Range vs Cells

When working with data in Excel VBA, Range and Cells are two of the most frequently used objects. Both refer to cells, but they have different characteristics and use cases. This article explains how to choose between them with practical examples.

Basic Differences Between Range and Cells

What is the Range Object?

The Range object is used to specify cell ranges. For example, to reference a range from A1 to B2:

Range("A1:B2")

Range excels at specifying multiple cells as a range. You can also manipulate properties like values, fonts, and colors.

What is the Cells Object?

The Cells object references cells using row and column numbers. For example, to reference the cell at row 1, column 1 (which is cell A1):

Cells(1, 1)

Cells is ideal for referencing single cells and is especially useful when dynamically selecting cells in loops.

When to Use Each

The choice depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Here are scenarios where each shines:

When Range is Better

• Specifying fixed ranges: When you need to format or enter values in a specific area
• Operating on multiple cells at once: For example, making an entire range bold with Range("A1:B10").Font.Bold = True

When Cells is Better

• Loop processing: When incrementing through rows or columns in a loop
• Dynamic cell references: When using variables like Cells(i, j) to specify cells

Practical Examples

Here are concrete examples using Range and Cells.

Using Range

Entering Data in a Fixed Range

This code enters numbers into cells A1 through B2:

Sub UseRange()
    Range("A1").Value = 10
    Range("A2").Value = 20
    Range("B1").Value = 30
    Range("B2").Value = 40
End Sub

Applying Conditional Formatting

This example applies conditional formatting to a specific range:

Sub ApplyConditionalFormatting()
    With Range("A1:B10")
        .FormatConditions.Add Type:=xlCellValue, Operator:=xlGreater, Formula1:="=10"
        .FormatConditions(1).Interior.Color = RGB(255, 0, 0)
    End With
End Sub

Using Cells

Entering Values with a Loop

This code enters numbers 1 through 10 in column 1 using a loop:

Sub UseCells()
    Dim i As Integer
    For i = 1 To 10
        Cells(i, 1).Value = i
    Next i
End Sub

Dynamically Changing Cell Colors

This code changes the background color of cells in rows 3 through 7 to yellow:

Sub ChangeCellColor()
    Dim i As Integer
    For i = 3 To 7
        Cells(i, 2).Interior.Color = RGB(255, 255, 0)
    Next i
End Sub

Combining Range and Cells

You can combine Range and Cells for dynamic range selection:

Sub DynamicRange()
    Dim startRow As Integer
    Dim endRow As Integer
    startRow = 1
    endRow = 5
    Range(Cells(startRow, 1), Cells(endRow, 2)).Font.Bold = True
End Sub

This example dynamically selects the range from row 1 to row 5, columns 1 to 2, and makes the font bold.

Specifying the Worksheet Explicitly

Sub SafeRangeReference()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")

    ' Safe: explicitly reference the worksheet
    ws.Range(ws.Cells(1, 1), ws.Cells(5, 2)).Value = "Test"

    ' Risky: relies on active sheet
    Range(Cells(1, 1), Cells(5, 2)).Value = "Test"
End Sub

Common Patterns

Finding the Last Row

Sub FindLastRow()
    Dim lastRow As Long

    ' Using Cells
    lastRow = Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row

    Debug.Print "Last row with data: " & lastRow
End Sub

Looping Through a Range

Sub LoopThroughRange()
    Dim cell As Range

    ' Loop through each cell in the range
    For Each cell In Range("A1:A10")
        If cell.Value > 50 Then
            cell.Interior.Color = RGB(0, 255, 0)
        End If
    Next cell
End Sub

Building a Range Dynamically

Sub BuildDynamicRange()
    Dim startRow As Long, endRow As Long
    Dim startCol As Long, endCol As Long
    Dim dataRange As Range

    startRow = 2
    endRow = 100
    startCol = 1
    endCol = 5

    Set dataRange = Range(Cells(startRow, startCol), Cells(endRow, endCol))

    ' Now you can work with the entire range
    dataRange.Sort Key1:=dataRange.Cells(1, 1), Order1:=xlAscending
End Sub

Summary

Understanding the characteristics of Range and Cells helps you write more efficient VBA code:

Key takeaways:

• Use Range for fixed, clearly defined ranges
• Use Cells for loop processing and dynamic references
• Combine them for powerful, flexible range operations
• Always specify the worksheet explicitly when mixing them

By appropriately combining these approaches, you can create efficient and flexible VBA code.