`Int` Function

Returns the integer portion of a number.

Syntax

Int(number)

Parameters

number (Required): Any valid numeric expression. If number contains Null, Null is returned

Return Value

Returns the integer portion of a number: - For positive numbers: Returns the largest integer less than or equal to number - For negative numbers: Returns the first negative integer less than or equal to number - If number is Null: Returns Null - Return type matches the input type (Integer, Long, Single, Double, Currency, Decimal)

Remarks

The Int function truncates toward negative infinity:

Removes the fractional part of a number
For positive numbers, behaves like truncation (same as Fix)
For negative numbers, rounds DOWN (toward negative infinity)
Fix rounds toward zero (always truncates), Int rounds down
Int(-8.4) returns -9, Fix(-8.4) returns -8
Int(8.4) returns 8, Fix(8.4) returns 8
Does not round to nearest integer (use Round for rounding)
The return type preserves the input numeric type
Commonly used with Rnd for generating random integers
For currency calculations, consider using Round or CCur instead

Typical Uses

Remove Decimals: Strip fractional part from numbers
Random Integers: Generate random integer values with Rnd
Array Indices: Convert floats to valid array indices
Loop Counters: Ensure integer values for loops
Division Results: Get whole number quotients
Coordinate Rounding: Round pixel coordinates
Pagination: Calculate page numbers
Quantity Calculations: Ensure whole unit quantities

Basic Usage Examples

' Example 1: Remove decimal portion
Dim result As Integer
result = Int(8.7)
Debug.Print result  ' Prints: 8

' Example 2: Negative number behavior
Dim result As Integer
result = Int(-8.7)
Debug.Print result  ' Prints: -9 (rounds down, not toward zero)

' Example 3: Random integer between 1 and 100
Dim randomNum As Integer
Randomize
randomNum = Int(Rnd * 100) + 1

' Example 4: Calculate whole pages
Dim totalItems As Long
Dim itemsPerPage As Long
Dim totalPages As Long
totalItems = 47
itemsPerPage = 10
totalPages = Int(totalItems / itemsPerPage) + 1
Debug.Print totalPages  ' Prints: 5

Common Patterns

' Pattern 1: Random integer in range
Function RandomInteger(minValue As Long, maxValue As Long) As Long
Randomize
RandomInteger = Int((maxValue - minValue + 1) * Rnd) + minValue
End Function

' Pattern 2: Get whole number portion
Function GetWholeNumber(value As Double) As Long
If value >= 0 Then
GetWholeNumber = Int(value)
Else
' For negative numbers, Int rounds down
' Use Fix if you want to truncate toward zero
GetWholeNumber = Int(value)
End If
End Function

' Pattern 3: Calculate pages needed
Function CalculatePages(totalItems As Long, itemsPerPage As Long) As Long
If itemsPerPage <= 0 Then
CalculatePages = 0
Exit Function
End If

CalculatePages = Int((totalItems - 1) / itemsPerPage) + 1
End Function

' Pattern 4: Round down to nearest multiple
Function RoundDownToMultiple(value As Double, multiple As Double) As Double
If multiple = 0 Then
RoundDownToMultiple = value
Else
RoundDownToMultiple = Int(value / multiple) * multiple
End If
End Function

' Pattern 5: Extract integer part for display
Function FormatNumber(value As Double) As String
Dim wholePart As Long
Dim decimalPart As Double

wholePart = Int(Abs(value))
decimalPart = Abs(value) - wholePart

FormatNumber = CStr(wholePart) & "." & _
Format$(decimalPart, "00")
End Function

' Pattern 6: Generate random array index
Function RandomArrayIndex(arr As Variant) As Long
Dim lowerBound As Long
Dim upperBound As Long

lowerBound = LBound(arr)
upperBound = UBound(arr)

RandomArrayIndex = Int((upperBound - lowerBound + 1) * Rnd) + lowerBound
End Function

' Pattern 7: Calculate grid position
Sub GetGridPosition(pixelX As Double, pixelY As Double, _
gridSize As Double, _
ByRef gridX As Long, ByRef gridY As Long)
gridX = Int(pixelX / gridSize)
gridY = Int(pixelY / gridSize)
End Sub

' Pattern 8: Divide and get quotient
Function IntegerDivision(dividend As Long, divisor As Long) As Long
If divisor = 0 Then
Err.Raise 11, , "Division by zero"
End If

IntegerDivision = Int(dividend / divisor)
End Function

' Pattern 9: Time to whole seconds
Function GetWholeSeconds(timeValue As Double) As Long
Dim secondsDecimal As Double
secondsDecimal = timeValue * 86400  ' Convert days to seconds
GetWholeSeconds = Int(secondsDecimal)
End Function

' Pattern 10: Percentage to whole number
Function GetWholePercent(value As Double, total As Double) As Long
If total = 0 Then
GetWholePercent = 0
Else
GetWholePercent = Int((value / total) * 100)
End If
End Function

Advanced Usage Examples

' Example 1: Random number generator class
Public Class RandomNumberGenerator
Private m_initialized As Boolean

Private Sub EnsureInitialized()
If Not m_initialized Then
Randomize
m_initialized = True
End If
End Sub

Public Function NextInteger(minValue As Long, maxValue As Long) As Long
EnsureInitialized

If minValue > maxValue Then
Err.Raise 5, , "minValue cannot be greater than maxValue"
End If

