[VBA] Adding a dictionary as the items of another dictionary

[PipBoy808]

Hello,

I have two dictionary objects populated with various keys and items - Dict1 and Dict 2. I've read that the items of a dictionary object can be quite varied, even another dictionary! I know how to add items to keys if those items are strings say, but could anyone tell me how to add an entire dictionary (Dict2) as the items of another dictionary (Dict1)?

Thanks,

Pip

 

[Rick Rothstein]

Hello,

I have two dictionary objects populated with various keys and items - Dict1 and Dict 2. I've read that the items of a dictionary object can be quite varied, even another dictionary! I know how to add items to keys if those items are strings say, but could anyone tell me how to add an entire dictionary (Dict2) as the items of another dictionary (Dict1)?

See if this mini-example gives you the idea of how to to that...

Sub DictionaryTest()

  Dim Dict1 As Object, Dict2 As Object
  
  Set Dict1 = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
  Dict1.Add "FirstCity", "Athens"     'Add some keys and items
  Dict1.Add "SecondCity", "Belgrade"
  Dict1.Add "ThirdCity", "Cairo"
  
  Set Dict2 = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
  Dict2.Add "MyDict1", Dict1

  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("FirstCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("SecondCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("ThirdCity")

  Set Dict1 = Nothing
  Set Dict2 = Nothing

End Sub

 

[Rick Rothstein]

See if this mini-example gives you the idea of how to to that...

Sub DictionaryTest()

  Dim Dict1 As Object, Dict2 As Object
  
  Set Dict1 = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
  Dict1.Add "FirstCity", "Athens"     'Add some keys and items
  Dict1.Add "SecondCity", "Belgrade"
  Dict1.Add "ThirdCity", "Cairo"
  
  Set Dict2 = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
  Dict2.Add "MyDict1", Dict1

  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("FirstCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("SecondCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("ThirdCity")

  Set Dict1 = Nothing
  Set Dict2 = Nothing

End Sub

Just as an aside, for the red highlighted lines of code,I used the Item property because I thought it makes the syntax a bit clearer, but it is not necessary to do it that way. Just as

MsgBox Dict1("FirstCity")

is a shortcut syntax for this...

MsgBox Dict1.Item("FirstCity")

we can use the same kind of shortcut syntax for the Dict2 elements. Assuming the double parentheses does "throw you for loop", you could also write the red highlighted lines of code like this as well...

  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1")("FirstCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1")("SecondCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1")("ThirdCity")

 

[PipBoy808]

See if this mini-example gives you the idea of how to to that...

Sub DictionaryTest()

  Dim Dict1 As Object, Dict2 As Object
  
  Set Dict1 = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
  Dict1.Add "FirstCity", "Athens"     'Add some keys and items
  Dict1.Add "SecondCity", "Belgrade"
  Dict1.Add "ThirdCity", "Cairo"
  
  Set Dict2 = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
  Dict2.Add "MyDict1", Dict1

  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("FirstCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("SecondCity")
  MsgBox Dict2("MyDict1").Item("ThirdCity")

  Set Dict1 = Nothing
  Set Dict2 = Nothing

End Sub

The best way to learn something. Thanks!

 

[PipBoy808]

Who one quick question. Why do you set the dictionaries as nothing at the end?

 

[Rick Rothstein]

Who one quick question. Why do you set the dictionaries as nothing at the end?

There has been a huge debate raging across the years whether it is necessary to set objects to Nothing or not in VB (both VBA and the compiled version of VB, which was the predecessor to VBA and, come to think of it, maybe even in the VB.NET world as well). Theoretically, it is not necessary, but then there are those who point to horror stories in certain circumstance if you don't. Since it can't hurt to set objects to Nothing when you are through with them, I tend to do so. You can do a Google search for...

vba set objects nothing

and you will get more than a million links you can click to read about this.