Understanding the Select Case Structure

Macros in Word are written in a language called VBA. Like any other programming language, VBA includes certain programming structures that are used to control how the program executes. One of these structures is the Select Case structure. This structure has the following syntax:

Select Case expression
    Case expression
        program statements
    Case expression
        program statements
    Case Else
        program statements
End Select

When a macro is executing and this structure is encountered, Word uses the expression (first line) to test each subsequent Case statement to see if the code under the Case statement should be executed. For instance, consider the following code:

Select Case DayOfWeek
    Case 1
        DayName = "Monday"
    Case 2
        DayName = "Tuesday"
    Case 3
        DayName = "Wednesday"
    Case 4
        DayName = "Thursday"
    Case 5
        DayName = "Friday"
    Case 6
        DayName = "Saturday"
    Case 7
        DayName = "Sunday"
    Case Else
        DayName = "Unknown day"
End Select

This code assumes you enter it with DayOfWeek already set to a numeric value. Let's say (for example's sake) the value is 4. In this structure, the only code that would be executed is the code under the Case 4 statement—in other words, the macro would set DayName to "Thursday." If DayOfWeek were set to some other value not accounted for by the Case statements (outside of the 1 to 7 range), then the code under Case Else would execute, and the macro would set DayName to "Unknown day."

You also are not limited to simple Case statement expressions. For instance, you could use a Select Case structure such as the following:

Select Case DayOfWeek
    Case 1 To 5
        DayName = "Weekday"
    Case 6, 7
        DayName = "Weekend"
    Case Else
        DayName = "Unknown day"
End Select

Note the use of the range in the first Case statement and the use of multiple values in the second. The Case statement expression is quite flexible in how you can structure it.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12692) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Understanding the Select Case Structure.