How to Use VBA ASC Function Quickly in 3 Minutes (Excel)

Written by Kasper Langmann

The VBA ASC function is a powerful tool in Excel that can help you manipulate and analyze data more efficiently. This function returns the ASCII value of the first character in a text string, providing valuable insight into the structure of your data. In this guide, we will explore how to use the VBA ASC function quickly and effectively.

Understanding the VBA ASC Function

The VBA ASC function is a built-in function in Excel that is categorized as a String/Text Function. It can be used as a VBA function (VBA) in Excel. As a VBA function, you can use this function in macro code that is entered through the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor.

The syntax for the ASC function in Microsoft Excel is: ASC ( string ). The string parameter is a required parameter, where you need to specify the string that you want to find the ASCII value for.

What is ASCII?

ASCII, or the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard used to represent text in computers and other devices that use text. Each character in the ASCII standard corresponds to a number between 0 and 127, providing a way to encode 128 possible characters.

Understanding ASCII is crucial for using the VBA ASC function effectively. By returning the ASCII value of a character, the ASC function allows you to understand and manipulate your data in new ways.

How to Use the VBA ASC Function

Using the VBA ASC function is straightforward. The first step is to open the Visual Basic Editor. You can do this by pressing ALT + F11 on your keyboard. Once the editor is open, you can enter your macro code.

Let’s look at a simple example. Suppose you have a string “Hello” and you want to find the ASCII value of the first character “H”. The code would look like this:

Dim result As Integer
result = Asc("Hello")

In this example, the result would be 72, which is the ASCII value for “H”.

Using the ASC Function with Variables

You can also use the ASC function with variables. This is useful when you want to manipulate and analyze data dynamically. Here’s an example:

Dim myString As String
myString = "Hello"
Dim result As Integer
result = Asc(myString)

In this example, the result would again be 72. The difference is that the string “Hello” is stored in the variable myString, making the code more flexible and reusable.

Advanced Uses of the VBA ASC Function

The VBA ASC function can be used in more complex ways to analyze and manipulate data. Here are a few examples.

Using the ASC Function in a Loop

You can use the ASC function in a loop to analyze each character in a string. This is useful for tasks like counting the number of specific characters in a string. Here’s an example:

Dim myString As String
myString = "Hello, World!"
Dim i As Integer
For i = 1 To Len(myString)
    Debug.Print Asc(Mid(myString, i, 1))
Next i

In this example, the code prints the ASCII value of each character in the string “Hello, World!”.

Using the ASC Function with Conditional Statements

You can use the ASC function with conditional statements to perform tasks based on the ASCII value of a character. This is useful for tasks like filtering out specific characters from a string. Here’s an example:

Dim myString As String
myString = "Hello, World!"
Dim i As Integer
Dim result As String
For i = 1 To Len(myString)
    If Asc(Mid(myString, i, 1)) >= 65 And Asc(Mid(myString, i, 1)) <= 90 Then
        result = result & Mid(myString, i, 1)
    End If
Next i
Debug.Print result

In this example, the code filters out all characters from the string “Hello, World!” that are not uppercase letters. The result is “HW”.

Conclusion

The VBA ASC function is a powerful tool for manipulating and analyzing data in Excel. By understanding and using this function, you can perform a wide range of tasks more efficiently and effectively. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced programmer, the VBA ASC function is a valuable addition to your toolkit.