Spc Function

Used with the Print # statement or Print method to position output.

Syntax

Spc(n)

Parameters

n - Required. Numeric expression specifying the number of spaces to insert before displaying or printing the next expression in the list.

Return Value

Used only with Print # statement and Print method. Returns a value used to insert space characters in output.

Remarks

The Spc function is used to insert spaces in output when using the Print # statement (for files) or the Print method (for the Immediate window or printer). Unlike the Space function which returns a string of spaces, Spc is a special formatting function that only works within Print statements.

Key characteristics: - Only valid within Print # or Print (Debug.Print) statements - Inserts the specified number of space characters - If current print position + n exceeds output line width, Spc skips to the next line - If n is less than the output line width, the next print position is current position + n - If n is greater than the output line width, the next print position is calculated as n Mod width - Cannot be used independently or assigned to variables - Returns a variant used internally by the Print statement

The Spc function differs from related positioning functions: - Spc(n): Inserts n spaces from current position - Tab(n): Moves to column n (absolute positioning) - Space(n): Returns a string of n spaces (can be used anywhere)

Typical Uses

File Output: Space elements in text file output
Report Formatting: Create formatted reports with spacing
Column Alignment: Align data in columns
Debug Output: Format Debug.Print output
Printer Output: Format printed output
Data Separation: Separate data elements with spaces
Fixed-Width Output: Create fixed-width formatted text
Log Files: Format log file entries

Basic Examples

' Example 1: Print with spaces between items
Dim fileNum As Integer
fileNum = FreeFile
Open "output.txt" For Output As #fileNum
Print #fileNum, "Name"; Spc(10); "Age"; Spc(10); "City"
Close #fileNum
' Outputs: "Name          Age          City"

' Example 2: Debug output with spacing
Debug.Print "Item:"; Spc(5); "Value"
' Outputs: "Item:     Value"

' Example 3: Multiple Spc calls in one statement
Print #1, "A"; Spc(3); "B"; Spc(5); "C"
' Outputs: "A   B     C"

' Example 4: Create formatted columns
Dim i As Integer
For i = 1 To 3
Debug.Print i; Spc(10); i * 10; Spc(10); i * 100
Next i
' Outputs aligned columns of numbers

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: `FormatFileOutput`

Format data in file with consistent spacing

Sub FormatFileOutput(fileNum As Integer, name As String, _
age As Integer, city As String)
Print #fileNum, name; Spc(20 - Len(name)); _
age; Spc(10); city
End Sub

Pattern 2: `PrintAlignedData`

Print data with aligned columns

Sub PrintAlignedData(label As String, value As Variant, spacing As Integer)
Debug.Print label; Spc(spacing); value
End Sub

Pattern 3: `CreateTableRow`

Create table row with Spc spacing

Sub CreateTableRow(fileNum As Integer, col1 As String, _
col2 As String, col3 As String)
Print #fileNum, col1; Spc(15 - Len(col1)); _
col2; Spc(15 - Len(col2)); _
col3
End Sub

Pattern 4: `FormatLogEntry`

Format log entries with timestamps and messages

Sub FormatLogEntry(fileNum As Integer, timestamp As String, _
level As String, message As String)
Print #fileNum, timestamp; Spc(5); _
level; Spc(10 - Len(level)); _
message
End Sub

Pattern 5: `PrintWithIndent`

Print text with indentation using Spc

Sub PrintWithIndent(fileNum As Integer, indentLevel As Integer, _
text As String)
Print #fileNum, Spc(indentLevel * 4); text
End Sub

Pattern 6: `FormatKeyValuePair`

Format key-value pairs with consistent spacing

Sub FormatKeyValuePair(fileNum As Integer, key As String, _
value As String, Optional totalWidth As Integer = 40)
Dim spacesNeeded As Integer
spacesNeeded = totalWidth - Len(key) - Len(value)
If spacesNeeded < 1 Then spacesNeeded = 1
Print #fileNum, key; Spc(spacesNeeded); value
End Sub

Pattern 7: `PrintHeader`

Print formatted header with separators

Sub PrintHeader(fileNum As Integer, title1 As String, _
title2 As String, title3 As String)
Print #fileNum, title1; Spc(15 - Len(title1)); _
title2; Spc(15 - Len(title2)); _
title3
Print #fileNum, String(15, "-"); Spc(1); _
String(15, "-"); Spc(1); _
String(15, "-")
End Sub

Pattern 8: `DebugPrintArray`

Print array elements with spacing

Sub DebugPrintArray(arr() As Variant)
Dim i As Integer
For i = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
Debug.Print arr(i); Spc(5);
Next i
Debug.Print  ' New line
End Sub

Pattern 9: `FormatNumericTable`

Print numeric data in aligned columns

Sub FormatNumericTable(fileNum As Integer, values() As Double)
Dim i As Integer
For i = LBound(values) To UBound(values)
Print #fileNum, Format(values(i), "0.00"); Spc(10);
If (i - LBound(values) + 1) Mod 5 = 0 Then
Print #fileNum,  ' New line every 5 values
End If
Next i
End Sub

