How to Use VBA Option Compare Text in 3 Minutes (Excel)

Written by Kasper Langmann

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your Excel experience. One of the most useful features of VBA is the Option Compare Text statement. This feature allows you to compare strings in a case-insensitive manner, making your code more efficient and easier to read. In this guide, we’ll show you how to use VBA Option Compare Text in just three minutes.

Understanding VBA Option Compare Text

The Option Compare statement in VBA is used to set the default method for comparing string data. By default, VBA uses Option Compare Binary, which results in a case-sensitive comparison. This means that ‘Text’ and ‘text’ would be considered as two different strings.

However, by using Option Compare Text, you can make VBA ignore the case when comparing strings. This means that ‘Text’ and ‘text’ would be considered as the same string, which can be extremely useful in many situations.

The Syntax of Option Compare Text

The syntax of Option Compare Text is quite simple. You just need to add the statement at the beginning of your VBA module. Here’s how it looks:

Option Compare Text

Once you’ve added this line to your module, all string comparisons in that module will be case-insensitive.

How to Use VBA Option Compare Text

Using VBA Option Compare Text is straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

  1. Open your Excel workbook and press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
  2. In the VBA editor, click on Insert > Module to create a new module.
  3. At the beginning of the module, type ‘Option Compare Text’.
  4. Write your VBA code as usual. All string comparisons in this module will now be case-insensitive.

That’s all there is to it! You’ve now made your VBA code more efficient and easier to read.

Examples of VBA Option Compare Text

Let’s look at a few examples to better understand how VBA Option Compare Text works.

Example 1: Comparing Two Strings

Consider the following code:

Option Compare Text
Sub CompareStrings()
    Dim str1 As String
    Dim str2 As String
    str1 = "Text"
    str2 = "text"
    If str1 = str2 Then
        MsgBox "The strings are equal."
    Else
        MsgBox "The strings are not equal."
    End If
End Sub

In this code, we’re comparing two strings: ‘Text’ and ‘text’. Because we’ve used Option Compare Text, the message box will display “The strings are equal.”

Example 2: Searching for a String in a Range

Consider the following code:

Option Compare Text
Sub SearchString()
    Dim rng As Range
    Set rng = Range("A1:A10")
    If rng.Find("text") Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "The string was not found."
    Else
        MsgBox "The string was found."
    End If
End Sub

In this code, we’re searching for the string ‘text’ in the range A1:A10. Because we’ve used Option Compare Text, the search will be case-insensitive, and the message box will display “The string was found” even if the actual string in the range is ‘Text’.

Conclusion

VBA Option Compare Text is a powerful feature that can make your VBA code more efficient and easier to read. By making string comparisons case-insensitive, you can simplify your code and avoid unnecessary complexity.

Remember, the Option Compare statement must be placed at the beginning of your VBA module, before any procedures. Once it’s set, it applies to all string comparisons in that module.

With just a few minutes of your time, you can significantly enhance your Excel experience by using VBA Option Compare Text. Happy coding!