HOWTO: Convert a Fraction to a Decimal Number

ID: Q185424


The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications version 5.0


SUMMARY

This article provides a routine to convert a string that contains a fraction in the form "a," "a/b," or "a b/c" into a double precision floating-point number.


MORE INFORMATION

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Sometimes it is more convenient to input values as fractions instead of decimal numbers. The following routine converts a string containing a fraction to a decimal number:
  1. Create a new Visual Basic for Applications project and add the following code to a module:

    Sample Code

    
          Function Frac2Num(ByVal X As String) As Double
          Dim P As Integer, N As Double, Num As Double, Den As Double
             X = Trim$(X)
             P = InStr(X, "/")
             If P = 0 Then
                N = Val(X)
             Else
                Den = Val(Mid$(X, P + 1))
                If Den = 0 Then Error 11    ' Divide by zero
                X = Trim$(Left$(X, P - 1))
                P = InStr(X, " ")
                If P = 0 Then
                   Num = Val(X)
                Else
                   Num = Val(Mid$(X, P + 1))
                   N = Val(Left$(X, P - 1))
                End If
             End If
             If Den <> 0 Then
                N = N + Num / Den
             End If
             Frac2Num = N
          End Function 


  2. In the Debug/Immediate window, test:
    ? Frac2Num("5 3/4"), Frac2Num("2/8")
    Result: 5.75 0.25


Note: Numbers in the input string do not have to be whole numbers. They can contain decimal values and negative numbers.


REFERENCES

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q163435 VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for Applications

Additional query words: KbVBA kbVBp kbVBp500 kbDSupport kbDSD

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: November 13, 1999
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