ACC: How to Replace a String with Another String

• Microsoft Access 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

This article demonstrates a sample user-defined function you can use to replace one string with another string.

This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.

NOTE: Visual Basic for Applications is called Access Basic in Microsoft Access versions 1.x and 2.0. For more information about Access Basic, please refer to the "Introduction to Programming" manual in Microsoft Access version 1.x or the "Building Applications" manual in Microsoft Access version 2.0

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the following sample function to replace one string with another. This function accepts three parameters that specify:

• the string that contains the string you want to replace.
• the specific string to be replaced.
• the value of the replacement string.

1. Create a new module.

2. Type the following code.

   NOTE: In the following sample code, an underscore (_) is used as a line- continuation character. Remove the underscore from the end of the line when re-creating this code in Access Basic.

         '=============================================================
         ' Declarations section of the module
         '=============================================================
         Option Explicit
   

         Function Replace(ByVal Valuein As String, ByVal WhatToReplace As _
                          String, ByVal Replacevalue As String) As String
            Dim Temp as String, P As Long
            Temp = Valuein
            P = Instr(Temp, WhatToReplace)
            Do While P > 0
               Temp=Left(Temp, P-1) & Replacevalue & _
                   Mid(Temp, P+Len(WhatToReplace))
               P = Instr(P + Len(WhatToReplace), Temp, WhatToReplace, 1)
            Loop
            Replace = Temp
         End Function
   
   

3. To replace the string "Sample" with the string "Test" in the string "This is a Sample," use the following parameters for the Replace() function:

         Valuein: "This is a Sample"
         WhatToReplace: "Sample"
         ReplaceValue: "Test"
   

   Note that the function Replace("This is a Sample","Sample","Test") returns:

         This is a Test
   

REFERENCES

For more information about parsing strings, search on "strings, manipulating" using the Microsoft Access 97 Help Index.

For more information about parsing strings, search on "string manipulation" using the Microsoft Access for Windows 95 Help Index.

For more information about handling strings, search on "String Handling" using the Microsoft Access 2.0 Help menu.