VBA True = -1?

[MrKowz]

I was fiddling around with some coding and noticed something odd... In VBA, if you try to multiply a TRUE statement by 1 to coerce it into a numeric format, it returns a -1 instead of a +1. My initial thought was to eliminate an IF statement by directly using the boolean TRUE/FALSE and multiplying by 1 to store a 1 or 0 in a cell. I do know that a simple fix would be to multiply it by a -1, but I was curious if anyone knew why this happens.

 

[shg]

True in VBA is -1, which is a Long with all bits = 1.

The UI's coercion of TRUE to 1 is a ... cosmetic convenience.

 

[MrKowz]

Interesting.... thanks!

 

[ZVI]

In Excel True = 1.
It’s for the human logic to not confuse the common sense.

In VBA True = -1.
It’s for the binary thinking machines & programmers to achieve correct binary operations.
Try: Debug.Print Not 0, Hex(Not 0), True And 1

Conclusion: More common sense is inherent for the user of the program than for its developer