined formats with standard characters that have
special meaning when used in a format expression.

Syntax

Format(Exp [,fmt])
Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns a formatted string.

Predefined numeric format names
l General - Display the number as is, with no thousand Separators
l Fixed - Display at least one digit to the left and two digits to the right of the decimal
separator.

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l Standard - Display number with thousand separator, if appropriate; display two dig-
its to the right of the decimal separator.
l Percent - Display number multiplied by 100 with a percent sign (%) appended to the
right' display two digits to the right of the decimal separator.
l Scientific - Use standard scientific notation.
l True/False - Display False if number is 0, otherwise display True.
User-defined number formats
l Null string - Display the number with no formatting.
l 0 - Digit placeholder.
Display a digit or a zero
If the number being formatted has fewer digits than there are zeros (on either side of the
decimal) in the format expression, leading or trailing zeros are displayed. If the number
has more digits to the right of the decimal separator than there are zeros to the right of
the decimal separator in the format expression, the number is rounded to as many dec-
imal places as there are zeros. If the number has more digits to left of the decimal sep-
arator than there are zeros to the left of the decimal separator in the format expression,
the extra digits are displayed without modification.
l Digit placeholder(#). Displays a digit or nothing. If there is a digit in the expression
being formatted in the position where the # appears in the format string, displays it;
otherwise, nothing is displayed.
l Decimal placeholder(.). The decimal placeholder determines how many digits are dis-
played to the left and right of the decimal separator.
l Percentage placeholder.(%) The percent character (%) is inserted in the position
where it appears in the format string. The expression is multiplied by 100.
l Thousand separator(,). The thousand separator separates thousands from hundreds
within a number that has four or more places to the left of the decimal separator. Use
of this separator as specified in the format statement contains a comma surrounded
by digit placeholders(0 or #). Two adjacent commas or a comma immediately to the
left of the decimal separator (whether or not a decimal is specified) means "scale the
number by dividing it by 1000, rounding as needed."
l Scientific format(E-E+e-e+). If the format expression contains at least one digit place-
holder (0 or #) to the right of E-,E+,e- or e+, the number is displayed in scientific for-
matted E or e inserted between the number and its exponent. The number of digit
placeholders to the right determines the number of digits in the exponent. Use E- or e-
to place a minus sign next to negative exponents. Use E+ or e+ to place a plus sign
next to positive exponents.
l Time separator(:). The actual character used as the time separator depends on the
Time Format specified in the International section of the Control Panel.

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l Date separator(/). The actual character used as the date separator in the formatted
out depends on Date Format specified in the International section of the Control
Panel.
l Display a literal character (- + $ ( )). To display a character other than one of those
listed, precede it with a backslash (\).
l Display the next character in the format string (\). The backslash itself isn't dis-
played. To display a backslash, use two backslashes (\\).

Note: Examples of characters that can't be displayed as literal characters are the
date- and time- formatting characters (a,c,d,h,m,n,p,q,s,t,w,y, and /:), the numeric for-
matting characters(#,0,%,E,e,comma, and period), and the string- formatting char-
acters (@,&,<,>, and !).

l Display the string inside the double quotation marks ("String"). To include a string in
fmt from within CitectVBA, you need to use the ANSI code for a double quotation
mark Chr(34) to enclose the text.
l Display the next character as the fill character (*). Any empty space in a field is filled
with the character following the asterisk.
Unless the fmt argument contains one of the predefined formats, a format expression for
numbers can have from one to four sections separated by semicolons.

If you use The result is

One section The format expression applies to all values.

Two The first section applies to positive values, the second to negative
sections values.

Three The first section applies to positive values, the second to negative
sections values, and the third to zeros.

Four The first section applies to positive values, the second to negative
section values, the third to zeros, and the fourth to Null values.

The following example has two sections: the first defines the format for positive values
and zeros; the second section defines the format for negative values.
"$#,##0; ($#,##0)"
If you include semicolons with nothing between them. the missing section is printed
using the format of the positive value. For example, the following format displays pos-
itive and negative values using the format in the first section and displays "Zero" if the
value is zero.

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"$#,##0;;\Z\e\r\o"

Some sample format expressions for numbers are shown below. (These examples
assume the Country is set to United States in the International section of the Control
Panel.) The first column contains the format strings. The other columns contain the out-
put the results if the formatted data has the value given in the column headings.

Format (fmt) Positive 3 Negative 3 Decimal .3 Null

Null string 3 -3 0.3

0 3 -3 1

0.00 3.00 -3.00 0.30

#,##0 3 -3 1

#,##0.00;;;Nil 3.00 -3.00 0.30 Nil

$#,##0;($#,##0) $3 ($3) $1

$#,##0.00;($#,##0.00) $3.00 ($3.00) $0.30

0% 300% -300% 30%

0.00% 300.00% -300.00% 30.00%

0.00E+00 3.00E+00 - 3.00E-01

3.00E+00

0.00E-00 3.00E00 -3.00E00 3.00E-01

Numbers can also be used to represent date and time information. You can format date
and time serial numbers using date and time formats or number formats because
date/time serial numbers are stored as floating-point values.
To format dates and times, you can use either the commonly used format that have been
predefined or create user-defined time formats using standard meaning of each:

General Display a date and/or time. for real numbers, display a date and time.
(e.g. 4/3/93 03:34 PM); If there is no fractional part, display only a
date (e.g. 4/3/93); if there is no integer part, display time only (e.g.
03:34 PM).

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Long Date Display a Long Date, as defined in the International section of the Con-
trol Panel.

Medium Display a date in the same form as the Short Date, as defined in the
international section of the Control Panel, except spell out the month
abbreviation.

Short Date Display a Short Date, as defined in the International section of the Con-
trol Panel.

Long Time Display a Long Time, as defined in the International section of the Con-
trol panel. Long Time includes hours, minutes, seconds.

Medium Display time in 12-hour format using hours and minuets and the Time
AM/PM designator.

Short Time Display a time using the 24-hour format (e.g. 17:45)

c Display the date as dddd and display the time as ttttt. in the order.

d Display the day as a number without a leading zero (1-31).

dd Display the day as a number with a leading zero (01-31).

ddd Display the day as an abbreviation (Sun-Sat).

ddddd Display a date serial number as a complete date (including day , month,
and year).

w Display the day of the week as a number (1- 7 ).

ww Display the week of the year as a number (1-53).

m Display the month as a number without a leading zero (1-12). If m

immediately follows h or hh, the minute rather than the month is dis-
played.

mm Display the month as a number with a leading zero (01-12). If mm

immediately follows h or hh, the minute rather than the month is dis-
played.

mmm Display the month as an abbreviation (Jan-Dec).

mmmm Display the month as a full month name (January-December).

q display the quarter of the year as a number (1-4).

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y Display the day of the year as a number (1-366).

yy Display the day of the year as a two-digit number (00-99)

yyyy Display the day of the year as a four-digit number (100-9999).

h Display the hour as a number without leading zeros (0-23).

hh Display the hour as a number with leading zeros (00-23).

n Display the minute as a number without leading zeros (0-59).

nn Display the minute as a number with leading zeros (00-59).

s Display the second as a number without leading zeros (0-59).

ss Display the second as a number with leading zeros (00-59).

ttttt Display a time serial number as a complete time (including hour, min-
ute, and second) formatted using the time separator defined by the
Time Format in the International section of the Control Panel. A leading
zero is displayed if the Leading Zero option is selected and the time is
before 10:00 A.M. or P.M. The default time format is h:mm:ss.

AM/PM Use the 12-hour clock and display an uppercase AM/PM

am/pm Use the 12-hour clock display a lowercase am/pm

A/P Use the 12-hour clock display a uppercase A/P

a/p Use the 12-hour clock display a lowercase a/p

AMPM Use the 12-hour clock and display the contents of the 11:59 string
(s1159) in the WIN.INI file with any hour before noon; display the con-
tents of the 2359 string (s2359) with any hour between noon and
11:59 PM. AMPM can be either uppercase or lowercase, but the case of
the string displayed matches the string as it exists in the WIN.INI file.
The default format is AM/PM.

m/d/yy 2/26/65

d-mmmm-yy 26-February-65

d-mmmm 26 February

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mmmm-yy February 65

hh:nn AM/PM 06:45 PM

h:nn:ss a/p 6:45:15 p

h:nn:ss 18:45:15

m/d/yy/h:nn 2/26/65 18:45

Strings can also be formatted with Format[$]. A format expression for strings can have
one section or two sections separated by a semicolon.

If you The result is

use

One sec- The format applies to all string data.

tion only

Two sec- The first section applies to string data, the second to Null values and zero-
tions length strings.

The following characters can be used to create a format expression for strings:

@ Character placeholder. Displays a character or a space. Placeholders are filled from

right to left unless there is an !character in the format string.

& Character placeholder. Display a character or nothing.

< Force lowercase.

> Force uppercase.

! Force placeholders to fill from left to right instead of right to left.

Related Functions

Hex | Oct | Str | Val

Example

' Format Function Example

' This example shows various uses of the Format function to format values
' using both named and user-defined formats. For the date separator (/),

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' time separator (:), and AM/ PM literal, the actual formatted output
' displayed by your system depends on the locale settings on which the code
' is running. When times and dates are displayed in the development
' environment, the short time and short date formats of the code locale
' are used. When displayed by running code, the short time and short date
' formats of the system locale are used, which may differ from the code
' locale. For this example, English/United States is assumed.

' MyTime and MyDate are displayed in the development environment using
' current system short time and short date settings.
MyTime = "08:04:23 PM"
MyDate = "03/03/95"
MyDate = "January 27, 1993"
MsgBox Now
MsgBox MyTime
MsgBox Second( MyTime ) & " Seconds"
MsgBox Minute( MyTime ) & " Minutes"
MsgBox Hour( MyTime ) & " Hours"
MsgBox Day( MyDate ) & " Days"
MsgBox Month( MyDate ) & " Months"
MsgBox Year( MyDate ) & " Years"
' Returns current system time in the system-defined long time format.
MsgBox Format(Time, "Short Time")
MyStr = Format(Time, "Long Time")
' Returns current system date in the system-defined long date format.
MsgBox Format(Date, "Short Date")
MsgBox Format(Date, "Long Date")
MyStr Format(MyTime, "h:n:s") ' Returns "17:4:23".
MyStr Format(MyTime, "hh:nn:ss")' Returns "20:04:22 ".
MyStr Format(MyDate, "dddd, mmm d yyyy")' Returns "Wednesday, Jan 27 1993".
' If format is not supplied, a string is returned.
MsgBox Format(23) ' Returns "23".
' User-defined formats.
MsgBox Format(5459.4, "##,##0.00") ' Returns "5,459.40".
MsgBox Format(334.9, "###0.00") ' Returns "334.90".
MsgBox Format(5, "0.00%") ' Returns "500.00%".
MsgBox Format("HELLO", "<") ' Returns "hello".
MsgBox Format("This is it", ">") ' Returns "THIS IS IT".

Hex
Converts a numeric value to a text string representing the hexadecimal value of the
number.
The Hex function expects the argument Num to be a valid numeric value. It is rounded
to nearest whole number before evaluation.

Syntax

Hex(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

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Return Value

Returns a text string containing the hexadecimal value of the numeric Num value pro-
vided in the argument.

Related Functions

Format | Oct | Str | Val

Example

Dim MyHex as String

MyHex = Hex(5) 'returns "5"
MyHex = Hex(10) 'returns "A"
MyHex = Hex(459) 'returns "1CB"

Oct
Converts a numeric value to a text string representing the octal value of the number.
The Oct function expects the argument Num to be a valid numeric value. It is rounded to
nearest whole number before evaluation.

Syntax

Oct(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns a text string containing the octal value of the numeric Num value provided in
the argument.

Related Functions

Format | Hex | Str | Val

Example

Dim MyOct as String

MyOct = Oct(4) 'returns "4"
MyOct = Oct(8) 'returns "10"
MyOct = Oct(459) 'returns "713"

Str

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Converts a numeric value to a text string containing numeric characters. The Str func-
tion expects the argument Num to be a valid numeric value.
The Str function is often used to prepare a numerical value for display as a string in a
caption, label, string field, or string expression.
The Str function performs the opposite of the Val function, which converts a text string
containing numeric characters to a numeric value.

Note: Please remember the data type coercion considerations with variant data types.
See Variants.

Syntax

Str(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns a string containing the numeric character representation of the numeric Num
value provided in the argument.
The Str function reserves the first return string character for the sign of Num. If Num is
positive, a leading space is used and the plus sign is implied.

Related Functions

Format | Hex |Oct | Val

Example

Dim vntVar ' declare result holder variable

vntVar = Str() ' returns " "

vntVar = Str(65) ' returns " 65"
vntVar = Str(97.578) ' returns " 97.578"
vntVar = Str(-97.578) ' returns "-97.578"

Val
Converts a text string containing numeric characters to a numeric value. The Val func-
tion expects the argument Str to be a valid string expression. The Val function stops read-
ing the string when it reaches a non numeric character.

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Symbols such as dollar signs and commas are not recognised; however, radix prefixes
for octal (&0) and hexadecimal (&H) are. Blanks, tabs and linefeeds are stripped out
from the return.
The Val function performs the opposite of the Str function, which converts a numeric
value to a text string containing numeric characters.

Syntax

Val(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns the numeric value of a string of characters extracted from the Str provided in the
argument.

Related Functions

Format | Hex | Oct | Str

Example

Dim vntVar ' declare result holder variable

vntVar = Val("65") ' returns 65
vntVar = Val("90 Main St.") ' returns 90
vntVar = Val("12+34+56") ' returns 12
vntVar = Val(" 12 34 56 ") ' returns 123456
vntVar = Val("&0FF") ' returns
vntVar = Val("Zoe") ' returns 0

Declarations
CitectVBA declarations allow you to manipulate and control variables and constants.
The Declaration functions and statements predefined in CitectVBA are:

CreateObject Creates an OLE Automation object reference

function

Const statement Assigns a symbolic name to a constant value.

Declare state- Declare references to external procedures in a DLL.

ment

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Dim statement Allocates storage for, and declares the data type of, variables and
arrays.

IsDate Determines if a Variant parameter can be converted to a date.

IsEmpty Determines if a Variant parameter has been initialized.

IsNull Determines if a Variant contains NULL.

IsNumeric Determines if a Variant can be converted to a numeric data type.

Nothing keyword Releases an OLE Automation object reference from a variable of

object type.

Option Base Declares the default lower bound for array subscripts.
statement

Option Compare Determines the default string comparison method. Forces explicit
statement declaration of all variables.

ReDim statement Used to size or resize a dynamic array.

Set statement Assigns an OLE Automation object reference to a variable of object

type.

Static statement Allocates storage for, and declares the data type of, variables and
arrays.

VarType Indicates the data type used within the Variant.

CreateObject
Creates a new OLE Automation object and assigns a reference to the object.

Syntax

Set objVarName = CreateObject(objClassName)

objVarName:

The required name of the variable receiving the reference.

objClassName:

The required class name of the object to be created.

The object variable objVarName must be declared before it can be set to reference an OLE
Automation object.

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Related Functions

Dim | Set

Example

' create variable to store object reference

Dim objWord as Object
' create object and assign reference to variable
Set objWord = CreateObject( "Word.Document" )
' insert appropriate VBA code here to manipulate Word object
' release reference
Set objWord = Nothing.

Const
Assigns a symbolic name to a constant value using the following syntax:

Const VarName [As DataType] = Expression

A constant must be defined before it is used. Unlike variables, constants are assigned
values when initialized and retain that same value during the life of the constant.
Constant statements can only be declared and assigned using simple expressions. Con-
stants can NOT be assigned values from variables, user-defined functions, intrinsic
CitectVBA functions (such as Chr), or from any expression that involves an operator.
Constants declared in a Sub or Function procedure are local to that procedure. A con-
stant declared outside a procedure has modular scope to all procedures within the same
CitectVBA file module. See Scope of CitectVBA.
Constants can be used anywhere in your CitectVBA code where you could use a
CitectVBA expression.
If you use Const outside a procedure its scope becomes global.
A type declaration character may also be used. However if none is used, CitectVBA will
automatically assign one of the following data types to the constant: long (if it is a long
or integer); Double (if a decimal place is present); or String (if it is a string).

Syntax

Const(VarName, Exp)
VarName:

A string representing a valid variable name.

Exp:

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

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Related Functions

Dim | ReDim | Static

Example

' Correct declaration examples

' long assignment
Const Seven = 7
' double assignment
Const Pi = 3.14159
' string assignment
Const Lab = "Laboratory"

' Incorrect declaration examples

' NOTE that the following declarations demonstrate incorrect
assignments
' because each contains an operator
Const conPi = 4 * Atn(1)
' will cause a CitectVBA compile error
Const conDegToRad = (conPi / 180)
' will cause a CitectVBA compile error

Declare
The Declare statement is used at module (file) level to declare references to external pro-
cedures in a dynamic-link library (DLL).

