Excel VBA IsDate Function

IsDate is the VBA function which tests whether the given value is the date or not. If the supplied value or range reference value is date value then we will get the result as “TRUE”, if the value is not date value then we will get the result as “FALSE”. So, the result is BOOLEAN value i.e. either TRUE or FALSE.

Below is the syntax of the IsDate function.

Expression is nothing but the value that we are trying to test whether it is the date or not.

How to use VBA IsDate Function?

You can download this VBA IsDate Excel Template here – VBA IsDate Excel Template

We will test whether the value “5.01.19” is a date value or not.

For this first start the excel macro procedure.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

End Sub

Define the variable to store the date value and since the value will be date value assign the data type as “Date” only.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As Date

End Sub

Now assign the value of “5.1.19” to the variable “MyDate”.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As Date

MyDate = "5.1.19"

End Sub

Open the message box in VBA now

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As Date

MyDate = "5.1.19"

MsgBox(

End Sub

In this message box, we will test whether the supplied date value to the variable “MyDate” is the date or not by using the “IsDate” function. First, open the “IsDate” function.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As Date

MyDate = "5.1.19"

MsgBox IsDate(

End Sub

Expression is the value we are testing to find whether it is Date or not. Since we have already stored the value to the variable “MyDate” supply the variable name only.

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Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As Date

MyDate = "5.1.19"

MsgBox IsDate(MyDate)

End Sub

Ok, now run the code and see what we get in the message box.

Wow!!! The result is TRUE.

You must be wondering how it recognized the value “5.1.19” as the date.

The reason why it has returned the result as TRUE because when you look at the given value “5.1.19” it is the short form of the date “05.01.2019” so excel is brilliant enough to recognize it as date, so the result is TRUE.

Now here comes the tricky thing, for the same value what we will do is we will change the short form of the year from 19 to 2019.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As String

MyDate = "5.1.2019"

MsgBox IsDate(MyDate)

End Sub

Now run the code and see the result.

This time it has returned the result as FALSE because “day and month” portion of the date is in short form but the year part is in full form of “YYYY” so ISDATE cannot recognize it has a date so the result is FALSE.

Now, look at the below code.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As String

MyDate = "05.01.2019"

MsgBox IsDate(MyDate)

End Sub

I have mentioned full day and full month format by using 0, let’s run the code and see the result of IsDate function.

This time also we go got the result as FALSE.

Now change the code as follows.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As String

MyDate = "05/01/2019"

MsgBox IsDate(MyDate)

End Sub

Instead of the dot (.) as the separator, we have entered forward-slash (/) as the separator. Now run the code and see the result.

This time we got the result as TRUE.

This is the reason I have told you at the beginning of the article that “Date” is a sensitive thing.

Now what I will do is I will merge the date and time together.

Code:

Sub IsDate_Example1()

Dim MyDate As String

MyDate = "05/01/2019 15:26:24"

MsgBox IsDate(MyDate)

End Sub

What I have added above is the time portion of “15:26:24” in front of the date. Now run the code and see the result.

This time too we got the result as TRUE because DATE & TIME in excel are the same things and stored as serial numbers. The whole number represents the date portion and decimal places represent the time portion.

Things to Remember here

IsDate returns the Boolean type result i.e. either TRUE or FALSE.
IsDate is available only as a VBA function.
Only valid formatted dates are treated as the date or else it will treat as text values and return the result as FALSE.

VBA IsDate Function

Excel VBA IsDate Function

How to use VBA IsDate Function?

Things to Remember here

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