The Problem (Q-score 10, ranked #83rd of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2009
How would I read from an Excel sheet and load the marked selection (Area) into an multidimensional array? A column in Excel could itself be a multi dimensional array since it would contain more than just one value.
The idea (not sure how good or bad this is) is right now is to do a for loop through all the Excel.Area (selected fields) and add the content of that field to the multi dimensional array. Since the multi dimensional array is of type object[,] and therefore non-generic there is no convenient add() method to it. All of it needs to be done manually.
Any idea if this approach is ok or if it could be done more efficientlty?
Many Thanks,
Why this Range / Worksheet targeting trips people up
The question centers on reaching a specific cell, range, or workbook object. In Excel VBA, this is the #1 source of failures after activation events: every property (.Value, .Formula, .Address) behaves differently depending on whether the parent Workbook is explicit or implicit.
The Verified Solution — solid answer (above median) (+13)
9-line Excel VBA pattern (copy-ready)
You can read the value of Range as array:
using (MSExcel.Application app = MSExcel.Application.CreateApplication())
{
MSExcel.Workbook book1 = app.Workbooks.Open( this.txtOpen_FilePath.Text);
MSExcel.Worksheet sheet = (MSExcel.Worksheet)book1.Worksheets[1];
MSExcel.Range range = sheet.GetRange("A1", "F13");
object value = range.Value; //the value is boxed two-dimensional array
}
This code snippet is from .NET wrapper for MS Office. But same princip is in VSTO or VBA in MS Excel.
When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)
Ranked #83rd in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 96% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2009 and 2026
The answer is 17 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.