Syntax

Declare Function<FunctionName> Lib "<LibName>" [Alias "<AliasName>"] [([<ArgList>])]

[As <ReturnType>]
FunctionName:

The required name of the function being declared.

LibName:

The required DLL filename containing the function being called.

AliasName:

The optional function name within the DLL being called.

ArgList:

The optional argument/s of the function.

ReturnType:

The optional return data type.

Related Functions

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Dim

Example

Declare Function GetWinTempPath Lib "kernel32" _

Alias "GetTempPathA" _
(ByVal nBufferLength As Long, _
ByVal lpBuffer As String) As Long

Dim
The Dim statement allocates storage for, and declares the data type of, variables and
arrays in a module.
The To clause in the array subscript range of a Dim statement provides a more flexible
way to control the lower bound of an array. If you don't explicitly set the lower bound
with a To clause, the Option Base setting (if used) comes into affect, or defaults to zero (if
not used).

Syntax

Dim VariableName[(Subscripts)] [As DataType]

VariableName:

The name of the variable or array being declared (dimensioned).

Subscripts:

The optional subscript range (dimensions) for an array in parentheses.

DataType:

The optional data type declaration for the variable or array.

Related Functions

Const | ReDim | Static

Example

Dim bytVar As Byte

Dim binVar As Boolean
Dim strVar As String
Dim intVar As Integer
Dim lngVar As Long
Dim sngVar As Single
Dim dblVar As Double
Dim vntVar As Variant
Dim objVar As Object
Dim dtmVar As Date

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Dim daysOfWeek() As String ' declares an array variable to hold strings

Dim monthsOfYear(12) As Date ' declares an array variable to hold 12 strings

Dim users(,) As String ' declares a two dimensional array to hold strings
Dim usernames(5,5) As String ' declares a two dimensional 5 x 5 array to hold
strings

Dim MyArray(1 To 10, 5 To 15, 10 To 20) ' declares the three dimensional array
MyArray and specifies the upper and lower bounds of each dimension

IsDate
Determines if an expression can be converted to a date.
The required Date argument is a Variant containing a date expression or string expres-
sion recognizable as a date or time value.

Syntax

IsDate(Date)
Date:

A string or expression that can represent a date value. This includes any combination of date lit-
erals, numbers that look like dates, strings that look like dates, and dates from functions.

Return Value

Returns a Boolean True or False.

Related Functions

IsEmpty | IsNull | IsNumeric | VarType

Example

Dim x As String
Dim MArray As Integer, MCheck
MArray = 345
x = "January 1, 1987"
MCheck = IsDate(MArray)
MChekk = IsDate(x)
MArray1 = CStr(MArray)
MCheck1 = CStr(MCheck)
Print MArray1 & " is a date " & Chr(10) & MCheck
Print x & " is a date" & Chr(10) & MChekk

IsEmpty
Determines if a variant parameter has been initialised.

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The required Expargument is a variant containing a numeric or string expression. How-

ever, because IsEmpty is used to determine if individual variables are initialised, the
Expargument is most often a single variable name.
IsEmpty returns True if the variable is un-initialised, or is explicitly set to Empty; other-
wise, it returns False. False is returned if Expcontains more than one variable.

Note:IsEmpty only returns meaningful information for variants.

Syntax

IsEmpty(Exp)
Exp

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Related Functions

Returns a Boolean True or False.

Related Functions

IsDate | IsNull | IsNumeric | VarType

Example

Dim x ' Empty

x = 5 ' Not Empty - Long
x = Empty ' Empty
y = x ' Both Empty
MsgBox "x" & " IsEmpty: " & IsEmpty(x)

IsNull
Determines if a Variant contains Null.
IsNull returns True if expression is Null; otherwise, IsNull returns False. If Exp consists
of more than one variable, Null in any constituent variable causes True to be returned
for the entire expression.
The Null value indicates that the Variant contains no valid data. Null is not the same as
Empty, which indicates that a variable has not yet been initialised. It is also not the
same as a zero-length string (" "), which is sometimes referred to as a null string.

Note: Use the IsNull function to determine whether VarName contains a Null value.
Expressions that you might expect to evaluate to True under some circumstances,

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such as If Var = Null and If Var <> Null, are always False. This is because any
expression containing a Null is itself Null and, therefore, False.

Syntax

IsNull(Exp)
Exp

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns a Boolean True or False.

Related Functions

IsDate | IsEmpty | IsNumeric | VarType

Example

Dim MyVar, MyCheck

MyCheck = IsNull(MyVar) ' Returns False.

MyVar = ""
MyCheck = IsNull(MyVar) ' Returns False.

MyVar = Null
MyCheck = IsNull(MyVar) ' Returns True.

IsNumeric
Determines if a variant can be evaluated as a number.
The required Exp argument is a variant containing a numeric expression or string expres-
sion that can be evaluated as a number.
IsNumeric returns False if Exp is a date expression.

Syntax

IsNumeric(Exp)
Exp

A valid string, number or Variant containing a value recognizable as a string or number.

Return Value

Returns a Boolean True or False.

Related Functions

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IsDate | IsEmpty | IsNull | VarType

Example

Dim TestVar ' Declare variable.

TestVar = InputBox("Please enter a number, letter, or symbol.")
If IsNumeric(TestVar) Then ' Evaluate variable.
MsgBox "Entered data is numeric." ' Message if number.
Else
MsgBox "Entered data is not numeric." ' Message if not.
End If

Nothing
Releases an OLE Automation object reference from a variable of object type. The Nothing
keyword is used in a Set statement.
In the following declaration syntax example, each placeholder shown inside arrow brack-
ets ( <placeholder> ) should be replaced in any actual code with the value of the item
that it describes. The arrow brackets and the word they contain should not be included
in the statement, and are shown here only for your information.

Syntax

SetobjVarName = Nothing
objVarName:

The required name of the variable receiving the reference.

The nothing keyword should be used when you are finished with an object, to clear any
variables that reference the object, so the object can be released from memory.

Related Functions

CreateObject | Function | Set

Example

' create variable to store object reference

Option Base
Declares the default lower bound for array subscripts.

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The Option Base statement is optional. If used, it can appear only once in a CitectVBA
file, and must be used before you declare the dimensions of any arrays.
The To clause in the array subscript range of a Dim statement provides a more flexible
way to control the lower bound of an array. If you don't explicitly set the lower bound
with a To clause, the Option Base setting (if used) comes into affect, or defaults to zero (if
not used).

Syntax

Option BaseNum
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value. The value of the 'number' parameter
must be either 0 or 1. The default is 0.

Related Functions

Dim | ReDim

Example

The example below uses the Option Base statement to override the default base array
subscript value of 0.

' Module level statement

Option Base 1

' Create the array

Dim Arr(20)
' Declare message variables
Dim Msg As String
Dim NL as String
' Define newline
NL = Chr(10) & Chr(13)
' Create message
Msg = "The lower bound is " & LBound(Arr) & "."
Msg = Msg & NL & "The upper bound is " & UBound(Arr) & "."
' Display message
MsgBox Msg

Option Compare
Determines how strings are compared within a CitectVBA module. The optional Option
Compare statement if used, must be placed at the top of the CitectVBA file along with
any other Option declarations.
If an Option Compare statement is not included, the default text comparison method is
Binary.

Syntax

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Option Compare {Binary | Text}

Related Functions

InStr | StrComp

Example

Option Compare Binary

Dim vntResult as Variant
vntResult = StrComp("CitectVBA rules!", "Citectvba Rules!")
' returns 1 (strings unequal)

Example

Option Compare Text

Dim vntResult as Variant
vntResult = StrComp("CitectVBA rules!", "Citectvba Rules!")
' returns 0 (strings equal)

Syntax

ReDimVariableName(Subscripts)
VariableName:

The name of the variable or array being redimensioned.

Subscripts:

An Integer or expression representing a valid To numeric value range when declaring the dimen-
sions of an variable array. Up to 60 multiple dimensions may be declared.

The subscripts argument uses the following syntax:

[lower To] upper [,[lower To] upper] . . .

When not explicitly stated in lower, the lower bound of an array is controlled by the
Option Base statement. The lower bound is zero if no Option Base statement is present
in the CitectVBA file.

Related Functions

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Dim | Const | Static

Example

Dim TestArray() As Integer

Dim I
ReDim TestArray(10)
For I = 1 To 10
TestArray(I) = I + 10
Print TestArray(I)
Next I

Set
Assigns an OLE Automation object reference to a variable of object type.

Syntax

Set objVarName = CreateObject(objClassName) | Nothing

objVarName:

The required name of the variable receiving the reference.

objClassName:

The required class name of the object to be created.

Use the Nothing keyword to release the object reference.

The object variable objVarName must be declared before it can be set to reference an OLE
Automation object.

Related Functions

CreateObject | Nothing

Example

' create variable to store object reference

Static

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The Static statement allocates storage for-and declares the data type of-variables and
arrays that will retain their values between subsequent references. Static variables are
more commonly used within procedures (subroutines and functions), and have local
scope.

Syntax

Static VariableName[(Subscripts)] [As DataType]

VariableName:

The required name of the variable being declared (dimensioned).

Subscripts:

The optional subscript range for an array.

DataType:

The optional CitectVBA data type declaration for the variable.

Related Functions

Const | Dim | ReDim

Example

Static bytVar As Byte

Static binVar As Boolean
Static strVar As String
Static intVar As Integer
Static lngVar As Long
Static sngVar As Single
Static dblVar As Double
Static vntVar As Variant
Static objVar As Object
Static dtmVar As Date
Static udtVar As <UserDefinedTypeName>

VarType
Determines the data type of a Variant variable.
The required VarName argument is a Variant containing any variable (except user-
defined type).

Syntax

VarType(VarName)
VarName:

A string representing a valid variable name.

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Return Value

These are the return values:

Return Value Data Type

0 Empty

1 Null

2 Integer

3 Long

4 Single

5 Double

6 Not Applicable

7 Date/Time

8 String

Related Functions

IsDate | IsEmpty | IsNull | IsNumeric

Example

Dim IntVar, StrVar, DateVar, MyCheck

' Initialize variables.
IntVar = 459
StrVar = "Hello World"
DateVar = #2/12/69#
MyCheck = VarType(IntVar) ' Returns 2.
MyCheck = VarType(DateVar) ' Returns 7.
MyCheck = VarType(StrVar) ' Returns 8.

Date and Time Functions

CitectVBA date and time functions let you make use of your computer's system time and
date.
The date and time functions predefined in CitectVBA are:

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Date function Determines the current system date according to the setting of the com-
puter's system time.

Date state- Sets the current system date.

ment

DateSerial Constructs a date value.

function

DateValue Calculates a date.

function

Day function Calculates the day.

Hour function Extracts the hours value from an expression (Time ).

Minute func- Extracts the minutes value from an expression (Time ).

tion

Month func- Calculates the month.

tion

Now function Determines the current date and time according to the setting of the
computer's system date and time.

Second func- Extracts the seconds value from an expression (Time ).

tion

Time function Determines the current time according to the setting of the computer's
system time.

Time (state- Sets the current system time.

ment)

Timer event Used to track elapsed time.

TimeSerial Constructs an time value.

function

TimeValue Calculates a time.

function

WeekDay Calculates the weekday value of a date.

function

Year function Calculates the year.

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Date
Gets the current date in string format.
Time/Date functions can only be used with dates between 1980 and 2035. You should
check that the date you are using is valid with Cicode similar to the following:

IF StrToDate(Arg1) > 0 THEN

...
ELSE
...
END

Syntax

Date([Format])
Format:

The format required:

2 - Short date format, dd/mm/yy

3 - Long date format, day month year
9 - Extended date format, dd/mm/yyyy

If omitted, the default Format is 2. All of these formats follow the Regional Settings found in the
Windows Control Panel.

Return Value

The current date (in string format).

Related Functions

Time| TimeToStr | TimeCurrent

Example

/* If the current system date is 3rd November 1991 and the Windows date format is
dd/mm/yy; */
str = Date();
! Sets str to "3/11/91".
str = Date(2);
! Sets str to "3/11/91".
str = Date(3);
! Sets str to "3rd November 1991".

Sets the current system date.

The DateValue literal is displayed in short date format using the locale settings of your
development system. To view the locale settings for your system, in Windows, select
Start, Settings, Control Panel, Regional Options, Date. For example: in Australia, the
short date format is represented as d/MM/yyyy.

Syntax

Date = dateVariable
dateVariable:

You must enclose a Date literal within number signs (# #), for example #31/5/1993#.

Related Functions

Time (statement)

Example

Dim varCitectVBAReleaseDate
varCitectVBAReleaseDate = #01/07/2001#
Date = varCitectVBAReleaseDate
' sets system date to CitectVBA Release Date

Syntax

DateSerial(year,month,day)
year, month, day:

The year, month and day as integers.

Return Value

Returns a Variant (of date data type) containing a date value corresponding to the Year,
Month and Day values that were passed in to the function.

Related Functions

TimeSerial

Example

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Dim varMyBDate
varMyBDate = DateSerial(1958, 7, 08)
' constructs and stores date value.

DateValue

Calculates a date from the given date argument passed to the function. Date values in
CitectVBA are evaluated using the Gregorian Calendar. The DateValue function expects
the argument value (Date)to be a string or any expression that can represent a date.

Syntax

DateValue(Date)
Date:

A string or expression that can represent a date value. This includes any combination of date lit-
erals, numbers that look like dates, strings that look like dates, and dates from functions.

Return Value

Returns a variant (of date data type) corresponding to the string date expression that
was passed in.

Related Functions

TimeValue

Example

Dim varMyBDate
varMyBDate = DateValue("1958/07/08")
' stores date value.

Day
Calculates the day from the given date argument passed to the function using the Gre-
gorian Calendar.

Syntax

Day(Date)
Date:

A string or expression that can represent a date value. This includes any combination of date lit-
erals, numbers that look like dates, strings that look like dates, and dates from functions.

Return Value

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Returns a variant date corresponding to the date expression that was passed in.

Related Functions

Date | Year| Month | WeekDay

Example

Dim varMyBDate, varMyDay

varMyBDate = #July 8, 1958#
varMyDay = Day(varMyBDate)
' stores 8 for day value.

Hour
Calculates the hour value from the given time argument passed to the function.

Syntax

Hour(Time)
Time:

A string or expression that can represent a time value. This includes and combination of time lit-
erals, numbers that look like times, strings that look like times, and times from functions.

Return Value

Returns an integer between 0 and 23 that is the hour of the parameter (Time).

Related Functions

Minute | Second

Example

Dim varMyHour, varMyTime

varMyTime = "08:04:23 PM"
varMyHour = Hour(varMyTime)
' stores hours value.

Minute
Calculates the minute value from the given time argument passed to the function.

Syntax

Minute(Time)
Time:

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A string or expression that can represent a time value. This includes and combination of time lit-
erals, numbers that look like times, strings that look like times, and times from functions.

Return Value

Returns an integer between 0 and 59 representing the minute of the parameter (Time).

Related Functions

Hour | Second

Example

Dim varMyMin, varMyTime

varMyTime = "08:04:23 PM"
varMyMin = Minute(varMyTime)
' stores minutes value.

Month
Calculates the month from the given date argument passed to the function using the Gre-
gorian Calendar.

Syntax

Month(Date)
Date:

A string or expression that can represent a date value. This includes any combination of date lit-
erals, numbers that look like dates, strings that look like dates, and dates from functions.

Return Value

Returns an integer between 1 and 12 inclusive, that represents the month of the year.

Related Functions

Date | Year | WeekDay | Day

Example

Dim varMyBDate, varMyMonth

varMyBDate = "08 July 1958"
varMyMonth = Month(varMyBDate)
' returns 7 for July

Now

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Determines the current date and time according to the setting of the computer's system
date and time using the Gregorian Calendar. Unlike other functions, Now does not
require trailing parentheses.

Syntax

Now()

Return Value

The Now function returns a Variant data type containing a date and time value that is
stored internally as a double data type.
The number represents a date and time from January 1, 100 through December 31, 9999.
Numbers to the left of the decimal point represent the date and numbers to the right rep-
resent the time.

Related Functions

Date | Time | Timer

Example

Dim vntToday
vntToday = Now
' stores current system date and time.

Second
Calculates the second value from the given time argument passed to the function.

Syntax

Second(Time)
Time:

A string or expression that can represent a time value. This includes and combination of time lit-
erals, numbers that look like times, strings that look like times, and times from functions.

