VBA naming conventions

When naming variables in VBA it is often considered good practice to use CamelCase (e.g. CompanyAddressLine1) and prefixing them with a type shorthand. (strCompanyAddressLine1, helps distinghuish from rngCompanyAddressLine1.)

It is useful to prefix variables so as to indicate their type:

  • Using a variable with type prefix helps discern its use;
  • With autocomplete you can easily select the variable;
  • Makes Shorthand available directly available for simple coding (Dim wb As Workbook);
  • Finally, it is used for quick declaration of variables.

Common prefixes are: str (String), int (Integer), dt (Date), boo (Boolean), var (Variant), obj (Object), c for constant and arr for array.

Preference: Not prefix variable names

Some people find using prefix variable names redundant and not helping readability. They can change the relevant preference uncheck Menu: Code VBA » Preferences » Tailor code generation » Prefix variable names

autocomplete

Many programmers use the Reddick's naming conventions ( http://www.xoc.net/standards/rvbanc.asp ) or a shorter version you developed yourself. Code VBA supports Reddick as a default, but lets you customize it to fit your needs.

Support of the naming conventions consists of automatically adding the appropriate prefix (optional). Considering the number of classes that may be used - 300+ in Excel -, not every type has a prefix defined. We implemented an algorithm that proposes a prefix in case it is not present in the prefixes file. If you don't like it, add a better one to the file.

To change or add prefixes open the file that contains the prefixes:

Menu: Code VBA » Preferences » Tailor code generation » Change prefixes

the prefixes are stored in a file called prefix.txt. Below you see a bit of it's content.


ProcedureConstantPrefix=c
ModuleConstantPrefix=gc
ArrayPrefix=arr
AccessObject=aob
AccessObjectProperties=aops
AccessObjectProperty=aop
Animation=ani
Application=app
Band=bnd
Bands=bnds
BandsPage=bnp
Boolean=boo
BoundObjectFrame=bfr