Excel VBA: how to solve Index and Match function type mismatch error

Question

I encounter error in index and match functions when the counter of date changes. I wrote a comment when I face with error. I uploaded a sample of my data if it needed. sample : http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00243748825638974221

here is the code :

Sub regionalAverage()

Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Application.DisplayStatusBar = False
Application.EnableEvents = False
ActiveSheet.DisplayPageBreaks = False

' *** change the declaration here ***
Dim aname() As String
Dim rw As Variant
Dim col As Variant
Dim date_ini As Date
Dim date_fin As Date

'create WorkSheet

' *** add Redim here, so the index of the array will start from 1 ***
ReDim aname(1 To 2)

date_ini = #1/1/2008#
date_fin = #1/2/2008#
For j = 1 To 3
    For conteo = date_ini To date_fin
        For i = 1 To 2
            With Sheets(i)
               With Application

                    col = .Match(j, Worksheets(i).Range("F2:F23393"), 0)
                    rw = .Match(CLng(conteo),     Worksheets(i).Range("D2:D23393"), 0)
                   'error appeas here
                    aname(i) = .Index(Worksheets(i).Range("H2:H23393"), col, rw)  



               End With


            End With
        Next i

    '    computation
        area = 6.429571
        Sheets("Output").Activate
        Range("A1").Select
        ActiveCell.Offset(0, j).Select
        colname = Split(ActiveCell(1).address(1, 0), "$")(0)
        Columns("" & colname & ":" & colname & "").Select
        Selection.Find(What:="", After:=ActiveCell, LookIn:=xlFormulas, _
         LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, SearchDirection:=xlNext, _
         MatchCase:=False, SearchFormat:=False).Select

        ActiveCell.Value = "=(SUM(" & aname(1) & "," & aname(2) & "))/" & area &  ""

    Next conteo
Next j

End Sub

When the date changes to 1/2/2008 I face with error, how can I solve it ?!

Thank you

Answer 1

Since you're using Application.Match and Variant data type, the error will not raise during the call to .Match , but those variables like col and rw will contain an Error type, if the value is not found in the search range/array.

This Error value will cause a TypeMismatch error when attempting to assign it to the String array, aname() .

So, you're halfway there, you just need error handling:

col = .Match(j, Worksheets(i).Range("F2:F23393"), 0)
rw = .Match(CLng(conteo), Worksheets(i).Range("D2:D23393"), 0)

If Not IsError(col) and Not IsError(rw) Then
    aname(i) = .Index(Worksheets(i).Range("H2:H23393"), col, rw)
Else
    ' Do something else if there was an error

End If

Alternatively, Dim aName() as Variant , but then you would probably need the error handling further/elsewhere in your code, to handle the error values you're putting in to the array.

I also observe that Index seems to be the source of the error, and it is totally not needed here , because:

Index(range_object, row_num, col_num) is literally the same as range_object.Cells(row_num, col_num)

So instead, I did:

aname(i) = CStr(Worksheets(i).Range("H2:H23393").Cells(rw, col).Value)

NOTE: I also assumed that you originally have rw and col in the wrong position for the Index function, and that rw is a ROW number and col is a COLUMN number.