Return Value

Returns an integer that is the second portion of the parameter (Time).

Related Functions

Hour | Minute

Example

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Dim varMySec, varMyTime

varMyTime = "08:04:23 PM"
varMySec = Second(varMyTime)
' stores seconds value.

Time
Gets the current time in string format.
Time/date functions can only be used with dates from 1980 to 2035. You should check
that the date you are using is valid with Cicode similar to the following:

IF StrToDate(Arg1) > 0 THEN

...
ELSE
...
END

Syntax

Time([Format])
Format:

The format of the time:

0 - Short time format, hh:mm

1 - Long time format., hh:mm:ss

If omitted, the default Formatis 0.

Return Value

The current time (as a string).

Related Functions

Date

Example

! If the current time is 10:45:30;

Variable=Time();
! Sets Variable to "10:45".
Variable=Time(0);
! Sets Variable to "10:45".
Variable=Time(1);
! Sets Variable to "10:45:30".

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' Time statement example

Dim varMyTime
' Assign a time.
varMyTime = #4:35:17 PM#
' Set system time to variant varMyTime.
Time = varMyTime

Timer
The Timer event is used to track elapsed time or can be displayed as a stopwatch in a
dialog.

Syntax

Timer()

Return Value

The number of seconds since midnight.

Related Functions

Date | Time | Now

Example

Dim TS As Single
Dim TE As Single
Dim TEL As Single

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TS = Timer
MsgBox "Starting Timer"
TE = Timer
TT = TE - TS
Print TT

TimeSerial
Constructs a time value serially from the given Hrs, Mins, and Secs arguments passed
to the function. The TimeSerial Function expects all three arguments to be valid.

Syntax

TimeSerial(hours,minutes,seconds)
hours, minutes, seconds:

The hours, minutes and seconds to be converted to serial form as integers.

Return Value

Returns a Variant (of date data type) containing a time value corresponding to the Hrs,
Mins, and Secs values that were passed in to the function.

Related Functions

DateSerial

Example

Dim varMyTime
varMyTime = TimeSerial(14, 35, 17)
' stores time as 2:35:17 PM

TimeValue
Calculates a time. The TimeValue function expects the argument value (Time) to be a
string or any expression that can represent a time value.

Syntax

TimeValue(Time)
Time:

A string or expression that can represent a time value. This includes and combination of time lit-
erals, numbers that look like times, strings that look like times, and times from functions.

Return Value

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Returns a variant (of date data type) corresponding to the parameter (Time).

Related Functions

DateValue

Example

Dim varMyTime
varMyTime = TimeValue("2:35:17 PM")
' stores time as 14:35:17

WeekDay
Calculates the weekday value of the given date argument passed to the function. Date
values in CitectVBA are evaluated using the Gregorian Calendar.

Syntax

WeekDay(Date)
Date:

A string or expression that can represent a date value. This includes any combination of date lit-
erals, numbers that look like dates, strings that look like dates, and dates from functions.

Return Value

Returns an integer between the range of 1-7 inclusive representing the whole number for
the weekday:

Return Value Description

1 Sunday

2 Monday

3 Tuesday

4 Wednesday

5 Thursday

6 Friday

7 Saturday

Related Functions

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Date | Year| Month| Day

Example

Dim varMyBDate, varMyWeekDay

varMyBDate = #8/07/1958#
varMyWeekDay = WeekDay(varMyBDate)
' returns 3 (Tuesday)

Year
Calculates the year from the given date argument passed to the function. Date values in
CitectVBA are evaluated using the Gregorian Calendar.

Syntax

Year(Date)
Date:

A string or expression that can represent a date value. This includes any combination of date lit-
erals, numbers that look like dates, strings that look like dates, and dates from functions.

Return Value

Returns an integer representing a year 1930-2029 inclusive.

Related Functions

Date | Month| WeekDay| Day

Example

Dim varMyBDate, varMyYear

varMyDate = "08/07/58"
varMyYear = Year(varMyBDate)
' returns 1958

File I/O Functions

CitectVBA file Input/Output (I/O) functions are provided to enable read and write disk
file functionality.
The file I/O functions predefined in CitectVBA are:

ChDir Changes the system environment current directory on the specified drive.

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ChDrive Changes the system environment current drive to the specified drive.

Close Closes the file/s previously opened with the Open statement.

CurDir, Returns the current system environment path for the specified drive (Drv).
CurDir$

Dir Returns a file or directory name that matches the given Fileand Attrib argu-
ments.

EOF Returns a boolean True or False value during file access that indicates
whether the current position of an open file has reached the end of the file.

FileCopy Copies a file from Src to Dest.

FileLen Determines the byte length of a file.

FreeFile Retrieves the next sequential system file number available for association
with a file.

Get # Reads data from a disk file into a variable.

GetAttr Returns an Integer representing the attribute settings of a file, directory, or

volume.

Input Reads data from a Sequential file and assigns that data to variables. Input
function returns characters from a file opened in Input or Binary mode.

Kill Deletes files from disk.

Line Reads a single line from an open sequential file and assigns it to a String var-
Input # iable.

Loc Returns a number indicating the current position within a file opened using
the Open statement.

LOF Returns a number indicating the byte length of a sequential file opened using
the Open statement.

MkDir Creates the directory specified in the Path parameter.

Name Renames the disk file specified in the OldFileNameparameter, to the name
specified in the NewFileName parameter.

Open Enables input/output (I/O) to a disk file.

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Print Displays a message in the Vijeo Citect Kernel and the Cicode Editor output
(func- window.
tion)

Print # Reads data from OutputList and writes that data to a sequential file.

Put # Writes data from a variable to a disk file.

RmDir Deletes the directory specified in the Path parameter.

Seek Sets the current position within a file opened using the Open statement,
ready for the next read or write action.

Write # Writes data to a Sequential file opened in output or append mode and reads
that data from a list of variables.

ChDir
ChDir statement changes the system environment current directory on the specified
drive.
The parameter Path must be a string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file
structure path value. The parameter Dir must be a string or expression that can rep-
resent a valid DOS file structure directory name. The Path and Dir parameters together,
must be limited to less than 128 characters. The Path drive letter is optional, unless the
directory is on another drive. The required Dir parameter must be a valid directory
name.

Note: The file system keeps track of the current drive, and the current directory of
every drive. Use the CurDir statement to determine the current directory. The current
drive letter can be extracted from the Left character returned in the CurDir statement.

The ChDir statement changes the current directory but not the current drive. To change
the current drive, use the ChDrive statement.

Syntax

ChDirPath Dir
Path:

A string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file structure path value. This includes a direc-
tory name, and may include a relative or static directory or folder structure and drive letter, in the
order:

[<driveletter>:][\<rootdirectoryname>][\<subdirectory> ...

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\<subdirectory>\] directoryname

Note that the path can be relative to the current directory. A single period represents the current
directory (.), and two periods represent the parent directory of the current directory (..). For exam-
ple:
l chdir .. ' changes to the parent directory of the current directory
l chdir ..\test ' changes to the test subdirectory of the parent directory
Dir:

A string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file structure directory name. Dir is not case
sensitive. Dir is often used with the Path parameter.

Related Functions

ChDrive | CurDir, CurDir$ | Dir | MkDir | RmDir

Example

Dim strPath as String

strPath = CurDir()' store current path
ChDir "\"' change to root dir on current drive
<statements>' do stuff in root directory
ChDir strPath' change back to previous path

ChDrive
Changes the system environment current drive to the specified drive.
The parameter Drv must be a string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file
structure drive letter. The Drv may be local to the computer, or mapped from anywhere
on the network connected to the computer. If Drv contains more than one letter, only the
first character is used.

The ChDrive statement changes the current drive but not the current directory on any
drive. To change the current directory, use the ChDir statement.

Syntax

ChDriveDrv
Drv:

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A string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file structure drive letter. Drv is case insen-
sitive and must end with a colon (:). The Drv may be local to the computer, or mapped from any-
where on the network connected to the computer. Drv is often included as part of the Path
parameter.

Related Functions

ChDir | CurDir, CurDir$ | Dir | RmDir | MkDir

Example

Dim strCurPath as String

strCurPath = CurDir$()' store current path as string
ChDir "\"' change to root directory of current drive
<statements>' do stuff in root directory
ChDrive "C"' change to C drive (if not already there)
<statements>' do stuff in current directory on C drive
ChDrive strCurPath' change back to previous drive
ChDir strCurPath' change back to previous path

Close
Closes the file(s) previously opened with the Open statement.
The optional FileNumList parameter can contain one or more valid file associated ref-
erence numbers using the following syntax:

[[#]FileNum] [, [#]FileNum] ...

where Filenum is any valid number associated with an open file.

If the Close statement is used without any arguments it closes all open files. When the
Close statement is executed, the association of a file with its file number ends.

Syntax

CloseFileNumList
FileNumList:

Must contain one or more valid integer or numeric expression values representing associated file
numbers using the following syntax:
[[#]filenumber] [, [#]filenumber] ... where filenumber is any valid number associated with an open
file.

Related Functions

FileCopy | FreeFile | Kill | Name | Open

Example

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Dim strFileContents As String

Dim strTemp As String
Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #1 ' open file.
Do While Not EOF(1) ' loop until end of file
strTemp = Input(10, #1) ' read next ten characters
strFileContents = strFileContents & strTemp ' join strings
Loop
Close #1

CurDir, CurDir$
Both CurDir and CurDir$ functions return the current system environment path for the
specified drive (Drv).
The parameter Drv must be a string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file
structure drive letter. The Drv may be local to the computer, or mapped from anywhere
on the network connected to the computer. If Drv contains more than one letter, only the
first character is used.

If no Drv is specified or if Drv is a zero-length string (" "), CurDir functions return the sys-
tem environment path for the current drive.

Syntax

CurDir(Drv)
Drv:

Return Value

CurDir returns a Variant containing a string; CurDir$ returns a String.

Related Functions

ChDir | ChDrive | Dir | MkDir | RmDir

Example

Dim vntCurPath As Variant

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Dim strCurPath As String

vntCurPath = CurDir() ' store current path as variant
strCurPath = CurDir$() ' store current path as string

Dir
Dir function returns a file or directory name that matches the given File and Attrib argu-
ments.
l The File argument is optional, and represents a string expression that specifies a
valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure including directory or folder
names, and a drive letter. You must specify File the first time you call the Dir func-
tion, or an error occurs.
l The Attrib argument is optional, and can be a constant or numeric expression whose
sum specifies file attribute values. If you specify file attributes in the function call, File
must be included. If the Volume attribute value (8) is specified, all other attribute
values are ignored.
Dir supports the use of multiple-character (*) and single-character (?) wildcards to spec-
ify multiple files.
Dir returns the first file name that matches both File and Attrib. To get any additional file
names that match, call Dir again with no arguments. When no more file names match,
Dir returns a zero-length string (" "). Once a zero-length string is returned, you must spec-
ify argument/s in the next call (to reset the function), or an error occurs.
Calling Dir with any argument will reset the function, and it will treat the call as a new
call. Previous arguments passed to the Dir function are overwritten and forgotten (reset).
You can reset the function (by supplying arguments in the function call) at any time,
even if it has not yet returned every possible argument match result.
Calling Dir with the Directory attribute (16) does not continually return Directory names.
You will need to check the attribute value of every return result to determine if the return
is a valid directory name. To do so, use the GetAttr function. Because file names are
retrieved in no particular order, you may want to store returned file names in an array
and then sort the array.

Syntax

Dir(File, Attrib)
File:

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A string or expression that can represent a valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure
including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.

Attrib:

A number or expression that can represent a sum of the attribute values of a file . This can be a con-
stant or a numeric expression which includes any combination of attribute numeric values, whose
sum specifies all relevant attributes of a file.

where:
l 0 = Normal
l 1 = Read Only
l 2 = Hidden
l 4 = System
l 8 = Volume
l 16 = Directory or Folder
l 32 = Archive

Possible combinations of values can sum to 0, 1, 2, 3, in fact every number from 0 to 64, each rep-
resenting a unique combination of attribute values. For example, a file attribute value of 6 represents
that the file has both System (4) and Hidden (2) attributes set.

Return Value

Returns a String representing the name of a file, directory, or folder that matches a spec-
ified pattern or file attribute, or the volume label of a drive. If File is not found, a zero-
length string (" ") is returned. If Attrib is omitted, all files are returned that match File.

Related Functions

ChDir| ChDrive| CurDir, CurDir$| MkDir| RmDir

Example

Dim strCurPath As String ' declare string to store current path

Dim strFileName As String ' declare string to store retrieved file name
Dim intFileCount As Integer ' declare integer to keep count of retrieved files
Dim arrFileList() As String ' declare string array to store file names
strCurPath = CurDir$() ' store current path for later restoration
ChDir "\" ' change to root directory of current drive
strFileName = Dir(*.dat) ' retrieve file name with .dat extension
Do ' initialize loop
If strFileName = "" Then ' check to see if valid filename returned
exit do ' exit from loop
Else
intFileCount = intFileCount + 1 ' increment file counter variable
arrFileList(intFileCount) = strFileName ' store file name in array
Redim
arrFileList(intFileCount) ' increase array size to count value
strFileName = Dir() ' retrieve next file name to match original Dir

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call
EndIf
Loop Until strFileName = "" ' loop again
ChDir strCurPath 'restore previous current directory

EOF
EOF function returns a Boolean True or False value during file access that indicates
whether the current position of an open file has reached the end of the file. The required
FileNum argument must contain an Integer representing any valid system file number
associated with an open file.

Note: The file system keeps track of all open files and the current position of access
within every file. Every statement or function that accesses the data within a file,
alters the current position within that file. The Loc function can be used to determine
the current position within an open file.

Use the LOF and Loc functions instead of EOF when reading binary files with the Input
function, or use Get when using the EOF function.

Note: An error occurs with files opened for Binary access, when the file is read using
the Input function until EOF returns True.

Syntax

EOF(FileNum)
FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

Return Value

Returns an Integer containing the Boolean value False until the end of the file has been
reached. Returns True when the end of a file opened for Random or sequential Input has
been reached.

Related Functions

FileLen | Loc | LOF | Seek

Example

Dim strFileContents as String, strTemp as String

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Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #1 ' open file

Do While Not EOF(1) ' loop until end of file
strTemp = Input(10, #1) ' read next ten characters
strFileContents = strFileContents & strTemp ' join strings
Loop
Close #1

FileCopy
Copies a file from Src to Dest.
The required source file (Src) and destination file (Dest) arguments must be valid string
expressions representing valid file names. Src is the file name of the file to copy from.
Dest is the file name to be copied to. Both Src and Dest arguments may contain a DOS
path structure including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.
If the Dest file does not exist, it will be created by the FileCopy statement. If the Dest file
already exists, it will be overwritten.
The FileCopy statement does not work on a currently open file. Both the Src and Dest
files must be closed before using the FileCopy statement. To close an open file, use the
Close statement.

Syntax

FileCopySrc, Dest
Src:

A string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file structure FileName. Src is case insensitive.
This may include a relative or static Path including directory or folder structure and drive letter. To
specify multiple files, the FileName may consist of multiple-character ( * ) and single-character ( ? )
wildcards in the file name.

Dest:

A string or expression that can represent a valid DOS file structure FileName. Dest is case insen-
sitive. This may include a relative or static Path including directory or folder structure and drive
letter. To specify multiple files, the FileName may consist of multiple-character ( * ) and single-char-
acter ( ? ) wildcards in the file name.

Related Functions

Close | FreeFile | Kill | Name | Open

Example

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Dim SourceFile as String, DestinationFile as String

SourceFile = "SRCFILE.Dat" ' Define source file name.
DestinationFile = "DESTFILE.Dat" ' Define target file name.
FileCopy SourceFile, DestinationFile ' Copy source to target.

FileLen
FileLen function determines the byte length of a file. The required File argument must be
valid string expression representing a valid file name. File may contain a DOS path
structure including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.
The FileLen function returns the size of a file immediately before it was most recently
opened. To obtain the length of a file that is already open, use the LOF function.

Syntax

FileLen(File)
File:

A string or expression that can represent a valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure
including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.

Return Value

Returns a Long value representing the length of the file measured in bytes.

Related Functions

EOF | Loc | LOF | Seek

Example

Dim lonFileSize As Long

lonFileSize = FileLen("C:\TESTFILE.txt") ' returns length of file
in bytes

FreeFile
Retrieves the next sequential system file number available for association with a file. Use
the FreeFile function to retrieve an unassociated file number from the file system. This
number can be used by the Open statement to be associated with a file.

Syntax

FreeFile

Return Value

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Returns an Integer reference number ready for being associated with a file.

