The Problem (Q-score 4, ranked #142nd of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2013
I am working with cell values in a format of “XXXX-000-000-000”.
- Everything before the first hyphen needs to be removed, which I can do.
- The rest of the string needs to be reduced to whole numbers, with the hyphens, and any extra zeroes removed.
I’m having trouble keeping the zeroes in the right places.
- AD12-002-020-34 Needs to look like this: 2-20-34
- CA1-002-101-001 Needs to look like this: 2-101-1
- AD12-002-020-10 Needs to look like this: 2-20-10
For example:
dim ir as range
ir = "AD12-002-020-100"
ir1 = InStr(ir, "-")
ir2 = InStrRev(ir, "-")
ir.Offset(0, 1) = Mid(ir, ir1 + 1, ir2 - ir1 + 3)
Which gives me: 002-020-100
Suggestions? Thank you in advance!
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 303 Excel VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds solid answer (above median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — solid answer (above median) (+13)
11-line Excel VBA pattern (copy-ready)
Consider:
Sub dural()
Dim s As String
s = "AD12-002-020-34"
s = Replace(s, "-0", "-")
s = Replace(s, "-0", "-")
ary = Split(s, "-")
ary(0) = ""
s = Mid(Join(ary, "-"), 2)
MsgBox s
End Sub
Error-handling details to lift with the snippet
This answer wires error flow through MsgBox / Err.Description. Keep that intact: stripping it to “make it cleaner” removes the signal you’ll need when the macro fails silently on a user machine.
When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)
Ranked #142nd 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 2013 and 2026
The answer is 13 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.