Null Character Truncates String in Visual Basic (112772)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Excel for Windows 5.0
This article was previously published under Q112772 SUMMARY
In a Visual Basic procedure, if you use a string that contains the null
value in either the SendKeys statement, the MsgBox function, or the Format
function, the string is truncated at the null character.
NOTE: This situation is true for both the Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows
SendKeys statement (using Application.SendKeys) and the Visual Basic,
Applications Edition, SendKeys (using just SendKeys) statement.
MORE INFORMATION
The SendKeys statement sends keystrokes to the active windows as if they
were typed on the keyboard. Attempting to send a null character causes the
string being sent to be truncated at the location of the null character.
You can use the MsgBox function to display a string expression as a
message. However, if you use a string expression that contains the null
character in the MsgBox function, the characters in the string after the
null character do not display in the message box.
The Format function allows you to return an expression such as a string in
a named or user-defined format. If you use the Format function in the Debug
window to format a string expression that contains the null character, and
if the null character is the first character in the string, the value 0 is
returned.
Steps to Reproduce Behavior
The following Visual Basic procedure uses the SendKeys statement to send
the word "Testing" to the active window:
Sub Testing()
SendKeys "Testing"
End Sub
If you add a null character before the word Testing, the word "Testing" is
not sent to the active window. In the following procedure, the keystrokes
are not sent to the active window.
Sub Testing()
SendKeys Chr(0) + "Testing"
End Sub
If a null character is placed between two (or more) concatenated strings,
the string is truncated at the null character. In the following example,
the word "Testing" is sent to the active window, but the string "One, Two,
Three" is not.
Sub Testing()
SendKeys "Testing" + Chr(0)+ "One, Two, Three"
End Sub
Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic procedures for illustration
only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including but not
limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a
particular purpose. This Visual Basic procedure is provided 'as is' and
Microsoft does not guarantee that it can be used in all situations.
Microsoft does not support modifications of this procedure to suit customer
requirements for a particular purpose. Note that a line that is preceded by
an apostrophe introduces a comment in the code--comments are provided to
explain what the code is doing at a particular point in the procedure. Note
also that an underscore character (_) indicates that code continues from
one line to the next. You can type lines that contain this character as one
logical line or you can divide the lines of code and include the line-
continuation character. For more information about Visual Basic for
Applications programming style, see the "Programming Style in This Manual"
section in the "Document Conventions" section of the "Visual Basic User's
Guide."
REFERENCES
For more information about the Format Function, choose the Search button in
the Visual Basic Reference and type:
For more information about the Chr Function, choose the Search button in
the Visual Basic Reference and type:
Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 10/11/2006 |
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Keywords: | KB112772 |
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