Related Functions

Close | FileCopy | Kill | Name | Open

Example

Dim intFileNum as Integer

intFileNum = FreeFile 'retrieve next free file number
Open "c:\TEST.txt" For Output As #intFileNum
Write #intFileNum, "This is a sample line of text."
Close #intFileNum

Get #
Get statement reads data from a disk file into a variable.
The required FileNum argument is a system reference number associated with an open
file. The optional RecNum argument is the byte position where the read starts for files
opened in Binary mode. If you omit RecNum, the next record or byte following the last
Get or Put statement (or pointed to by the last Seek function) is read. You must include
delimiting commas.
The required VarName is the name of the variable where the file data is read (copied) to.
Random mode
For files opened in Random mode, the following rules apply:
l If the length of the data being read is less than the length specified in the Lenclause of
the Open statement, Get reads subsequent records on record-length boundaries. The
space between the end of one record and the beginning of the next record is padded
with the existing contents of the file buffer. Because the amount of padding data can't
be determined with any certainty, it is generally a good idea to have the record length
match the length of the data being read.
l If the variable being read into is a variable-length string, Get reads a 2-byte descriptor
containing the string length and then reads the data that goes into the variable. There-
fore, the record length specified by the Lenclause in the Open statement must be at
least 2 bytes greater than the actual length of the string.
l If the variable being read into is a Variant of numeric type, Get reads 2 bytes iden-
tifying the VarType of the Variant and then the data that goes into the variable. For
example, when reading a Variant of VarType 3, Get reads 6 bytes: 2 bytes identifying
the Variant as VarType 3 (Long) and 4 bytes containing the Long data. The record
length specified by the Lenclause in the Open statement must be at least 2 bytes
greater than the actual number of bytes required to store the variable.

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Note: You can use the Get statement to read a Variant array from disk, but you
can't use Get to read a scalar Variant containing an array. You also can't use Get
to read objects from disk.

l If the variable being read into is a Variant of VarType 8 (String), Get reads 2 bytes
identifying the VarType, 2 bytes indicating the length of the string, and then reads the
string data. The record length specified by the Lenclause in the Open statement must
be at least 4 bytes greater than the actual length of the string.
l If the variable being read into is a dynamic array, Get reads a descriptor whose
length equals 2 plus 8 times the number of dimensions, that is, 2 + 8 * Num-
berOfDimensions. The record length specified by the Lenclause in the Open statement
must be greater than or equal to the sum of all the bytes required to read the array
data and the array descriptor. For example, the following array declaration requires
118 bytes when the array is written to disk.
l If the variable being read into is a fixed-size array, Get reads only the data. No
descriptor is read.
l If the variable being read into is any other type of variable (not a variable-length
string or a Variant), Get reads only the variable data. The record length specified by
the Lenclause in the Open statement must be greater than or equal to the length of the
data being read.
Get reads elements of user-defined types as if each were being read individually, except
that there is no padding between elements. On disk, a dynamic array in a user-defined
type (written with Put) is prefixed by a descriptor whose length equals 2 plus 8 times the
number of dimensions, that is, 2 + 8 * NumberOfDimensions. The record length specified
by the Lenclause in the Open statement must be greater than or equal to the sum of all
the bytes required to read the individual elements, including any arrays and their
descriptors.
Binary mode
For files opened in Binary mode, all of the Random rules apply, except:
l The Lenclause in the Open statement has no effect. Get reads all variables from disk
contiguously; that is, with no padding between records.
l For any array other than an array in a user-defined type, Get reads only the data. No
descriptor is read.
Get reads variable-length strings that aren't elements of user-defined types without
expecting the 2-byte length descriptor. The number of bytes read equals the number of
characters already in the string.

Syntax

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Get #(FileNum, RecNum, VarName)

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

RecNum:

The byte position where the read starts for files opened in Binary mode. If you omit RecNum, the
next record or byte following the last Get or Put statement (or pointed to by the last Seek function)
is read.

VarName:

A string representing a valid variable name.

Related Functions

GetAttr | Input | Line Input # | Print # | Put # | Write #

Example

Type Record ' Define user-defined type.

ID As Integer
Name As String * 20
End Type

Dim recRecord As Record

Dim intPosition As Integer
Dim intFileNum as Integer
intFileNum = FreeFile 'retrieve next free file number
' Open sample file for random access.
Open "TESTFILE.txt" For Random As #intFileNum
' Read the sample file using the Get statement.
intPosition = 3 ' Define third record number.
Get #intFileNum, intPosition, recRecord ' Read third record.
Close #intFileNum ' Close file.

GetAttr
GetAttr function returns an Integer representing the attribute settings of a file, directory,
or volume.
The required File argument must be valid string expression representing a valid file
name. File may contain a DOS path structure including directory or folder names, and a
drive letter.

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To determine which attributes are set, use the AND operator to perform a bitwise com-
parison of the value returned by the GetAttr function and the value of the individual file
attribute you want. If the result is not zero, that attribute is set for the named file. For
example, the return value of the following AND expression is zero if the Archive attrib-
ute is not set:

Const AttrArchive = 32
Result = GetAttr(FileName) And AttrArchive ' A nonzero value is
returned if the Archive attribute is set.

Syntax

GetAttr(File)
File:

A string or expression that can represent a valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure
including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.

Return Value

Returns an Integer number indicating the sum Attribute value of a file, directory, or
folder for the Fileargument, where:
l 0 = Normal
l 1 = Read Only
l 2 = Hidden
l 4 = System
l 8 = Volume
l 16 = Directory or Folder
l 32 = Archive

Related Functions

Get # | Line Input # | Print # | Put #

Example

Dim intAttrVal
' Assume file TESTFILE has hidden attribute set.
intAttrVal = GetAttr("TESTFILE.txt") ' Returns 2.
' Assume file TESTFILE has hidden and read-only attributes set.
intAttrVal = GetAttr("TESTFILE.txt") Returns 3.
' Assume MYDIR is a directory or folder.
intAttrVal = GetAttr("MYDIR") ' Returns 16.

Input

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Input # statement reads data from a Sequential file and assigns that data to variables.
Input function returns characters from a file opened in Input or Binary mode.
The Input # statement has two parameters FileNum and VarList. The required FileNum
argument is the associated file number used in the Open statement when the file was
opened. The required VarList argument is a comma delimited list of variables that are
assigned values read from the file.
The Input function has two parameters: Num and FileNum. The required Num argument
is a number or valid numeric expression specifying the number of characters (bytes) to
be read from the file. FileNum is the associated file number used in the Open statement
when the file was opened.
The file system tracks all open files and the current position of access within every file.
Every statement or function that accesses the data within a file, alters the current posi-
tion within that file. The Loc function can be used to determine the current position
within an open file.
Use the LOF and Loc functions instead of EOF when reading binary files with the Input
function, or use Get when using the EOF function.
An error occurs with files opened for Binary access, when the file is read using the Input
function until EOF returns True.
Data read with the Input # statement has usually been written to a file with the Write #
statement. Data read with the Input function has usually been written to a file with the
Print # or Put statements.
When saving data to a file for future reading with the Input # statement, use the Write #
statement instead of the Print # statement to write the data to the file. Using Write # prop-
erly delimits each separate data field, so it can be read back in using Input #. Using
Write # also formats the data in a manner that will allow correct read operations in most
locales.

Syntax

Input #(FileNum, VarList)

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

VarList:

A predefined valid CitectVBA variable name or comma delimited list of valid variable names.

Return Value

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Input # statement returns data record by record from a file opened in Input or Binary
mode. Data items in a file must appear in the same order as the variables in VarList and
match variables of the same data type. If a variable is numeric and the data is not
numeric, a value of zero is assigned to the variable.
Input function returns a String containing characters from a file opened in Input or
Binary mode. The Input function returns all of the characters it reads, including com-
mas, carriage returns, linefeeds, quotation marks, and leading spaces.

Related Functions

Get # | GetAttr | Line Input # | Print # | Put # | Write #

Example

Dim strFileContents As String

Dim strTemp As String
Dim strString As String
Dim intFileNum as Integer
Dim intNumber as Integer
intFileNum = FreeFile 'retrieve next free file number
Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #intFileNum ' open file.
Do While Not EOF(intFileNum) ' loop until end of file
strTemp = Input(10, #intFileNum) ' read next ten characters
strFileContents = strFileContents & strTemp ' join strings
Loop
Input #intFileNum, strString, intNumber ' Read data into two variables.
Close #intFileNum

Kill
Kill statement deletes files from disk.
The required File argument must be valid string expression representing a valid file
name. Filemay contain a DOS path structure including directory or folder names, and a
drive letter.
Kill supports the use of multiple-character (*) and single-character (?) wildcards to spec-
ify multiple files. The Kill statement does not work on a currently open file. To remove a
directory use the RmDir statement.
The file system tracks the current drive and the current directory of every drive. Use the
CurDir statement to determine the current directory. The current drive letter can be
extracted from the Left character returned in the CurDir statement.

Syntax

KillFile
File:

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A string or expression that can represent a valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure
including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.

Related Functions

Close | FileCopy | FreeFile | Name | Open

Example

' Assume TESTFILE is a file containing some data.

Kill "TestFile"

' Delete all Dat files in current directory.

Kill "*.Dat"

Line Input #
Line Input # statement reads a single line from an open sequential file and assigns it to a
String variable.
The required FileNum argument is a system reference number associated with an open
file. The required VarName is the name of the variable where the file data is read (copied)
to.

Note: The number sign (# ) preceding FileNum is not optional.

The Line Input # statement reads from a file one character at a time until it encounters a
carriage return (Chr(13)) or carriage return-linefeed (Chr(13) + Chr(10)) sequence. Car-
riage return - linefeed sequences are skipped rather than appended to the character
string.

Data read with the Line Input # statement has usually been written to a file with the
Print # statement.

Syntax

Line Input # FileNum, VarName

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

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VarName:

A string representing a valid variable name.

Related Functions

Get # | GetAttr | Input | Print # | Put # | Write #

Example

Dim strTextLine As String

Dim intFileNum As Integer
Open "c:\TEST.txt" For Input As #intFileNum intFileNum = FreeFile
'retrieve next free file number
Do While Not EOF(intFileNum) ' Loop until end of file.
Line Input #intFileNum, strTextLine ' Read line into variable.
Print TextLine ' Print line.
Loop
Close #intFileNum

Loc
Loc function returns a number indicating the current position within a file opened using
the Open statement.
The required FileNum argument must contain an Integer representing any valid number
associated with an open file.

Syntax

Loc(FileNum)
FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

Return Value

Returns a Long representing the current position within a file, the value dependant upon
which file access mode the file was opened with:
l If the file was opened in Random mode, the Loc function will return a number rep-
resenting the last record read from or written to the file.
l If the file was opened in Sequential mode, the Loc function will return a number rep-
resenting the current byte position in the file divided by 128. (However, information
returned by Loc for Sequential files is neither used nor required.)
l If the file was opened in Binary mode, the Loc function will return a number rep-
resenting the position of the last byte read from or written to the file.

Related Functions

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EOF| FileLen | LOF| Seek

Example

Dim lonLoc As Long

Dim strLine As String
Open "TESTFILE.txt" For Binary As #1 ' Open file
Do While lonLoc < LOF(1) ' Loop until end of file
strLine = strLine & Input(1, #1) ' Read character into variable
lonLoc = Loc(1) ' Get current position within file
Loop
<statements> ' Do stuff with retrieved data
Close #1 ' Close file

LOF
LOF function returns a number indicating the byte length of a sequential file opened
using the Open statement.
The required FileNum argument must contain an Integer representing any valid number
associated with an open file.

The LOF function returns the size of a file that is already open.
To obtain the length of a file that is not open, use the FileLen function.
Use the LOF and Loc functions instead of EOF when reading binary files with the Input
function.

Syntax

LOF(FileNum)
FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

Return Value

Returns a Long representing the size of a file in bytes.

Related Functions

EOF | FileLen | Loc | Seek

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Example

Dim lonFileSize As Long

lonFileSize = LOF "C:\TESTFILE.txt" ' returns length of file in bytes

MkDir
The MkDir statement creates the directory specified in the Path parameter.
The required parameter Path must be a string or expression that can represent a valid
DOS file structure path value, must contain a directory name, may contain a relative
path structure, and may contain a drive letter. The Path parameter must be limited to
less than 128 characters.
The MkDir statement is relative to the current directory. If no path structure is provided,
the directory is created in the current directory. If no drive is specified, the MkDir state-
ment creates the directory on the current drive.

Syntax

MkDirPath
Path:

[<driveletter>:][\<rootdirectoryname>][\<subdirectory> ...
\<subdirectory>\] directoryname

The path can be relative to the current directory. A single period represents the current directory (.).
Two periods represent the parent directory of the current directory (..). For example:

chdir .. ' changes to the parent directory of the current directory

chdir ..\test ' changes to the test subdirectory of the parent
directory

Related Functions

ChDir | ChDrive | CurDir, CurDir$ | Dir | RmDir

Example

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Dim strPath As String

Dim strDir As String
strPath = CurDir() ' store current path
strDir = "Temp"
ChDir "\" ' change to root dir on current drive
MkDir strDir ' create new directory
ChDir strPath ' change back to previous path

Name
The Name statement renames the disk file specified in the OldFileName parameter, to the
name specified in the NewFileName parameter.
The required parameter OldFileName must be valid existing file name, may contain a
path structure, and may contain a drive letter.
The NewFileName parameter must be a string or expression that can represent a valid
DOS file name value, may contain a relative path structure, and may contain a drive
letter. The NewFileName parameter must be limited to less than 128 characters.
The Name statement uses the file system relative to the current directory. If no path struc-
ture is provided, the NewFileName file is expected to be in the current directory. If no
drive is specified, the Name statement expects the file to be on the current drive.
Using Name, you can move a file from one directory or folder to another. If the path in
NewFileName exists and is different from the path in OldFileName, the Name statement
moves the file to the new directory or folder and renames the file, if necessary. If New-
FileName and OldFileName have different paths and the same file name, Name moves the
file to the new location and leaves the file name unchanged.
Name does not support the use of multiple-character ( * ) and single-character (?) wild-
cards to specify multiple files.
The Name statement does not work on a currently open file. You must close an open file
before renaming it.

Syntax

NameOldFileNameNewFileName
OldFileName:

A string or expression that can represent a valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure
including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.

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NewFileName:

A string or expression that can represent a valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure
including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.

Related Functions

Close | FileCopy | FreeFile | Kill | Open

Example

Dim strNewFileName As String

Dim strOldFileName As String
strOldFileName = "c:\temp\oldfile.txt"
strNewFileName = "newfile.txt"
ChDir "\" ' change to root dir on current drive
Name strOldFileName strNewFileName ' moves file to root dir and renames it
ChDir strPath ' change back to previous path

Open
Open statement enables input/output (I/O) to a disk file.
The required File argument must be a valid string expression representing a valid file
name. File may contain a DOS path structure including directory or folder names, and a
drive letter.
The required Mode argument must be a valid keyword specifying the file I/O mode:
Append, Binary, Input, Output, or Random. If unspecified, the file is opened for Random
access.
The optional Access argument must be a valid keyword specifying the operations per-
mitted on the open file: Read, Write, or Read Write.
The optional Lock argument must be a valid keyword specifying the operations per-
mitted on the open file by other processes: Shared, Lock Read, Lock Write, and Lock
Read Write.
The required FileNum argument must contain an Integer representing the number that
will be associated with the file. This is the file system reference number supplied by the
FreeFile statement that can be used in functions such as Get #, Input #, Line Input #,
Print #, and Write #. In Binary, Input, and Random modes, you can open a file using a
different file number without first closing the file. In Append and Output modes, you
must close a file before opening it with a different file number.

Note: The file system tracks all open files and the current position of access within
every file. Every statement or function that accesses the data within a file, alters the

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current position within that file. The Loc function can be used to determine the cur-
rent position within an open file.

The optional RecLen argument must be a number less than or equal to 32,767 (bytes). For
files opened for Random access, this value is the record length. For sequential files, this
value is the number of characters buffered. The Len clause is ignored if mode is Binary.
You must open a file before any I/O operation can be performed on it. Open allocates a
buffer for I/O to the file and determines the mode of access to use with the buffer. If the
file is already opened by another process and the specified type of access is not allowed,
the Open operation will not succeed and an error message will be generated.
If the file specified by pathname doesn't exist, it is created when a file is opened for
Append, Binary, Output, or Random modes.

Syntax

Open(FileFor ModeAccess Access Lock As #FileNum Len=RecLen)

File:

A string or expression that can represent a valid file name, and may include a DOS path structure
including directory or folder names, and a drive letter.

Mode:

A CitectVBA keyword specifying the file I/O mode: Append, Binary, Input, Output, or Random.