Pattern 10: `PrintReportLine`

Print formatted report line

Sub PrintReportLine(fileNum As Integer, lineNum As Integer, _
description As String, amount As Double)
Print #fileNum, Format(lineNum, "000"); Spc(5); _
description; Spc(30 - Len(description)); _
Format(amount, "$#,##0.00")
End Sub

Advanced Usage

Example 1: `ReportWriter` Class

Generate formatted text reports with Spc

' Class: ReportWriter
Private m_fileNum As Integer
Private m_isOpen As Boolean

Public Sub OpenReport(fileName As String)
m_fileNum = FreeFile
Open fileName For Output As #m_fileNum
m_isOpen = True
End Sub

Public Sub WriteHeader(title As String, col1 As String, _
col2 As String, col3 As String)
If Not m_isOpen Then Exit Sub

' Center title
Dim totalWidth As Integer
totalWidth = 60
Dim leftPad As Integer
leftPad = (totalWidth - Len(title)) \ 2
Print #m_fileNum, Spc(leftPad); title
Print #m_fileNum, String(totalWidth, "=")
Print #m_fileNum,

' Column headers
Print #m_fileNum, col1; Spc(20 - Len(col1)); _
col2; Spc(20 - Len(col2)); _
col3
Print #m_fileNum, String(20, "-"); Spc(1); _
String(20, "-"); Spc(1); _
String(20, "-")
End Sub

Public Sub WriteDataRow(val1 As String, val2 As String, val3 As String)
If Not m_isOpen Then Exit Sub

Print #m_fileNum, val1; Spc(20 - Len(val1)); _
val2; Spc(20 - Len(val2)); _
val3
End Sub

Public Sub WriteSummary(label As String, value As String)
If Not m_isOpen Then Exit Sub

Print #m_fileNum,
Print #m_fileNum, String(60, "-")
Print #m_fileNum, label; Spc(60 - Len(label) - Len(value)); value
End Sub

Public Sub CloseReport()
If m_isOpen Then
Close #m_fileNum
m_isOpen = False
End If
End Sub

Private Sub Class_Terminate()
CloseReport
End Sub

Example 2: `LogFileFormatter` Module

Format log file entries with timestamps

' Module: LogFileFormatter
Private m_logFile As Integer
Private m_logOpen As Boolean

Public Sub OpenLog(fileName As String)
m_logFile = FreeFile
Open fileName For Append As #m_logFile
m_logOpen = True
End Sub

Public Sub LogInfo(message As String)
If Not m_logOpen Then Exit Sub
Dim timestamp As String
timestamp = Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh:nn:ss")
Print #m_logFile, timestamp; Spc(5); "INFO"; Spc(10); message
End Sub

Public Sub LogWarning(message As String)
If Not m_logOpen Then Exit Sub
Dim timestamp As String
timestamp = Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh:nn:ss")
Print #m_logFile, timestamp; Spc(5); "WARNING"; Spc(6); message
End Sub

Public Sub LogError(message As String, Optional errorNum As Long = 0)
If Not m_logOpen Then Exit Sub
Dim timestamp As String
timestamp = Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh:nn:ss")
Print #m_logFile, timestamp; Spc(5); "ERROR"; Spc(8); message
If errorNum <> 0 Then
Print #m_logFile, Spc(30); "Error #"; errorNum
End If
End Sub

Public Sub LogDebug(category As String, message As String)
If Not m_logOpen Then Exit Sub
Dim timestamp As String
timestamp = Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh:nn:ss")
Print #m_logFile, timestamp; Spc(5); "DEBUG"; Spc(8); _
"["; category; "]"; Spc(3); message
End Sub

Public Sub LogSeparator()
If Not m_logOpen Then Exit Sub
Print #m_logFile, String(80, "-")
End Sub

Public Sub CloseLog()
If m_logOpen Then
Close #m_logFile
m_logOpen = False
End If
End Sub

Example 3: `DataTablePrinter` Class

Print data in formatted tables

' Class: DataTablePrinter
Private m_columnWidths() As Integer
Private m_fileNum As Integer

Public Sub Initialize(fileNum As Integer, columnWidths() As Integer)
Dim i As Integer
m_fileNum = fileNum
ReDim m_columnWidths(LBound(columnWidths) To UBound(columnWidths))
For i = LBound(columnWidths) To UBound(columnWidths)
m_columnWidths(i) = columnWidths(i)
Next i
End Sub

Public Sub PrintRow(values() As String)
Dim i As Integer
Dim spaces As Integer

For i = LBound(values) To UBound(values)
Print #m_fileNum, values(i);

If i < UBound(values) Then
spaces = m_columnWidths(i) - Len(values(i))
If spaces < 1 Then spaces = 1
Print #m_fileNum, Spc(spaces);
End If
Next i
Print #m_fileNum,  ' New line
End Sub

