Array Dimensioning in Visual Basic

Dimensioning Arrays in Visual Basic

The ReDim statement is used to size or resize a dynamic array that has already been formally declared using a Private, Public, or Dim statement with empty parentheses (without dimension subscripts).

You can use the ReDim statement repeatedly to change the number of elements and dimensions in an array. However, you can't declare an array of one data type and later use ReDim to change the array to another data type, unless the array is contained in a Variant. If the array is contained in a Variant, the type of the elements can be changed using an As type clause, unless you’re using the Preserve keyword, in which case, no changes of data type are permitted.

If you use the Preserve keyword, you can resize only the last array dimension and you can't change the number of dimensions at all. For example, if your array has only one dimension, you can resize that dimension because it is the last and only dimension. However, if your array has two or more dimensions, you can change the size of only the last dimension and still preserve the contents of the array. The following example shows how you can increase the size of the last dimension of a dynamic array without erasing any existing data contained in the array.

Here is an example of Array redimensioning

Sub Array_Dimensioning()

Dim arPreserved() As Integer ' Preserved Array
Dim arErased() As Integer ' Array without Preserve

ReDim Preserve arPreserved(1, 1)
ReDim arErased(1, 1)

arPreserved(1, 1) = 1

ReDim Preserve arPreserved(1, 2)
arPreserved(1, 2) = 2

ReDim Preserve arPreserved(1, 3)
arPreserved(1, 3) = 3

ReDim Preserve arPreserved(2, 3) ' This statement will throw and error

' whereas the following statement will not as the Array is not preserved (Erased)
ReDim arErased(2, 1)

End Sub

If you use the Preserve keyword, you can resize only the last array dimension and you can't change the number of dimensions at all. For example, if your array has only one dimension, you can resize that dimension because it is the last and only dimension. However, if your array has two or more dimensions, you can change the size of only the last dimension and still preserve the contents of the array. The arPreserved falls under this category. However, arErased you can redimension the array in any dimension, but the contents will be erased with every Redim statement