Lock:

A CitectVBA keyword specifying the operations permitted on the open file by other processes:
Shared, Lock Read, Lock Write, and Lock Read Write.

Access:

A CitectVBA keyword specifying the operations permitted on the open file: Read, Write, or Read
Write.

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

RecLen:

An Integer or numeric expression representing the byte length of a file record as a number less than
or equal to 32,767.

Related Functions

Close | FileCopy | FreeFile | Kill | Name

Example

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' The following code opens the file TESTFILE in sequential-input

mode.
Open "TESTFILE" For Input As #1
' Close before reopening in another mode.
Close #1

' This example opens the file in Binary mode for writing
operations only.
Open "TESTFILE" For Binary Access Write As #1
' Close before reopening in another mode.
Close #1

' The following example opens the file in Random mode. The file
contains records of the user-defined type Record.
Type Record ' Define user-defined type.
ID As Integer
Name As String * 20
End Type
Dim recRecord As Record ' Declare variable.
Open "TESTFILE" For Random As #1
' Close before reopening in another mode.
Close #1

' This code example opens the file for sequential output; any
process can read or write to file.
Open "TESTFILE" For Output Shared As #1
' Close before reopening in another mode.
Close #1

' This code example opens the file in Binary mode for reading;
other processes can't read file.
Open "TESTFILE" For Binary Access Read Lock Read As #1
' Close before reopening in another mode.
Close #1

Print (function)
Displays a message in the runtime Citect Kernel, and the Cicode Editor output window
if you are in debug mode.

Note: Do not confuse this function with the Print # statement, which prints data to
disk.

Related Functions

TraceMsg (Cicode function)

Print #
Print # statement reads data from OutputList and writes that data to a sequential file.

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The Print # statement has two parameters FileNum and OutputList. The required FileNum
argument is the associated file number used in the Open statement when the file was
opened. The required OutputList argument is a delimited list of expressions whose
values are written to the file.

Note: The number sign hash character ( # ) preceding FileNumis not optional. This
character indicates disk file access with the file referenced by the system file number
that follows it. Do not confuse Print # which prints to disk, with Print which dis-
plays data on the screen.

Data written with Print # is usually read from a file with Line Input # or Input.

Note: If you want to read the data from a file using the Input # statement, use the
Write # statement instead of the Print # statement to write the data to the file. Using
Write #properly delimits each separate data field, so it can be read back in using
Input #. Using Write # also formats the data in a manner that will allow correct read
operations in most locales.

If you omit expressionlist, the Print # statement prints a blank line in the file, but you
must include the comma. Because Print # writes an image of the data to the file, you
must delimit the data so it is printed correctly. If you use commas as delimiters, Print #
also writes the blanks between print fields to the file.
The Print # statement usually writes Variant data to a file the same way it writes any
other data type. However, there are some exceptions:
If the data being written is a Variant of VarType 0 (Empty), Print # writes nothing to the
file for that data item.
If the data being written is a Variant of VarType 1 (Null), Print # writes the literal
#NULL# to the file.
If the data being written is a Variant of VarType 7 (Date), Print # writes the date to the
file using the Short Date format defined in the WIN.INI file. When either the date or the
time component is missing or zero, Print # writes only the part provided to the file.

Syntax

Print #FileNum, OutputList

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

OutputList:

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One or more formatted numeric and/or string expressions to be written to the file using the fol-
lowing syntax:

[ {Spc( s ) | Tab [( n ) ] } ] [expression] [charpos]

where:
l [ ] square brackets are used for illustrative purposes to indicate in the code
that the arguments they enclose are optionally used in the OutputList. Do
not use the square brackets themselves in your code.
l { } curly braces are required to encompass and delineate the arguments they
enclose, and to separate their contents from the other arguments in the Out-
putList.
l ( | ) vertical line are used for illustrative purposes to indicate in the code
that either side of the line is an alternative argument. You can use the argu-
ment provided on one of the line or the other, but not both arguments at the
same time within the same set of curly braces. Do not include the vertical
line in your code.
l {Spc(s)} argument is optionally used to insert 's' number of space characters
in the output file at the position of the argument in the OutputList. The Spc
argument must be enclosed by curly braces to delineate it from an
expression. The Spc argument can be repeated any number of times to insert
spaces in the file between expressions. The Spc argument is mutually exclu-
sive with the Tab argument when used within the same set of curly braces.
l {Tab(n)} argument is optionally used to position the insertion point to an
absolute column number in the output file at the position of the argument
in the OutputList, where 'n' is the column number. Use Tabwith no argument
to position the insertion point at the beginning of the next print zone. The
Tab argument must be enclosed by curly braces to delineate it from an expres-
sion. The Tab argument can be repeated any number of times to insert tabs
in the file between expressions. The Tab argument is mutually exclusive with
the Spc argument when used within the same set of curly braces.
l expression argument represents a valid numeric or string expression to out-
put to the file. The expression argument can be repeated any number of
times.
l charpos is the character that determines the position of the next character in
the output. A semicolon means the next character is printed immediately
after the last character; a comma means the next character is printed at the
start of the next print zone. Print zones begin every 14 columns. If neither
character is specified, the next character is printed on the next line.

Return Value

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Related Functions

Get # | GetAttr | Input | Line Input # | Put # | Write #

Example

The following example writes data to a test file.

Dim I, FNum, FName ' Declare variables.

For I = 1 To 3
FNum = FreeFile ' Determine next file number.
FName = "TEST" & FNum
Open FName For Output As FNum ' Open file.
Print #1, "This is test #" & I ' Write string to file.
Print #1, "Here is another "; "line"; I
Next I
Close ' Close all files.
The following example writes data to a test file and reads it
back.
Dim FileData, Msg, NL ' Declare variables.
NL = Chr(10) ' Define newline.
Open "TESTFILE" For Output As #1 ' Open to write file.
Print #1, "This is a test of the Print # statement."
Print #1, ' Print blank line to file.
Print #1, "Zone 1", "Zone 2" ' Print in two print zones.
Print #1, "With no space between" ; "." ' Print two strings
together.
Close #1

Open "TESTFILE" for Input As #2 ' Open to read file.

Do While Not EOF(2)
Line Input #2, FileData ' Read a line of data.
Msg = Msg & FileData & NL ' Construct message.
MsgBox Msg
Loop
Close #2 ' Close all open files.
Kill "TESTFILE" ' Remove file from disk.

Put #
Put # statement writes data from a variable to a disk file.
The required FileNum argument is a system reference number associated with an open
file.

Note: The number sign ( # ) preceding FileNum is not optional.

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The optional RecNum argument is the byte position where the read starts for files opened
in Binary mode. The first record or byte in a file is at position 1, the second record or
byte is at position 2, and so on. If you omit RecNum, the next record or byte following the
last Get or Put statement (or pointed to by the last Seek function) is read. You must
include delimiting commas.

The required VarName is the name of the variable where the file data is read (copied)
from.
Data written with the Put # statement is usually read from a file with the Get # state-
ment.
Random mode
For files opened in Random mode, the following rules apply:
l If the length of the data being written is less than the length specified in the Len
clause of the Open statement, Put writes subsequent records on record-length bound-
aries. The space between the end of one record and the beginning of the next record is
padded with the existing contents of the file buffer. Because the amount of padding
data can't be determined with any certainty, it is generally a good idea to have the rec-
ord length match the length of the data being written. If the length of the data being
written is greater than the length specified in the Len clause of the Open statement,
an error occurs.
l If the variable being written is a variable-length string, Put writes a 2-byte descriptor
containing the string length and then the variable. The record length specified by the
Len clause in the Open statement must be at least 2 bytes greater than the actual
length of the string.
l If the variable being written is a Variant of a numeric type, Put writes 2 bytes iden-
tifying the VarType of the Variant and then writes the variable. For example, when
writing a Variant of VarType 3, Put writes 6 bytes: 2 bytes identifying the Variant as
VarType 3 (Long) and 4 bytes containing the Long data. The record length specified
by the Len clause in the Open statement must be at least 2 bytes greater than the
actual number of bytes required to store the variable.

Note: You can use the Put statement to write a Variant array to disk, but you
can't use Put to write a scalar Variant containing an array to disk. You also can't
use Put to write objects to disk.

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l If the variable being written is a Variant of VarType 8 (String), Put writes 2 bytes iden-
tifying the VarType, 2 bytes indicating the length of the string, and then writes the
string data. The record length specified by the Len clause in the Open statement must
be at least 4 bytes greater than the actual length of the string.
l If the variable being written is a dynamic array, Put writes a descriptor whose length
equals 2 plus 8 times the number of dimensions, that is, 2 + 8 * Num-
berOfDimensions. The record length specified by the Len clause in the Open state-
ment must be greater than or equal to the sum of all the bytes required to write the
array data and the array descriptor. For example, the following array declaration
requires 118 bytes when the array is written to disk.
Dim MyArray(1 To 5,1 To 10) As Integer

The 118 bytes are distributed as follows: 18 bytes for the descriptor (2 + 8 * 2), and 100
bytes for the data (5 * 10 * 2).
l If the variable being written is a fixed-size array, Put writes only the data. No descrip-
tor is written to disk.
l If the variable being written is any other type of variable (not a variable-length string
or a Variant), Put writes only the variable data. The record length specified by the
Len clause in the Open statement must be greater than or equal to the length of the
data being written.
Put writes elements of user-defined types as if each were written individually, except
there is no padding between elements. On disk, a dynamic array in a user-defined type
written with Put is prefixed by a descriptor whose length equals 2 plus 8 times the
number of dimensions, that is, 2 + 8 * NumberOfDimensions. The record length specified
by the Len clause in the Open statement must be greater than or equal to the sum of all
the bytes required to write the individual elements, including any arrays and their
descriptors.
Binary mode
For files opened in Binary mode, all of the Random rules apply, except:
l The Len clause in the Open statement has no effect. Put writes all variables to disk
contiguously; that is, with no padding between records.
l For any array other than an array in a user-defined type, Put writes only the data. No
descriptor is written.
l Put writes variable-length strings that aren't elements of user-defined types without
the 2-byte length descriptor. The number of bytes written equals the number of char-
acters in the string. For example, the following statements write 10 bytes to file
number 1:
VarString$ = String$(10," ")

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Put writes variable-length strings that are not elements of user-defined types without the
2-byte length descriptor.
Put #1,,VarString$

Syntax

Put # FileNum, RecNum, VarName

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

RecNum:

The byte position where the read starts for files opened in Binary mode. The first record or byte in
a file is at position 1, the second record or byte is at position 2, and so on. If you omit RecNum, the
next record or byte following the last Get or Put statement (or pointed to by the last Seek function)
is read.

VarName:

A string representing a valid variable name.

Related Functions

Get # | GetAttr | Input | Line Input # | Put # | Write #

Example

' This example uses the Put statement to write data to a file.
' Five records of the user-defined type Record are written to the file.
Type Record ' Define user-defined type.
ID As Integer
Name As String * 20
End Type

Dim MyRecord As Record, RecordNumber ' Declare variables.

' Open file for random access.
Open "TESTFILE" For Random As #1 Len = Len(MyRecord)
For RecordNumber = 1 To 5 ' Loop 5 times.
MyRecord.ID = RecordNumber ' Define ID.
MyRecord.Name = "My Name" & RecordNumber ' Create a string.
Put #1, RecordNumber, MyRecord ' Write record to file.
Next RecordNumber
Close #1 ' Close file.

RmDir
The RmDir statement deletes the directory specified in the Path parameter.

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The required parameter Path must be a string or expression that can represent a valid
DOS file structure path value, must contain a directory name, may contain a relative
path structure, and may contain a drive letter. The Path parameter must be limited to
less than 128 characters.
The RmDir statement is relative to the current directory. If no path structure is provided,
the directory is expected to be a subdirectory of the current directory. If no drive is spec-
ified, the RmDir statement deletes the directory on the current drive.
The current directory cannot be deleted. To change the current directory to another direc-
tory, use the ChDir statement. The directory to be deleted must be empty and contain no
files or sub-directories. To delete files in a directory, use the Kill statement.

Syntax

RmDirPath
Path:

[<driveletter>:][\<rootdirectoryname>][\<subdirectory> ...
\<subdirectory>\] directoryname

Note: The path can be relative to the current directory. A single period represents the
current directory (.). Two periods represent the parent directory of the current direc-
tory (..). For example, chdir .. changes to the parent directory of the current directory.
chdir ..\test changes to the test subdirectory of the parent directory

Related Functions

ChDir | ChDrive | CurDir, CurDir$ | Dir | MkDir

Example

Dim strDir As String

strDir = CurDir ' retrieve current directory name
Kill "*.*" ' delete all files from current directory
ChDir "\" ' change to root dir on current drive
RmDir strDir ' delete directory

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Seek
Sets the current position within a file opened using the Open statement, ready for the
next read or write action.
The required FileNum argument must contain an Integer representing any valid system
file number associated with an open file.
The required Position argument must contain an Integer or expression representing a
valid number.

Syntax

SeekFileNum, Position
FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

Position:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Related Functions

EOF | FileLen | Loc | LOF

Example

Open "TESTFILE" For Input As #1 ' Open file for reading.

For i = 1 To 24 Step 3 ' Loop until end of file.
Seek #1, i ' Seek to byte position
MyChar = Input(1, #1) ' Read next character of data.
Print MyChar 'Print character of data
Next i
Close #1 ' Close file.

Write #
Write # statement writes data to a Sequential file opened in output or append mode and
reads that data from a list of variables.

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The Write # statement has two parameters FileNum and VarList. The required FileNum
argument is the associated file number used in the Open statement when the file was
opened. The required VarList argument is a comma delimited list of variables that are
assigned values read from the file.

Data written to a file with the Write # statement is usually read with the Input # state-
ment.

Note: When saving data to a file for future reading with the Input # statement, use
the Write # statement instead of the Print # statement to write the data to the file.
Using Write # properly delimits each separate data field , so it can be read back in
using Input #. Using Write # also formats the data in a manner that will allow cor-
rect read operations in most locales.

Syntax

Write #FileNum, VarList

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

VarList:

A predefined valid CitectVBA variable name or comma delimited list of valid variable names.

Related Functions

Get # | GetAttr | Input | Line Input # | Print # | Put #

Example

Dim strFileContents As String

Dim strTemp As String
Dim strString As String
Dim intFileNum as Integer
Dim intNumber as Integer
intFileNum = FreeFile 'retrieve next free file number
Open "c:\test.txt" For Output As #intFileNum ' open file.
Write #intFileNum, "This is a test of the Write # statement."
Close #intFileNum

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Math/Trigonometry Functions
CitectVBA math functions are provided to assist with number manipulation and cal-
culation in your formulas. Mathematical functions can be used in CitectVBA statements,
and will (like all other functions), return a value to the caller.

Numeric functions
Vijeo Citect uses the following predefined numeric functions:

Abs returns the absolute value of a number (Num ).

Exp returns base log (e) to the power of (Num ).

Fix returns the Integer value of a number (Num ).

Int returns the Integer value of a number (Num ).

Log returns the natural log of a number (Num ).

Rnd returns a random value influenced by (Num ).

Sgn returns a value indicating the Sign of (Num ).

Sqrt returns the square root value of a number (Num ).

Abs
Calculates the absolute (positive) value of a number. The absolute value of a number is
the number without its sign. Abs does not round the number, and ignores the fractional
value of the number.

Syntax

Abs(Num)
Num:

An integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the absolute value of the number (Num) provided in the argument.

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The data type of the return value is the same as that of the number argument. However,
if the number argument is a Variant of VarType (String) and can be converted to a
number, the return value will be a Variant of VarType (Double). If the numeric expres-
sion results in a null, Abs returns a null.

Related Functions

Sgn

Example

Variable=Abs(-67); ! Sets Variable to 67.

Variable=Abs(67); ! Sets Variable to 67.

Exp
Calculates the exponential of a number. The exponential is the base of the natural log-
arithm e raised to a power (e^Num). The Exp function complements the Log function and
is sometimes referred to as the antilogarithm.

Note: The value of the constant eis approximately 2.71828.

Syntax

Exp(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the value equivalent to the base of the natural logarithm (e) raised to the power
of the number (Num) provided in the argument.

Related Functions

Log

Example

Variable=Exp(1); ! Sets Variable to 2.7182...

Fix
Calculates the integer portion of a number. Fix does not round the number, and ignores
the fractional value of the number.

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Fix expects the argument (Num) to be a valid numeric value. If the argument value is
positive, rounds the Num down by dropping any fractional value. If the argument value
is negative, rounds the Num up to the next integer number greater than or equal to Num.
Do not confuse Fix with Int , which rounds a negative argument value (Num) down to
the next integer number less than or equal to Num.

Syntax

Fix(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the Integer value of the number (Num) provided in the argument.