Public Sub PrintHeaderRow(headers() As String)
Dim i As Integer

PrintRow headers

' Print separator
For i = LBound(m_columnWidths) To UBound(m_columnWidths)
Print #m_fileNum, String(m_columnWidths(i), "-");
If i < UBound(m_columnWidths) Then
Print #m_fileNum, Spc(1);
End If
Next i
Print #m_fileNum,  ' New line
End Sub

Public Sub PrintRightAligned(values() As String)
Dim i As Integer
Dim spaces As Integer

For i = LBound(values) To UBound(values)
spaces = m_columnWidths(i) - Len(values(i))
If spaces > 0 Then Print #m_fileNum, Spc(spaces);
Print #m_fileNum, values(i);

If i < UBound(values) Then
Print #m_fileNum, Spc(1);
End If
Next i
Print #m_fileNum,  ' New line
End Sub

Example 4: `DebugOutputHelper` Module

Format debug output with Spc

' Module: DebugOutputHelper

Public Sub PrintVariable(varName As String, varValue As Variant)
Debug.Print varName; Spc(20 - Len(varName)); "="; Spc(2); varValue
End Sub

Public Sub PrintVariables(ParamArray vars() As Variant)
Dim i As Integer
For i = LBound(vars) To UBound(vars) Step 2
If i + 1 <= UBound(vars) Then
PrintVariable CStr(vars(i)), vars(i + 1)
End If
Next i
End Sub

Public Sub PrintSection(title As String)
Debug.Print
Debug.Print String(50, "=")
Dim leftPad As Integer
leftPad = (50 - Len(title)) \ 2
Debug.Print Spc(leftPad); title
Debug.Print String(50, "=")
Debug.Print
End Sub

Public Sub PrintKeyValue(key As String, value As Variant, _
Optional totalWidth As Integer = 40)
Dim spacesNeeded As Integer
spacesNeeded = totalWidth - Len(key) - Len(CStr(value))
If spacesNeeded < 1 Then spacesNeeded = 1
Debug.Print key; Spc(spacesNeeded); value
End Sub

Public Sub PrintIndented(level As Integer, text As String)
Debug.Print Spc(level * 4); text
End Sub

Public Sub PrintArray(arr() As Variant, Optional itemsPerLine As Integer = 5)
Dim i As Integer
Dim count As Integer
count = 0

For i = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
Debug.Print arr(i); Spc(10);
count = count + 1
If count >= itemsPerLine Then
Debug.Print  ' New line
count = 0
End If
Next i

If count > 0 Then Debug.Print  ' Final new line if needed
End Sub

Error Handling

The Spc function itself doesn't typically generate errors, but the Print statement it's used with can:

Error 52 (Bad file name or number): If file number is invalid
Error 54 (Bad file mode): If file not opened for output
Error 13 (Type mismatch): If n is not numeric

Always ensure file is properly opened:

On Error Resume Next
Print #fileNum, "Data"; Spc(10); "Value"
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
MsgBox "Error writing to file: " & Err.Description
End If

Performance Considerations

Spc is very efficient for positioning output
More efficient than concatenating Space() strings in Print statements
No performance difference between Spc and Space within Print statements
File I/O is the bottleneck, not Spc itself

Best Practices

Only in Print: Use Spc only within Print # or Debug.Print statements
Validate Arguments: Ensure n is positive and reasonable
Consistent Spacing: Use constants for column widths
Calculate Dynamically: Adjust spacing based on content length
Use Space Alternative: Use Space() function if need string result
Combine with Tab: Use Tab for absolute positioning, Spc for relative
Test Output: Verify alignment with actual data
Monospace Fonts: Ensure output viewed in monospace font
Handle Long Data: Account for data that exceeds expected width
Document Format: Comment expected column layout

Function	Usage Context	Positioning	Returns
Spc(n)	Print statements only	Relative (+n spaces)	Variant (internal)
Tab(n)	Print statements only	Absolute (column n)	Variant (internal)
Space(n)	Anywhere	N/A	String of n spaces
String(n, " ")	Anywhere	N/A	String of n spaces

Platform Considerations

Available in VB6, VBA (all versions)
Part of Print statement syntax
Behavior consistent across platforms
Works with Debug.Print, Print # (files), and Printer.Print
Output width depends on file width setting (default 80 characters)

Limitations

Cannot be used outside Print statements
Cannot assign Spc result to variable
Cannot use in string concatenation
Wrapping behavior depends on output width setting
Not suitable for proportional fonts (use with monospace)
Limited to text output scenarios

Tab: Positions output at absolute column position
Space: Returns string of spaces (can be used anywhere)
Print: Statement that outputs data
Width: Statement that sets output line width

Spc Function

Syntax

Parameters

Return Value

Remarks

Typical Uses

Basic Examples

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: FormatFileOutput

Pattern 2: PrintAlignedData

Pattern 3: CreateTableRow

Pattern 4: FormatLogEntry

Pattern 5: PrintWithIndent

Pattern 6: FormatKeyValuePair

Pattern 7: PrintHeader

Pattern 8: DebugPrintArray

Pattern 9: FormatNumericTable

Pattern 10: PrintReportLine