Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Understanding Precedence.
Macros often contain mathematical formulas. Those formulas can sometimes become quite complex. Any time a formula contains more than one operator (such as + or -), VBA needs to figure out in which order to perform the operations. This is where the concept of precedence comes into play. Precedence is the built-in macro logic that determines the order in which the operations occur. This is the normal order:
| Operator | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| ^ | Exponentiation | |
| - | Negation | |
| * and / | Multiplication and division | |
| \ | Integer division | |
| Mod | Modulus | |
| + and - | Addition and subtraction |
Notice that there are two entries in the precedence list in which there are two operators. Multiplication and division are at the same precedence level, as are addition and subtraction. If a formula involves two or more operators at the same precedence level, then the operators are evaluated from left to right within the formula.
If you want to change the order in which a formula is evaluated, you need to use parentheses. Operations within parentheses are evaluated before those outside of them. Thus, a formula such as 3 * (4 + 2) would produce a result of 18 because the addition within the parentheses takes precedence over the multiplication outside the parentheses. If the parentheses had been omitted, then 3 * 4 + 2 would have resulted in 14.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12960) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Understanding Precedence.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
Do you need to do some simple math using dates in a your macro? One of the easy functions you can use is the DateDiff ...
Discover MoreDo you routinely need to work with tomorrow's date? Why not create a template that automatically adds tomorrow's date to ...
Discover MoreGot a macro that processes or uses styles? You definitely need to know how many styles Word has available in the ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: 
Comments