Related Functions

Abs | Int | Sgn | Sqrt

Example

Dim vntVar
vntVar = Fix(99.2) ' returns 99
vntVar = Fix(99.8) ' returns 99
vntVar = Fix(-99.8) ' returns -99
vntVar = Fix(-99.2) ' returns -99

Int
Calculates the integer portion of a number. Int does not round the number, and ignores
the fractional value of the number.
Int expects the argument (Num) to be a valid numeric value. If the argument value is pos-
itive, rounds the Num down by dropping any fractional value. If the argument value is
negative, rounds the Num down to the next integer number less than or equal to Num.
Do not confuse Int with Fix, which rounds a negative argument value (Num) up to the
next integer number greater than or equal to Num.

Syntax

Int(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

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Returns the integer value of the number (Num) provided in the argument. If Num con-
tains a Null, Int returns a Null.

Related Functions

Abs | Fix | Rnd | Sgn | Sqrt

Example

Dim vntVar
vntVar = Int(99.2) ' returns 99
vntVar = Int(99.8) ' returns 99
vntVar = Int(-99.8) ' returns -100
vntVar = Int(-99.2) ' returns -100

Log
Calculates the natural logarithm of a number
Log expects the argument (Num) to be a valid numeric value. The argument value must
be greater than zero.
The natural logarithm is the logarithm to the base e. You can calculate the base-n log-
arithms for any number X by dividing the natural logarithm of X by the natural log-
arithm of n as follows:
Logn (X ) = Log(X ) / Log(n )

Note: The value of the constant e is approximately 2.71828.

Syntax

Log(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the natural log of the number (Num) provided in the argument.

Related Functions

Exp

Example

Variable=Log(100); ! Sets Variable to 2 (i.e. 100=10 to the power

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of 2).

Rnd
Generates a decimal fraction number using the optional argument value (Num) to deter-
mine the sequence of the (random) number generation.
Rnd expects the argument (Num) if supplied, to be a valid numeric value.
If Num is less than zero, Rnd generates the same number every time, using Num as the
seed. If Num is equal than zero, Rnd repeats the most recently generated number. If Num
is greater than zero, Rnd generates the next random number in the sequence. If Num is
not supplied, Rnd generates the next random number in the sequence.
Before calling Rnd, use the Randomize statement without an argument to initialise the
random-number generator with a seed based on the system timer.

Note: The square brackets [ ]in the syntax indicate that the argument is optional.
Do NOT include the square brackets in your code.

Syntax

Rnd[(Num)]
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns a (random) decimal fraction number influenced by the (Num) provided in the
argument. The return value lies in the range of less than 1 but greater than or equal to 0.

Related Functions

Randomize

Example

Dim vntRndValue
Randomize ' Initialize random-number generator.
vntRndValue = Int((6 * Rnd) + 1) ' returns a value between 1 and 6

Sgn
Indicates the sign of a number. Sgn does not round the number, and ignores the frac-
tional value of the number.

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Sgn expects the argument (Num) to be a valid numeric value. If Num is greater than zero,
Sgn returns the value of 1. If Num is equal to zero, Sgn returns the value of 0. If Num is
less than zero, Sgn returns the value of -1.

Syntax

Sgn(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns a value indicating the Sign (+ or - ) value of the (Num) provided in the argu-
ment.

Related Functions

Abs | Fix | Int | Sqrt

Example

Dim vntVal
vntVal = Sgn(99.8) ' returns 1
vntVal = Sgn(-99.8) ' returns -1
vntVal = Sgn(0) ' returns 0

Sqrt
Calculates the square root of a number. Sqrt expects the argument (Num) to be a valid
numeric value greater than or equal to 0.

Syntax

Sqrt(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the square root value of the (Num) provided in the argument.

Related Functions

Abs| Fix| Int| Sgn

Example

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Variable=Sqrt(4);
! Sets Variable to 2.

Trigonometric functions
Vijeo Citect uses the following trigonometric functions:

Atn returns the Arctangent value of a number (Num ).

Cos returns the Cosine value of angle (Rad ).

Sin returns the Sine value of angle (Rad ).

Tan returns the Tangent value of angle (Rad ).

Trigonometry uses angles and ratios, axes, degrees, Pi, radians and angular conversions.
CitectVBA supports the use of Decimal numbers by default, as well as Hexadecimal and
Octal numbers. See Numbers.
When using numbers in CitectVBA, you must consider the data type of the variables
that hold and store the numbers, as well as the behaviour of CitectVBA when dealing
with numbers. See Numeric Data Types.

Atn
Calculates the trigonometric Arctangent value of a Tangent number.
The Atn function expects the argument (Num) to be a valid tangent value between the
range of - Pi/2 to + Pi/2 (representing the ratio of the two sides of a right-angle triangle),
and calculates the corresponding angle in radians.
Atn is the inverse trigonometric function of Tan (which takes an angle as its argument,
and returns the ratio of two sides of a right-angle triangle). Do not confuse Atn with the
Cotangent, which is the inverse of a Tangent (1/tangent).

Syntax

Atn(Num)
Num:

An integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the Arctangent value of the angle (Num) provided in the argument.

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Related Functions

Cos | Sin | Tan

Example

Dim Msg, Pi' Declare variables.

Pi = 4 * Atn(1)' Calculate Pi

Cos
Calculates the trigonometric Cosine value of an angle.
The Cos function expects the argument (Rad) to be a valid angle value in radians, and
calculates the ratio of the two sides of a right-angle triangle on either side of the angle.
The ratio is the length of the side adjacent to the angle divided by the length of the
hypotenuse.

Note: To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by Pi/180. To convert radians

to degrees, multiply radians by 180/Pi.

Syntax

Cos(Rad)
Rad:

An angle expressed in radians. It must be a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the Cosine value of the angle (Rad) provided in the argument.
The result lies in the range - 1 to +1.
Cos will return a double.

Related Functions

Atn | Sin | Tan

Example

Variable=Cos(0.7854); ! Sets Variable to 0.7071...

Sin

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Calculates the trigonometric Sine value of an angle. The Sin function expects the argu-
ment (Rad) to be a valid angle value in radians, and calculates the ratio of two sides of a
right-angle triangle. The ratio is the length of the side opposite to the angle divided by
the length of the hypotenuse.
To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by Pi/180 . To convert radians to
degrees, multiply radians by 180/Pi. For more information, see Circle Maths.

Syntax

Sin(Rad)
Rad:

An angle expressed in radians. Must be a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns the Sine value of the angle (Rad) provided in the argument. The result lies in the
range - 1 to + 1.

Related Functions

Atn | Cos | Tan

Example

Variable=Sin(0.7854); ! Sets Variable to 0.7071

Tan
Calculates the trigonometric Tangent value of an angle. The Tan function expects the
argument (Rad) to be a valid angle value in radians, and calculates the ratio of two sides
of a right-angle triangle. The ratio is the length of the side opposite to the angle divided
by the length of the side adjacent to the angle.

Note: To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by Pi/180. To convert radians

to degrees, multiply radians by 180/Pi.

Syntax

Tan(Rad)
Rad:

An angle expressed in radians. Must be a valid numeric value.

Return Value

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Returns the Tangent value of the angle (Rad) provided in the argument. Tan will return
as a double.

Example

Variable=Tan(1); ! Sets Variable to 1.5574...

Miscellaneous Functions
The miscellaneous functions predefined in CitectVBA are:

Beep statement Sounds a tone through the computer's speaker.

Randomize state- Initializes the random number generator.

ment

Rem statement Used to include explanatory remarks in a program.

SendKeys state- Sends keystrokes to the active window as if entered at the key-
ment board.

Beep
The Beep statement sounds a tone through the computer's speaker. The frequency and
duration of the beep depends on the computer's hardware.

Syntax

Beep

Related Functions

SendKeys

Example

If (TestTag_1 <1) OR (TestTag_1 > 100) Then

Beep
Else
Startup_AN38.Value = TestTag_1
End If

Randomize
The Randomize statement initialises the random number generator.

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It has one optional parameter number. This parameter can be any valid number and is
used to initialise the random number generator. If you omit the parameter then the value
returned by the Timer event is used as the default parameter to seed the random number
generator.

Syntax

Randomize[number]

Related Functions

Timer

Example

Dim MValue
' Initialise random-number generator
Randomize
MValue = Int((6 * Rnd) + 1)
Print MValue

Rem
Used to include explanatory comments in a program.

Syntax

Rem Comment
Comment:

The text of any comment you want to include in the code.

Example

' This is another way to comment

Rem This is a remark

SendKeys
Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window of the active application as if they
had been entered at the keyboard.
The value of the Wait argument determines when the SendKeys function completes and
returns control to CitectVBA. If omitted, Wait is treated as FALSE by default.

Note:You can't use SendKeys to send keystrokes to an application that is not

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designed to run in Microsoft Windows. Sendkeys also can't send the PRINT SCREEN
key {PRTSC} to any application..

Syntax

SendKeys(keys, wait)
keys:

The string that is sent to the active window.

wait:

Enter TRUE or FALSE.

If wait is true the keystrokes must be processed before control is returned to the calling procedure.
This argument is optional. If you omit it, it is assumed to be false.

Return Value

None

Example

Dim intCounter As Integer ' Declare variables.

Dim dblProgID As Double, ' Launch Windows Calculator program.
dblProgID = Shell("Calc.exe", 1) ' Set up counting loop.
For intCounter = 1 To 5 ' Send keystrokes to Calculator
SendKeys intCounter & "{+}", True ' to add the value of intCounter each time
Next intCounter ' Return focus to Calculator.
AppActivate "Calculator" ' Send keystrokes toClose Calculator.

SendKeys "%{F4}", True

Procedural Statements
CitectVBA procedural function statements are provided to assist with conditional code
execution and program flow:

Call statement Transfers control to a Sub procedure, function procedure, or

dynamic-link library (DLL) procedure.

Function state- Declares and defines a procedure that can receive arguments and
ment return a value of a specified data type.

End Function Ends a program or a block of statements within a function.

statement

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Sub statement Declares and defines a Sub procedures name, parameters and
code.

End Sub state- Ends a program or a block of statements within a subroutine.

ment

CicodeCallOpen Calls a Cicode function from CitectVBA.

function

CicodeCallReturn Obtains the return value of the most recently completed Cicode
function function opened with the CitectVBA CicodeCallOpen function.

Cicode functions used to handle CitectVBA functions and statements:

VbCallOpen func- Opens a CitectVBA function or subroutine from Cicode.

tion

VbCallRun func- Runs the opened CitectVBA function or subroutine from Cicode.
tion

VbCallReturn func- Obtains the return value of the completed CitectVBA function pre-
tion viously opened with the Cicode VbCallOpen function.

Call
The Call Statement transfers control to a Sub procedure, Function procedure, or dynamic-
link library (DLL) procedure.
The required ProcedureName is the name of the function or subroutine to call. The
optional Parameters is the list of arguments to pass to the called function or subroutine.
You are not required to use the Call statement when calling an CitectVBA subroutine or
a DLL function. Parentheses must be used in the argument list if the Call statement is
being used.

Syntax

Call ProcedureName[Parameter(s)]

Related Functions

End Function | Sub | End Sub | Exit

Example

Call Beep

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CicodeCallOpen
The CicodeCallOpen function is used to call a Cicode function from CitectVBA. It is used
to initiate and execute a call to the Cicode function and returns an integer value rep-
resenting either an error code or the success of this CitectVBA function making the call.

Note: This CitectVBA function does not return the actual return-value of the Cicode
function being called. You can obtain that return value by using the associated
CicodeCallReturn function.

UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

Do not nest the CicodeCallOpen and CicodeCallReturn functions. Nesting these functions
can lead to unintended equipment operation when your program is run.

Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equip-
ment damage.

For details, see Calling Cicode from CitectVBA.

Syntax

ReturnValue = CicodeCallOpen(FunctName, ArgList)

ReturnValue:

The return value for the function in the range of 0 to 3.

FunctName:

The name of the Cicode function being called.

Arglist:

A variable length comma separated argument list of all the arguments to be passed to the Cicode
function being opened (dependant upon which Cicode function is being called and the arguments
that Cicode function requires). The argument list should not be enclosed within brackets, although
when using variable names as arguments, those variable arguments within the list need to be
individually enclosed within brackets to force the passing of the variable to Cicode by value.

Return Value

CicodeCallOpen returns a integer data type containing a value in the range of 0 to 3:

l 0 if CicodeCallOpenfunction was successful
l 1 for CicodeCallOpenfunction general error
l 2 for specified Cicode function not found

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l 3 for incorrect number of arguments for specified Cicode function passed in

<ArgList>.

Related Functions

CicodeCallReturn

Example

In the following example, a CitectVBA variable is enclosed in brackets to force the pass-
ing of the variable by value. See Passing variables Byref and Byval.

Dim vntRet as Variant

' declare modular variant variable to store function results
Function TestCicode() As Integer
' declare local variables
Dim intRet As Integer
Dim strReply as String
Dim intMaxScale as Integer
' copy current tag value to variable
' uses the project variable tag named MAX_SCALE
intMaxScale = MAX_SCALE
' call Cicode function
' for example: TrnSetScale( AN, Pen, Percent, Scale)
intRet = CicodeCallOpen( "TrnSetScale", 53, -1, 100, (IntMaxScale)
)
' Note the syntax used:
' - brackets around the CitectVBA function argument list.
' (This is only necessary when the CitectVBA function is preceded
by an equals (=) sign .)
' - double quotes around the Cicode function name
' - no brackets around the Cicode function argument list
' - brackets around individual variable arguments
' test results
If intRet = 0 Then
'
' insert code for successful completion here
'
vntRet = CicodeCallReturn()
strReply = "CicodeCallOpen Function successfully called"
Else
'
' insert code for unsuccessful completion here
'
Select Case intRet
Case = 1
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "CicodeCallOpen Function call error (unsuccessful)"
Case = 2
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Cicode Function not found"
Case = 3
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Wrong number of arguments "_
& "in Cicode CallOpen function call"

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Case Else
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Unknown error"
End Select
End If
' display return comment for your information
MsgBox strReply
' assign return value for this function
TestCicode = intRet
End Function

CicodeCallReturn
The CicodeCallReturn function is used to obtain the return value of the most recently
completed Cicode function opened and run with the CitectVBA CicodeCallOpen func-
tion.
No arguments are passed to the CicodeCallReturn function, as it will return the result of
the most recent return-value for the Cicode function called by the CitectVBA Cicode-
CallOpen function.
The CicodeCallReturn function should be used in its own separate line of CitectVBA
code and must not be nested with the CicodeCallOpen function. For details, see Calling
Cicode from CitectVBA.

Syntax

ReturnValue = CicodeCallReturn()
ReturnValue:

The return value of the Cicode function specified in the most recent call of the CicodeCallOpen
function. Note that the return data type of CicodeCallReturn will depend upon the return data type
of the completed Cicode function most recently called by the CicodeCallOpen function.

Return Value

CicodeCallReturn returns the return-value of the completed Cicode function most

recently called by the CicodeCallOpen function.

Related Functions

CicodeCallOpen

Example

' declare modular variant variable to store function results

Dim vntRet as Variant
Function TestCicode() As Integer
' declare local variables

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Dim intRet As Integer

Dim strReply as String
Dim intMaxScale as Integer
' copy current tag value to variable
' uses the project variable tag named MAX_SCALE
intMaxScale = MAX_SCALE
' call Cicode function
' for example: TrnSetScale( AN, Pen, Percent, Scale)
intRet = CicodeCallOpen( "TrnSetScale", 53, -1, 100, (IntMaxScale)
)
' Note the syntax used:
' - brackets around the CitectVBA function argument list
' - double quotes around the Cicode function name
' - no brackets around the Cicode function argument list
' - brackets around individual variable arguments

' test results

If intRet = 0 Then
'
' insert code for successful completion here
'
vntRet = CicodeCallReturn()
strReply = "CicodeCallOpen Function successfully called"
Else
'
' insert code for unsuccessful completion here
'
Select Case intRet
Case = 1
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "CicodeCallOpen Function call error (unsuccessful)"
Case = 2
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Cicode Function not found"
Case = 3
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Wrong number of arguments "_
& "in Cicode CallOpen function call"
Case Else
' assign return comment for this case
strReply = "Unknown error"
End Select
End If

' display return comment for your information

MsgBox strReply
' assign return value for this function
TestCicode = intRet

End Function

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The End Function statement ends a program or a block of statements within a function.
A CitectVBA function starts with the FUNCTION statement and finishes with the END
FUNCTION statement. All other statements that lie between the FUNCTION and END
FUNCTION statements will be executed by the function when called to do so.

