Xtykutl

I am reading through some VBA code written by someone else and I can't understand the logic behind it:

Sheets("IC View").Select

RowCount = Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row



If RowCount <= 9 Then GoTo skipNoChange



    'Sheets("IC View").Select

    Range("A1:BG1").EntireColumn.Hidden = False

    Range(Cells(10, "A"), Cells(LastRowIC, 

   "BG")).SpecialCells(xlCellTypeVisible).Copy



    Worksheets("IC Log").Select

    nextRowLog = Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row + 1

    Range("A" & nextRowLog).PasteSpecial xlPasteValues

    Application.CutCopyMode = False



skipNoChange:



Sheets("IC View").Select

zeroCheck = 2   'start at column 3

    Do While Cells(9, zeroCheck + 1).value <> "Checked_By"

        If Cells(9, zeroCheck + 1).value = "" Then Columns(zeroCheck + 

        1).EntireColumn.Hidden = True

        If Cells(9, zeroCheck + 1).value <> "" Then Columns(zeroCheck + 

        1).EntireColumn.Hidden = False

        zeroCheck = zeroCheck + 1

     Loop



'==================================

Call checkFreesaleChanges

So if the row count is less than or equal to 9 then i understand it needs to go 'SkipNoChange', but where does 'SkipNoChange end? Does it end at 'zeroCheck ... Loop' and then moves on to 'Call checkFreesaleChanges'?

What happens if the row count is greater than 9? Does it continue with the code but doesn't run the bit between 'skipNoChange: ...Loop' but does run CallcheckFreesaleChanges onwards?

Here is an example of a if then.... Else.... end if.

It makes the code easier to read and easier to follow in my opinion.

Adding comments to the else and end if rows means you don't need to scroll up and down to see what the else or end if is for.

Sheets("IC View").Select

RowCount = Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row





If RowCount > 9 Then 

    'Sheets("IC View").Select

    Range("A1:BG1").EntireColumn.Hidden = False

    Range(Cells(10, "A"), Cells(LastRowIC, 

   "BG")).SpecialCells(xlCellTypeVisible).Copy



    Worksheets("IC Log").Select

    nextRowLog = Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row + 1

    Range("A" & nextRowLog).PasteSpecial xlPasteValues

    Application.CutCopyMode = False

Else ' rowcount is less than 9

    msgbox "Rowcount is less than 9"

End If ' end of if rowcount syntax



Sheets("IC View").Select

zeroCheck = 2   'start at column 3

    Do While Cells(9, zeroCheck + 1).value <> "Checked_By"

        If Cells(9, zeroCheck + 1).value = "" Then Columns(zeroCheck + 

        1).EntireColumn.Hidden = True

        If Cells(9, zeroCheck + 1).value <> "" Then Columns(zeroCheck + 

        1).EntireColumn.Hidden = False

        zeroCheck = zeroCheck + 1

     Loop



'==================================

Call checkFreesaleChanges

skipNoChange: is a label, a place holder. You can use any word ending thit a colon :

It's often used for error handling in VBA.

Sub DoSomething

   on error goto hell

   'some code here

   ....

Ciao:

   exit Sub



hell:

   msgbox "Shit happens"

   resume Ciao



End Sub

GoTo Statement

Branches unconditionally to a specified line within a procedure.

Syntax GoTo line

The required line argument can be any line label or line number.

skipNoChange: is a line label as indicated by the fact it is completely to the left and the line ends with : and nothing after. Try and indent the label - it will move back to the left hand side of the code pane.

In your example:

If RowCount <= 9 Then GoTo skipNoChange

where RowCount is determined by Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row, you are saying if the last populated row in column A of the activesheet, determined by coming up from the bottom of the sheet, is <=9 then branch the code to the line label skipNoChange. This is a conditional transfer of control. The program control shifts to the line label. The lines between this conditional test and the label are not executed as this point. If code later loops back and the condition is not met then they may in future be executed. The program continues to execute from the label onwards. It pretty much is as on tin "GoTo".

To many GoTos make program flow hard to follow and read. Usually you can re-write to use a different control flow structure as shown in at least one of the other answers.

It's something of a relic from before structured programming really took off. Interesting reading here.