Choose Function
Description
Selects and returns a value from a list of arguments.
Syntax
Choose(index, choice-1[, choice-2, ... [, choice-n]])
The Choose function syntax has these parts
| Part | Description |
|
| index | Required. Numeric expression or field that results in a value between 1 and the number of available choices. |
| choice | Required. Variant expression containing one of the possible choices. |
Remarks
Choose returns a value from the list of choices based on the value of index. If index is 1, Choose returns the first choice in the list; if index is 2, it returns the second choice, and so on.
You can use Choose to look up a value in a list of possibilities. For example, if index evaluates to 3 and choice-1 = "one", choice-2 = "two", and choice-3 = "three", Choose returns "three". This capability is particularly useful if index represents the value in an option group.
Choose evaluates every choice in the list, even though it returns only one. For this reason, you should watch for undesirable side effects. For example, if you use the MsgBox function as part of an expression in all the choices, a message box will be displayed for each choice as it is evaluated, even though Choose returns the value of only one of them.
The Choose function returns a Null if index is less than 1 or greater than the number of choices listed.
If index is not a whole number, it is rounded to the nearest whole number before being evaluated.
See Also
IIf function, Select Case statement, Switch function.
Specifics (Microsoft Access)
You can also use the Choose function in a calculated control on a Microsoft Access form or report. For example, you can use the Choose function to set the value of a control based on the value of another field. Set the ControlSource property of the control to an expression containing the Choose function. The expression in the following example can be used to set the ControlSource property of a control based on the value of a field called ShipVia in an Orders table.
=Choose([ShipVia], "Speedy", "United", "Federal")
In the preceding example, if ShipVia contains 1, the Choose function returns the first string, "Speedy." If it contains 2, the function returns the second string, "United," and so on. If ShipVia contains 0, the Choose function returns a Null.
The next example shows how you can ensure that a string is returned even if the field contains 0.
=Choose([ShipVia] + 1, "none", "Speedy", "United", "Federal")
Note In a Visual Basic module, you can use the more full-featured Select Case statement to return a value from a set of several choices.
Example
This example uses the Choose function to display a name in response to an index passed into the procedure in the Ind parameter.
Function GetChoice(Ind As Integer)
GetChoice = Choose(Ind, "Speedy", "United", "Federal")
End Function
Example (Microsoft Access)
You can use the Choose function to create a calculated control whose value is determined by the value of a field in a table in your database. For example, suppose you have a Shippers table that contains a field called ShipperID. You could create a calculated control on a form to display a text name for the shipper based on the value of the ShipperID field.
=Choose([ShipperID], "Speedy", "United", "Federal")