Syntax

End {Function | Sub | If}

Related Functions

Call | Sub | End Sub | Exit

Example

Function GetColor2( c% ) As Long

Sub TestColor2
Dim I as integer
For I = 1 to 10
Print GetColor2(I)
Next I
End Sub

End Sub
The End Sub statement ends a program or a block of statements within a subroutine. A
CitectVBA subroutine starts with the SUB statement and finishes with the END SUB
statement. All other statements that lie between the SUB and END SUB statements, will
be executed by the subroutine, when called to do so.

Syntax

End Sub

Related Functions

Call | End Function | Sub | Exit

Example

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Function GetColor2( c% ) As Long

Sub TestColor2
Dim I as integer
For I = 1 to 10
Print GetColor2(I)
Next I
End Sub

Function
The Function statement declares and defines a function procedure, its name, parameters,
and code to be enacted upon when the subroutine is called. Functions differ from sub-
routines in that functions return a value, whereas subroutines do not.
The required FunctionName is the name of the function being declared. The optional
ArgList is the list of arguments used within the function.
A CitectVBA function starts with the FUNCTION statement and finishes with the END
FUNCTION statement. All other statements that lie between the FUNCTION and END
FUNCTION statements will be executed by the function when called to do so.

Syntax

Function FunctionName [(ArgList)] [As type]

Related Functions

Call | End Function | Sub | End Sub | Exit

Example

Function GetColor2( c% ) As Long

GetColor2 = c% * 25
If c% > 2 Then
GetColor2 = 255 ' 0x0000FF - Red
End If
If c% > 5 Then
GetColor2 = 65280 ' 0x00FF00 - Green
End If

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If c% > 8 Then
GetColor2 = 16711680 ' 0xFF0000 - Blue
End If
End Function

Sub TestColor2
Dim I as integer
For I = 1 to 10
Print GetColor2(I)
Next I
End Sub

Sub
Declares and defines a subroutine procedure, its name, parameters, and code to be
enacted upon when the subroutine is called. Subroutines differ from functions in that
functions return a value, whereas subroutines do not.
The required SubroutineName is the name of the subroutine being declared.
The optional ArgList is the list of arguments used within the subroutine.
A CitectVBA subroutine starts with the SUB statement and finishes with the END SUB
statement. All other statements that lie between the SUB and END SUB statements, will
be executed by the subroutine, when called to do so.

Syntax

Sub

Related Functions

Call | End Function | End Sub | Exit

Example

Function GetColor2( c% ) As Long

Sub TestColor2
Dim I as integer

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For I = 1 to 10
Print GetColor2(I)
Next I
End Sub

VbCallOpen function
The VbCallOpen function is a Cicode function used to call a CitectVBA function or sub-
routine from Cicode. It is used to initiate a call to the CitectVBA function or subroutine
and returns a handle (of OBJECT data type) to that opened function call.
VbCallOpen is used in conjunction with VbCallRun and VbCallReturn functions, which
can all be nested to implement the entire function set with a single line of Cicode. For fur-
ther information, see the section "Calling CitectVBA from Cicode".

Syntax

ReturnValue = VbCallOpen(FunctName, ArgList)

ReturnValue:

The handle to the opened CitectVBA function.

FunctName:

The name of the CitectVBA function or subroutine being called.

ArgList:

A comma separated list of arguments to pass to the function or subroutine being called.

Return Value

VbCallOpen returns an Object data type containing a handle to the CitectVBA function
being called. If the function cannot open the CitectVBA function or subroutine the return
value is zero.

Related Functions

VbCallRun function | VbCallReturn function

Example

FUNCTION
TestCitectVBA()
INT iRet;
STRING sMsg = "Hello";
INT iVal = 123;

iRet = VbCallReturn(VbCallRun(VbCallOpen("CiVBATest",

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iVal)));
Message("TestCitectVBA Function", "CiVBATest = " +
IntToStr(iRet), 0);
END

Example

Function CiVBATest(Value As Integer) As Integer

CiVBATest = Value * 2
End Function

VbCallReturn function
Used to obtain the return value of the completed CitectVBA function (previously opened
with the Cicode VbCallOpen function), and requires the handle returned from the VbCall-
Run function call.
VbCallReturn is used in conjunction with VbCallOpen and VbCallRun functions, which
can all be nested to implement the entire function set with a single line of Cicode. For fur-
ther information, see the section Calling CitectVBA from Cicode.

Syntax

ReturnValue = VbCallReturn(CallHandle)
ReturnValue:

The value returned by the completed CitectVBA function (which was previously opened by the
Cicode VbCallOpen function). The data type of the return value is dependent upon the data type of
the return value for the CitectVBA function opened.

CallHandle:

The handle to the previously opened CitectVBA function as returned by the Cicode VbCallRun
function

Return Value

VbCallReturn returns the completed return value for the CitectVBA function.

Related Functions

VbCallOpen function | VbCallRun function

Example

FUNCTION
TestCitectVBA()
INT iRet;

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STRING sMsg = "Hello";

INT iVal = 123;

iRet = VbCallReturn(VbCallRun(VbCallOpen("CiVBATest",
iVal)));
Message("TestCitectVBA Function", "CiVBATest = " +
IntToStr(iRet), 0);
END

Example

Function CiVBATest(Value As Integer) As Integer

CiVBATest = Value * 2
End Function

VbCallRun function
Used to execute the CitectVBA function or subroutine (previously opened with the
Cicode VbCallOpen function), and requires the handle returned from the VbCallOpen
function call.
The VbCallRun function provides an opportunity for the opened CitectVBA function to
complete and return a value in the multi-threaded Citect/SCADA environment. It passes
its argument value (of OBJECT data type) through as its return value upon completion.
VbCallRun is used in conjunction with VbCallOpen and VbCallReturn functions, which
can all be nested to implement the entire function set with a single line of Cicode. For
details, see Calling CitectVBA from Cicode.

Syntax

ReturnValue = VbCallRun(CallHandle)
ReturnValue:

The handle to the opened CitectVBA function passed in as CallHandle.

CallHandle:

The handle to the previously opened CitectVBA function as returned by the VbCallOpenfunction.

Return Value

VbCallRun (passes through and) returns a Object data type containing a handle to the
CitectVBA function being called.

Related Functions

VbCallOpen function| VbCallReturn function

Example

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FUNCTION
TestCitectVBA()
INT iRet;
STRING sMsg = "Hello";
INT iVal = 123;
iRet = VbCallReturn(VbCallRun(VbCallOpen("CiVBATest",
iVal)));
Message("TestCitectVBA Function", "CiVBATest = " +
IntToStr(iRet), 0);
END

Example

Function CiVBATest(Value As Integer) As Integer

CiVBATest = Value * 2
End Function

String Functions
CitectVBA strings functions are provided to create, edit and implement strings within
CitectVBA code. The strings functions predefined in CitectVBA are:

Asc Returns a numeric value that is the ASCII code for the first character in a
string.

Chr Converts an ASCII number to a one character string.

InStr Returns the character position of the first occurrence of string2 within
string1.

LCase Returns a copy of string in which all characters have been converted to
lowercase.

Left, Left$ Returns the left most characters of a string parameter.

Len Determines the number of characters in the stringargument.

Line Input Reads a single line from an open sequential file and assigns it to a string
# variable.

LTrim Strips any leading spaces from a string variable.

Mid Returns a substring within a string.

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Option Com- Determines the default string comparison method.

pare

Option Forces explicit declaration of all variables.

Explicit

Right Returns the right most characters of a string parameter.

RTrim Strips any trailing spaces from a string variable.

Space Adds a specified number of spaces in a print statement.

StrComp Returns a variant that is the result of the comparison of two strings.

String Create a string that consists of one character repeated a specific number
of times.

Trim Strips any leading and trailing spaces from Str variable.

UCase Returns a copy of string in which all characters have been converted to
uppercase.

Syntax

Asc(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns the numeric ASCII code value of the first character in Str provided in the argu-
ment.

Related Functions

Chr

Example

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Dim vntVar ' declare result holder variable

vntVar = Asc("A")' returns 65
vntVar = Asc("Z")' returns 90
vntVar = Asc("a")' returns 97
vntVar = Asc("z")' returns 122
vntVar = Asc("Apple")' returns 65
vntVar = Asc("Zoe")' returns 90

Note: Values 8, 9, 10, and 13 convert to backspace, tab, linefeed, and carriage return
characters respectively.

The Chr function performs the opposite of the Asc function, which converts a text string
character to it's numeric ASCII code value.

Syntax

Chr(Num)
Num:

An integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

Returns a single character string representing the ASCII character code value of the
number Num provided in the argument.

Related Functions

Asc

Example

Dim vntVar ' declare result holder variable

vntVar = Chr(65) ' returns "A"
vntVar = Chr(97) ' returns "a"
vntVar = Chr(90) ' returns "Z"
vntVar = Chr(122) ' returns "z"

InStr

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Returns the character position of the first occurrence of String2 within String1.

Syntax

InStr(StartPos, StringToSearch, StringToMatch)

StartPos:

A numeric expression that sets the starting position for the search. If omitted, search begins at the
first character position. If Num contains Null, an error occurs. An Integer or expression rep-
resenting a valid numeric value.

StringToSearch:

The string expression being searched. A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

StringToMatch:

The string expression being searched for. A string or expression that can represent a valid text
value.

Return Value

Returns a variant containing a Long data type indicating the result of the string search.
Returns 0 if:
l StringToSearch is of zero length.
l StringToMatch is not found.
l StartPos is longer than StringToMatch.
Returns a value representing the count position where character match was first found.
Returns Null if StringToSearch or StringToMatch contains null.

Related Functions

IsNull | Left, Left$ | Mid | Right | StrComp

Example

Dim strToSearch as String

Dim strToFind as String
Dim lngPosition as Long
strToSearch = "Good Bye"
' note this has an uppercase "B"
strToFind = "bye"
' note this has a lowercase "b"
lngPosition = InStr(1, strToSearch, strToFind, 0)
' returns 0 (Did not find match)
lngPosition = InStr(1, strToSearch, strToFind, 1)
' returns 6 (Position of first character in match)

LCase

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Converts all uppercase letters in Str to lowercase letters. All lowercase letters and non-
letter characters remain unchanged.

Syntax

LCase(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns a string.

Related Functions

UCase

Example

Dim strMixedCase as String

Dim strLowerCase as String
Dim strUpperCase as String
strMixedCase = "AbCdE"
strLowerCase = LCase(strMixedCase) ' returns "abcde"
strUpperCase = UCase(strMixedCase) ' returns "ABCDE"

Left, Left$
Returns the left most Num characters of Str.
The required Str argument is a String expression from which the leftmost characters are
returned. If Str contains Null, Null is returned.
The required Num argument is a Variant (Long) numeric expression indicating how
many characters to return. If 0, a zero-length string (" ") is returned. If greater than or
equal to the number of characters in string, the entire string is returned.

Syntax

Left(Str, Num)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

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The Left function returns a variant containing a String data type. The Left$ function
returns a String.

Related Functions

InStr| Mid| Right

Example

Dim strGreeting as String

Dim strTest
strGreeting = "Hello World"
strTest = Left(strGreeting, 1) ' Returns "H".
strTest = Left(strGreeting, 7) ' Returns "Hello W".
strTest = Left(strGreeting, 20) ' Returns "Hello World".

Len
The Len function determines the number of characters in the Str argument. The LenB
function determines the number of bytes in the VarName argument.
l The Str argument can be any valid string expression. If Str contains Null, Null is
returned.
l The VarName argument can be any valid variable name. If VarName contains Null,
Null is returned. If VarName is a Variant, LenB treats it the same as a String and
returns the number of characters it contains.

Syntax

Len(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns a Long.

Related Functions

InStr| Left, Left$| Mid| Right

Example

Dim strTest as String

Dim lngStringLength as Long
strTest = "CitectVBA"
lngStringLength = Len(strTest) ' returns 9

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Note: The number sign (# ) preceding FileNum is not optional.

Data read with the Line Input # statement has usually been written to a file with the
Print # statement.

Syntax

Line Input # FileNum, VarName

FileNum:

An Integer or numeric expression representing any valid number in the range 1 to 511 inclusive,
which is referenced by the file system to be associated with an open file.

VarName:

A string representing a valid variable name.

Related Functions

Get # | GetAttr | Input | Print # | Put # | Write #

Example

Dim strTextLine As String

Dim intFileNum As Integer
Open "c:\TEST.txt" For Input As #intFileNum intFileNum = FreeFile
'retrieve next free file number
Do While Not EOF(intFileNum) ' Loop until end of file.

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Line Input #intFileNum, strTextLine ' Read line into variable.

Print TextLine ' Print line.
Loop
Close #intFileNum

LTrim
Strips any leading spaces from Str variable.

Syntax

LTrim(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns a string.

Related Functions

RTrim| Trim

Example

Dim strTest as String

Dim strResult as String
Dim lngStartLength as Long
Dim lngFinishLength as Long
strTest = " CitectVBA"
lngStartLength = Len(strTest) ' returns 14
strResult = LTrim(strTest) ' returns "CitectVBA"
lngStringLength = Len(strResult) ' returns 9

Mid
The Mid Function extracts a portion of a string from Str.

Note: To determine the number of characters in a string, use the Len function.

The Str argument can be any valid string expression. If Str contains Null, Null is
returned.
The required Num argument is a Long numeric expression that sets the starting position
for the extraction. If Num is greater than the number of characters in string, Mid returns
a zero-length string ("").

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The optional Len argument is a Variant containing a Long data type representing the
number of characters to return. If omitted or if there are fewer than Len characters in Str
(including the character at position Num ), all characters from the Num position to the
end of the string are returned.

Syntax

Mid(Str, Num, Len)

Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value. If Str contains Null, Null is returned.

Num:

A Long numeric expression that sets the starting position for the extraction. If Num is greater than
the number of characters in string, Mid returns a zero-length string ("").

Len:

A Variant containing a Long data type representing the number of characters to return. If omitted or
if there are fewer than Len characters in Str (including the character at position Num ), all characters
from the Num position to the end of the string are returned.

Return Value

The Mid function returns a Variant (containing a String data type).

Related Functions

InStr | Left, Left$ | Right

Example

Dim strSource as String

Dim strFirstWord as String
Dim strSecondWord as String
Dim strThirdWord as String
Dim lngPosition as Long
Dim lngNextPosition as Long
Dim lngWordLength as Long
strSource = "Mid Function Demo" ' Create test string.
lngPosition = 1 ' Start at character position 1
lngNextPosition = Instr(lngPosition, strSource," ") ' Locate first space char-
acter
lngWordLength = lngNextPosition - lngPosition ' calculate word length
strFirstWord = Mid(strSource, lngPosition, lngWordLength) ' Returns first word
"Mid"
lngPosition = lngNextPosition + 1 ' Move to next word position
lngNextPosition = Instr(lngPosition, strSource," ") ' Locate next space character
lngWordLength = lngNextPosition - lngPosition ' calculate word length
strSecondWord = Mid(strSource, lngPosition, lngWordLength) ' Returns second word

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"Function"
lngPosition = lngNextPosition + 1 ' Move to next word position
lngNextPosition = Instr(lngPosition, strSource," ") ' Locate next space character
lngWordLength = lngNextPosition - lngPosition ' calculate word length
strThirdWord = Mid(strSource, lngPosition, lngWordLength) ' Returns third word
"Demo"

Syntax

Option Compare {Binary | Text}

Related Functions

InStr | StrComp

Example

Option Compare Binary

Dim vntResult as Variant
vntResult = StrComp("CitectVBA rules!", "Citectvba Rules!")
' returns 1 (strings unequal)

Example

Option Compare Text

Dim vntResult as Variant
vntResult = StrComp("CitectVBA rules!", "Citectvba Rules!")
' returns 0 (strings equal)

Option Explicit
Forces explicit declaration of all variables.
The optional Option Explicit statement if used, must be placed at the top of the
CitectVBA file. This causes a check of variable declarations at compile time. Setting this
option is a good way to catch misspelling of variables in your code.

Syntax

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Option Explicit

Related Functions

Const | Dim

Example

Option Explicit
' various statements go here
' a compile error will occur with the following line
strMyVar = "This string assignment won't work"
'because strMyVar is not explicitly declared

Right
Returns the right most Num characters of Str. The required Str argument is a String
expression from which the rightmost characters are returned. If Str contains Null, Null is
returned.
The required Num argument is a Variant (Long) numeric expression indicating how
many characters to return. If 0, a zero-length string (" ") is returned. If greater than or
equal to the number of characters in string, the entire string is returned.

Note: To determine the number of characters in a string, use the Len function.

Syntax

Right(Str, Num)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Return Value

The Right function returns a variant containing a string data type.

The Right$ function returns a string.

