Comments on: String Function Efficiency http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/archives/2004/12/06/string-function-efficiency/ Daily posts of Excel tips…and other stuff Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:03:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Anthony http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/archives/2004/12/06/string-function-efficiency/#comment-5809 Anthony Fri, 21 Jan 2005 17:43:00 +0000 http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/?p=917#comment-5809 <p>is there a way to name a range via formula? I am importing data into excel and formulas pass just fine menu commands do not. I have read in other places on the web that the name is really an undisplayed formula (http://www.j-walk.com/ss/excel/odd/odd10.htm). Does anyone know the syntax?</p> is there a way to name a range via formula? I am importing data into excel and formulas pass just fine menu commands do not. I have read in other places on the web that the name is really an undisplayed formula (http://www.j-walk.com/ss/excel/odd/odd10.htm). Does anyone know the syntax?

]]> By: Jake Marx http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/archives/2004/12/06/string-function-efficiency/#comment-2820 Jake Marx Tue, 07 Dec 2004 05:11:00 +0000 http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/?p=917#comment-2820 <p>Contrarian - How much better would Windows be if it were 66% faster? I know we're talking milliseconds at best, but performance issues add up over the long run. If you're doing heavy file I/O in VB(A), it's a good idea to use Left$ instead of Left. I use it all the time because it's very little extra effort and makes my code more efficient.</p> <p>And no, it won't work in VBScript, as VBScript doesn't support explicit data types - everything is a Variant.</p> <p>You're correct - using the $ <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/vbcn7/html/vaconstring$functionchangesinvb.asp">makes no difference in VB.NET</a>.</p> <p>I can't comment on whether you have anything better to do or not. :)</p> Contrarian – How much better would Windows be if it were 66% faster? I know we’re talking milliseconds at best, but performance issues add up over the long run. If you’re doing heavy file I/O in VB(A), it’s a good idea to use Left$ instead of Left. I use it all the time because it’s very little extra effort and makes my code more efficient.

And no, it won’t work in VBScript, as VBScript doesn’t support explicit data types – everything is a Variant.

You’re correct – using the $ makes no difference in VB.NET.

I can’t comment on whether you have anything better to do or not. :)

]]> By: The Contrarian http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/archives/2004/12/06/string-function-efficiency/#comment-2818 The Contrarian Tue, 07 Dec 2004 02:08:00 +0000 http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/?p=917#comment-2818 <p>Interesting information, if somewhat academic. In my tests (20 sets each with 100,000 iterations of</p> <div style="overflow: auto; white-space: nowrap;" class="codecolorer-container text default"><div style="white-space: nowrap;" class="text codecolorer">            rslt = Left("12345678901234567890", 18)</div></div> <p>and</p> <div style="overflow: auto; white-space: nowrap;" class="codecolorer-container text default"><div style="white-space: nowrap;" class="text codecolorer">            rslt = Left$("12345678901234567890", 18)</div></div> <p>the string version at 0.019 seconds was about 66% faster than the variant version at 0.056 seconds.</p> <p>And, yet, how important is this performance issue in the grand scheme of things?</p> <p>In the 20 sets each with 100,000 iterations, the Left function took an average of 5.59E-07 seconds -- yes, that's correct, 0.559 <b>micro</b>seconds, i.e., one-half of one millionth of one second!</p> <p>Finally, some compatibility notes: (1) Left$ is not recognized by VB Script. (2) The same test as above in a VB.Net Windows program yielded results for Left that matched those for Left$. 0.015625 for 100,000 iterations and between 0.09375 and 0.109375 for 1,000,000 iterations.</p> <p>Ummmm...don't I have anything better to do?</p> Interesting information, if somewhat academic. In my tests (20 sets each with 100,000 iterations of

            rslt = Left(“12345678901234567890″, 18)

and

            rslt = Left$(“12345678901234567890″, 18)

the string version at 0.019 seconds was about 66% faster than the variant version at 0.056 seconds.

And, yet, how important is this performance issue in the grand scheme of things?

In the 20 sets each with 100,000 iterations, the Left function took an average of 5.59E-07 seconds — yes, that’s correct, 0.559 microseconds, i.e., one-half of one millionth of one second!

Finally, some compatibility notes: (1) Left$ is not recognized by VB Script. (2) The same test as above in a VB.Net Windows program yielded results for Left that matched those for Left$. 0.015625 for 100,000 iterations and between 0.09375 and 0.109375 for 1,000,000 iterations.

Ummmm…don’t I have anything better to do?

]]> By: Paul Hoch http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/archives/2004/12/06/string-function-efficiency/#comment-2817 Paul Hoch Tue, 07 Dec 2004 01:19:00 +0000 http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/?p=917#comment-2817 <p>It really seems like I should have know this already but I didn't. Thanks so much for this. Hopefully I'll put it to good use right away!</p> It really seems like I should have know this already but I didn’t. Thanks so much for this. Hopefully I’ll put it to good use right away!

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