Related Functions

InStr | Left, Left$ | Mid

Example

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Dim strGreeting as String

Dim strTest
strGreeting = "Hello World"
strTest = Right(strGreeting, 1) ' Returns "d"
strTest = Right(strGreeting, 5) ' Returns "World"
strTest = Right(strGreeting, 20) ' Returns "Hello World"

RTrim
Strips any trailing spaces from Strvariable.

Syntax

RTrim(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns a String.

Related Functions

LTrim | Trim

Example

Dim strTest as String

Dim strResult as String
Dim lngStartLength as Long
Dim lngFinishLength as Long
strTest = "CitectVBA "
lngStartLength = Len(strTest) ' returns 14
strResult = RTrim(strTest) ' returns "CitectVBA"
lngStringLength = Len(strResult) ' returns 9

Space
Creates a String consisting of the specified number Num of spaces. The Space function is
useful for formatting output and clearing data in fixed-length strings.

Syntax

Space(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

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Return Value

Returns a Variant containing a String data type.

Related Functions

String

Example

Dim strTest as String

' Returns a string with 10 spaces.
strTest = Space(10)

' Insert 10 spaces between two strings.

strTest = "Hello" & Space(10) & "World"

StrComp
Returns an integer that is the result of the comparison of two strings.
The required String1 argument is any valid string expression. The required String2 argu-
ment is any valid string expression.
The optional Compare argument is a numeric expression that specifies the type of string
comparison. It can be omitted, 0, or 1. Specify 0 (default) to perform a binary com-
parison. Specify 1 to perform a textual comparison. If compare is Null, an error occurs.

Syntax

StrComp(String1, String2)
String1:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

String2:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns a variant containing an integer data type indicating the result of the string com-
pare:
l Returns -1 where String1 is less than String2.
l Returns 0 where String1 is equal to String2.
l Returns 1 where String1 is greater than String2.
l Returns Null where String1 or String2s Null.

Example

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Dim strTest1 as String

Dim strTest2 as String
Dim strTest3 as String
Dim vntComp
strTest1 = "ABCD"
strTest2 = "abcd"
strTest3 = NULL
vntComp = StrComp(strTest1, strTest2) ' Returns -1 (less than)
vntComp = StrComp(strTest1, strTest1) ' Returns 0 (equal to)
vntComp = StrComp(strTest2, strTest1) ' Returns 1 (greater than)
vntComp = StrComp(strTest1, strTest3) ' Returns NULL (strTest3 is NULL)

String
Creates a string that consists of one character repeated a specific number of times.
The required Num argument is Long numeric expression indicating how many char-
acters to return. If Num contains Null, Null is returned.
The required Character argument is a String expression from which the first character is
repeated and returned, or is a Variant (Long) representing a valid character code. If char-
acter contains Null, Null is returned.

Syntax

String(Num)
Num:

An Integer or expression representing a valid numeric value.

Related Functions

Space

Example

Dim strTest as String

strTest = String(5, "*")
' Returns "*****"
strTest = String(5, 42)
' Returns "44444"
strTest = String(10, "Today")
' Returns "TTTTTTTTTT"

Trim
Strips any leading and trailing spaces from Str variable.

Syntax

230
Chapter 5: CitectVBA Function Reference

Trim(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns a String.

Related Functions

LTrim | RTrim

Example

Dim strTest as String

Dim strResult as String
Dim lngStartLength as Long
Dim lngFinishLength as Long
strTest = " CitectVBA "
lngStartLength = Len(strTest)
' returns 19
strResult = Trim(strTest)
' returns "CitectVBA"
lngStringLength = Len(strResult)
' returns 9

UCase
Converts all lowercase letters in Str to uppercase letters. All uppercase letters and non-
letter characters remain unchanged.

Syntax

UCase(Str)
Str:

A string or expression that can represent a valid text value.

Return Value

Returns a string.

Related Functions

UCase

Example

231
Chapter 5: CitectVBA Function Reference

Dim strMixedCase as String

Dim strLowerCase as String
Dim strUpperCase as String
strMixedCase = "AbCdE"
strLowerCase = LCase(strMixedCase) ' returns "abcde"
strUpperCase = UCase(strMixedCase) ' returns "ABCDE"

232
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings
The table below shows the Latin 1 ANSI character set.
Codes 0-31 are control codes. The standard ASCII codes are from 32-127 (decimal) and
are common regardless of the ANSI set being used. The remaining codes from 160-255
(decimal) vary between languages dependent upon the ANSI set being used.

Symbol Decimal Hex

{NUL} 0 00

{SOH} 1 01

{STX} 2 02

{ETX} 3 03

{EOT} 4 04

{ENQ} 5 05

{ACK} 6 06

{BEL} 7 07

{BS} 8 08

{HT} 9 09

{LF} 10 0A

{VT} 11 0B

{FF} 12 0C

{CR} 13 0D

{SO} 14 0E

{SI} 15 0F

233
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

{DLE} 16 10

{DC1} 17 11

{DC2} 18 12

{DC3} 19 13

{DC4} 20 14

{NAK} 21 15

{SYN} 22 16

{ETB} 23 17

{CAN} 24 18

{EM} 25 19

{SUB} 26 1A

{ESC} 27 1B

{FS} 28 1C

{GS} 29 1D

{RS} 30 1E

{US} 31 1F

{SPC} 32 20

! 33 21

" 34 22

# 35 23

$ 36 24

234
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

% 37 25

& 38 26

' 39 27

( 40 28

) 41 29

* 42 2A

+ 43 2B

, 44 2C

- 45 2D

. 46 2E

/ 47 2F

0 48 30

1 49 31

2 50 32

3 51 33

4 52 34

5 53 35

6 54 36

7 55 37

8 56 38

9 57 39

235
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

: 58 3A

; 59 3B

< 60 3C

= 61 3D

> 62 3E

? 63 3F

@ 64 40

A 65 41

B 66 42

C 67 43

D 68 44

E 69 45

F 70 46

G 71 47

H 72 48

I 73 49

J 74 4A

K 75 4B

L 76 4C

M 77 4D

N 78 4E

236
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

O 79 4F

P 80 50

Q 81 51

R 82 52

S 83 53

T 84 54

U 85 55

V 86 56

W 87 57

X 88 58

Y 89 59

Z 90 5A

[ 91 5B

\ 92 5C

] 93 5D

^ 94 5E

_ 95 5F

` 96 60

a 97 61

b 98 62

c 99 63

237
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

d 100 64

e 101 65

f 102 66

g 103 67

h 104 68

i 105 69

j 106 6A

k 107 6B

l 108 6C

m 109 6D

n 110 6E

o 111 6F

p 112 70

q 113 71

r 114 72

s 115 73

t 116 74

u 117 75

v 118 76

w 119 77

x 120 78

238
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

y 121 79

z 122 7A

{ 123 7B

| 124 7C

} 125 7D

~ 126 7E

{Delete} 127 7F

128 80

129 81

‚ 130 82

ƒ 131 83

„ 132 84

... 133 85

† 134 86

‡ 135 87

ˆ 136 88

‰ 137 89

Š 138 8A

< 139 8B

Œ 140 8C

141 8D

239
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

142 8E

143 8F

144 90

` 145 91

' 146 92

" 147 93

" 148 94

· 149 95

- 150 96

- 151 97

˜ 152 98

™ 153 99

š 154 9A

> 155 9B

œ 156 9C

157 9D

158 9E

Ÿ 159 9F

{NBSP} 160 A0

¡ 161 A1

¢ 162 A2

240
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

£ 163 A3

¤ 164 A4

¥ 165 A5

¦ 166 A6

§ 167 A7

¨ 168 A8

ª 170 AA

« 171 AB

¬ 172 AC

¯ 173 AD

® 174 AE

¯ 175 AF

° 176 B0

± 177 B1

² 178 B2

³ 179 B3

´ 180 B4

µ 181 B5

¶ 182 B6

· 183 B7

241
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

¸ 184 B8

¹ 185 B9

º 186 BA

» 187 BB

¼ 188 BC

½ 189 BD

¾ 190 BE

¿ 191 BF

À 192 C0

Á 193 C1

Â 194 C2

Ã 195 C3

Ä 196 C4

Å 197 C5

Æ 198 C6

Ç 199 C7

È 200 C8

É 201 C9

Ê 202 CA

Ë 203 CB

Ì 204 CC

242
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

Í 205 CD

Î 206 CE

Ï 207 CF

Ð 208 D0

Ñ 209 D1

Ò 210 D2

Ó 211 D3

Ô 212 D4

Õ 213 D5

Ö 214 D6

× 215 D7

Ø 216 D8

Ù 217 D9

Ú 218 DA

Û 219 DB

Ü 220 DC

Ý 221 DD

Þ 222 DE

ß 223 DF

à 224 E0

á 225 E1

243
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

â 226 E2

ã 227 E3

ä 228 E4

å 229 E5

æ 230 E6

ç 231 E7

è 232 E8

é 233 E9

ê 234 EA

ë 235 EB

ì 236 EC

í 237 ED

î 238 EE

ï 239 EF

ð 240 F0

ñ 241 F1

ò 242 F2

ó 243 F3

ô 244 F4

õ 245 F5

ö 246 F6

244
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

Symbol Decimal Hex

÷ 247 F7

ø 248 F8

ù 249 F9

ú 250 FA

û 251 FB

ü 252 FC

ý 253 FD

þ 254 FE

ÿ 255 FF

245
Chapter 6: ASCII/ANSI Character Code Listings

246
Index
Close statement 164
coercion and variant data types 48
A comments 30
Abs function 194 file header 30
access, file 101 comparing strings 68
Application Programming Interface (API) 84 concatenation 68
arguments 82, 87, 89 Const 137
arithmetical operators 64 Const statement 137
array subscripts 44 constant declaration 38
arrays 43 constant naming 33
declaration 43 constants 33, 37
dimensions 44 date 55
dynamic size 47 declaring 38
fixed size 45 scope 28
multi-dimensional 47 constants, intrinsic 39
subscripts 44 constraints, date and time 59
Asc function 117, 218 control structures 70
assigning references 93 DO statement 70
assignment operators 63 WHILE statement 71
Atn function 200 Cos function 201
CSng function 121
CStr function 122
B
CurDir function 165
Beep statement 203
CVar function 122
bounds 44
ByRef 87
ByVal 87 D
data types 36
arrays 43
C
coercion 48
calendars, in databases 62
default 48
Call 206
numeric 50
Call statement 206
variant as default 48
CDate function 119
databases and calendars 62
CDbl function 120
date 60
character
data type structure 60
line continuation 32
date and time data constraints 59
underscore 32
Date Cicode function 150
ChDir statement 162
date constants 55
ChDrive statement 163
date data type structure 60
Chr function 118, 219
date formatting 57
CInt function 120
date functions 148
CLng function 121

247
Index

date handling 54 FOR statement 71

date values 61 Format function 125
DateSerial function 123, 151 formatting, date 57
DateValue function 152 FreeFile function 170
Day function 152 function
decimal numbers 50 Abs 194
decision making Asc 117, 218
DO Statement 70 Atn 200
WHILE statement 71 Beep 203
declaration, object 92 CDate 119
deletion, object 100 CDbl 120
Dim statement 103, 139 Chr 118, 219
dimension 40 CInt 120
array declaration 43 CLng 121
array subscript declaration 44 Const statement 137
variable declaration 40 Cos 201
Dir function 109, 166 CSng 121
DO statement 70 CStr 122
DO Statement 70 CurDir 165
double precison numbers 50 CVar 122
Dynamic Linked Libraries (DLLs) 84 DateSerial 123, 151
dynamic size arrays 47 DateValue 152
Day 152
E Dim statement 103, 139
End Function statement 110, 211 Dir 166
END statement 76 EOF 168
End Sub statement 211 Erase statement 104
EOF function 168 Exp 195
Erase statement 104 FileCopy 169
EXIT statement 76 FileLen 170
Exp function 195 Fix 195
exponential notation 51 Format 125
FreeFile 170
GetAttr 173
F
Hex 132
file access 101
Hour 153
file I/O functions 160
Input # 175
FileCopy function 169
InStr function 220
FileLen function 170
Int 196
files 27
IsDate function 140
Fix function 195
IsEmpty 140
fixed size arrays 45
IsNull 141
floating point calculation rules 52
IsNumeric 142
floating point numbers 50
Lbound 105

248
Index

LCase 221 Function statement 212

Left 221 functions 33, 78, 80, 203
Left$ 221
Len 222 G
Loc 178 Get statement 171
LOF 179 GetAttr function 173
Log 197 global scope 29
LTrim 224 GOTO statement 70
Mid 224
Minute 153
H
Month 154
handling, date 54
Now 155
headers, file 30
Oct 133
Hex function 132
Option Base statement 106, 143
hexadecimal numbers 50
Option Explicit 226
Hour function 153
Print # 184
Put # 187
ReDim 107, 145 I
Rem 204 IF statement 72
Right 227 initializing variables 42
Rnd 198 Input # function 175
RTrim 228 InStr function 220
Second 155 Int function 196
Seek 192 intrinsic constants 39
SendKeys 204 IsDate function 140
Sgn 198 IsEmpty function 140
Sin 202 IsNull function 141
Space 228 IsNumeric function 142
Sqr 199
Str 134 K
StrComp 229 keywords 33
String 230 Kill statement 176
Tan 202
Timer event 157 L
TimeSerial 124, 158 labels 32-33
TimeValue 158 Lbound function 105
Trim 230 LCase function 221
Ubound 108 Left function 221
UCase 231 Left$ function 221
Val 134 Len function 222
VarType 147 LenB function 222
WeekDay 159 lifetime, scope 28
Write # 192 line continuation character 32
Year 160

249
Index

Line Input # statement 177, 223 OLE automation objects 91, 94

Loc function 178 OLE services 90
local scope 28 OnError statement 77
LOF function 179 Open statement 182
Log function 197 operator precedence 66
logical operators 66 operators 63
loops arithmetic 64
DO Statement 70 operators, assignment 63
WHILE statement 71 operators, logical 66
lower bound 44 operators, relational 65
LTrim function 224 option base statement 35
Option Base statement 106, 143
M option compare statement 35
math functions 194 option explicit 34
mathematical operators 64 option explicit statement 34
Microsoft Excel OLE 100 Option Explicit statement 226
Microsoft Word OLE 99 option statements 34
Mid function 224
Minute function 153 P
MkDir statement 180 precedence, operator 66
models, object 95 precision, numeric 50
modular scope 29 Print # function 184
Month function 154 private scope 28
multi-dimensional arrays 47 procedure functions 205-206
Call 206
N End Function statement 110, 211
Name statement 181 End Sub statement 211
naming 33 Function 212
labels 32 Sub 213
notation, exponential 51 public scope 28
Now function 155 Put # function 187
numbers 50
data types 50 R
numbers, rounding rules for 53 ReDim statement 107, 145
numeric data types 50 relational operators 65
numeric precision 50 Rem statement 204
Right function 227
O RmDir statement 190
object declaration 92 Rnd function 198
object deletion 100 RTrim function 228
object models 95 rules, floating point 52
Oct function 133 rules, rounding 53
octal numbers 50

250
Index

static variable scope 28

S STOP statement 77
scope 28 Str function 134
Second function 155 StrCompare function 229
Seek function 192 string comparison 68
SELECT CASE statement 74 string concatenation 68
SendKeys function 204 String function 230
services, OLE 90 string functions 217
Sgn function 198 strings 67
Sin function 202 structures, control 70
single precision numbers 50 Sub statement 213
Space function 228 subroutines 33, 78-79
Sqr function 199 subscripts 44
statement
Beep 203
ChDir 162
T
Tan function 202
ChDrive 163
Time Cicode function 156
Close 164
time functions 148
Const 137
time values 61
Dim 103, 139
Timer event 157
Erase 104
TimeSerial function 124, 158
Get 171
TimeValue function 158
Kill 176
to clause within array subscripts 44
Line Input # 177, 223
trigonometry functions 194
MkDir 180
Trim function 230
Name 181
Open 182
Option Base 106, 143 U
Option Explicit 226 Ubound function 108
ReDim 107, 145 UCase function 231
Rem 204 underscore character 32
RmDir 190 upper bound 44
statements 30
END 76 V
EXIT 76 Val function 134
FOR 71 values, date 61
GOTO 70 values, time 61
IF 72 variable declaration 40
OnError 77 variable initialization 42
option 34 variable naming 33
option explicit 34 variables 33, 40
SELECT CASE 74 lifetime 28
STOP 77 scope 28
WITH 78 variant data type 48

251
Index

variant variables 48
VarType function 147

W
WeekDay function 159
WHILE statement 71
WITH statement 78
Write # function 192

Y
Year function 160

252

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