NextInteger = Int((maxValue - minValue + 1) * Rnd) + minValue
End Function

Public Function NextDouble() As Double
EnsureInitialized
NextDouble = Rnd
End Function

Public Function NextBoolean() As Boolean
EnsureInitialized
NextBoolean = (Int(Rnd * 2) = 1)
End Function

Public Function Shuffle(arr As Variant) As Variant
Dim i As Long
Dim j As Long
Dim temp As Variant
Dim result() As Variant

EnsureInitialized

' Copy array
ReDim result(LBound(arr) To UBound(arr))
For i = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
result(i) = arr(i)
Next i

' Fisher-Yates shuffle
For i = UBound(result) To LBound(result) + 1 Step -1
j = Int((i - LBound(result) + 1) * Rnd) + LBound(result)
temp = result(i)
result(i) = result(j)
result(j) = temp
Next i

Shuffle = result
End Function
End Class

' Example 2: Pagination calculator
Public Class PaginationHelper
Private m_totalItems As Long
Private m_itemsPerPage As Long

Public Property Let TotalItems(value As Long)
m_totalItems = value
End Property

Public Property Let ItemsPerPage(value As Long)
If value <= 0 Then
Err.Raise 5, , "ItemsPerPage must be greater than zero"
End If
m_itemsPerPage = value
End Property

Public Property Get PageCount() As Long
If m_itemsPerPage = 0 Then
PageCount = 0
Else
PageCount = Int((m_totalItems - 1) / m_itemsPerPage) + 1
End If
End Property

Public Function GetPageStartIndex(pageNumber As Long) As Long
If pageNumber < 1 Or pageNumber > PageCount Then
GetPageStartIndex = -1
Else
GetPageStartIndex = (pageNumber - 1) * m_itemsPerPage
End If
End Function

Public Function GetPageEndIndex(pageNumber As Long) As Long
Dim startIndex As Long
startIndex = GetPageStartIndex(pageNumber)

If startIndex = -1 Then
GetPageEndIndex = -1
Else
GetPageEndIndex = startIndex + m_itemsPerPage - 1
If GetPageEndIndex >= m_totalItems Then
GetPageEndIndex = m_totalItems - 1
End If
End If
End Function

Public Function GetPageForItem(itemIndex As Long) As Long
If itemIndex < 0 Or itemIndex >= m_totalItems Then
GetPageForItem = -1
Else
GetPageForItem = Int(itemIndex / m_itemsPerPage) + 1
End If
End Function
End Class

' Example 3: Grid coordinate mapper
Public Class GridMapper
Private m_cellWidth As Double
Private m_cellHeight As Double

Public Sub Initialize(cellWidth As Double, cellHeight As Double)
m_cellWidth = cellWidth
m_cellHeight = cellHeight
End Sub

Public Sub PixelToGrid(pixelX As Double, pixelY As Double, _
ByRef gridX As Long, ByRef gridY As Long)
gridX = Int(pixelX / m_cellWidth)
gridY = Int(pixelY / m_cellHeight)
End Sub

Public Sub GridToPixel(gridX As Long, gridY As Long, _
ByRef pixelX As Double, ByRef pixelY As Double)
pixelX = gridX * m_cellWidth
pixelY = gridY * m_cellHeight
End Sub

Public Function SnapToGrid(pixelX As Double, pixelY As Double) As Variant
Dim gridX As Long
Dim gridY As Long
Dim snappedX As Double
Dim snappedY As Double

PixelToGrid pixelX, pixelY, gridX, gridY
GridToPixel gridX, gridY, snappedX, snappedY

SnapToGrid = Array(snappedX, snappedY)
End Function
End Class

' Example 4: Dice roller simulator
Public Class DiceRoller
Public Function Roll(sides As Long, Optional count As Long = 1) As Long
Dim i As Long
Dim total As Long

Randomize
total = 0

For i = 1 To count
total = total + Int(Rnd * sides) + 1
Next i

Roll = total
End Function

Public Function RollMultiple(sides As Long, count As Long) As Collection
Dim i As Long
Dim result As New Collection

Randomize

For i = 1 To count
result.Add Int(Rnd * sides) + 1
Next i

Set RollMultiple = result
End Function

Public Function RollWithAdvantage(sides As Long) As Long
Dim roll1 As Long
Dim roll2 As Long

Randomize
roll1 = Int(Rnd * sides) + 1
roll2 = Int(Rnd * sides) + 1

RollWithAdvantage = IIf(roll1 > roll2, roll1, roll2)
End Function
End Class

Error Handling

The Int function can raise errors or return Null:

Type Mismatch (Error 13): If number is not a numeric expression
Invalid use of Null (Error 94): If number is Null and result is assigned to non-Variant
Overflow (Error 6): If result exceeds the range of the target data type

On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
Dim result As Long
Dim value As Double

value = 12.75
result = Int(value)

Debug.Print "Integer portion: " & result
Exit Sub

ErrorHandler:
MsgBox "Error in Int: " & Err.Description, vbCritical

Performance Considerations

Fast Operation: Int is a very fast built-in function
Type Preservation: Return type matches input type
No Rounding: Faster than Round (no complex calculation)
Alternative: For truncation toward zero, Fix is equivalent for positive numbers
Currency: For financial calculations, consider Round or CCur

Best Practices

Understand Behavior: Know that Int rounds DOWN (toward negative infinity)
Fix vs Int: Use Fix for truncation toward zero, Int for floor operation
Random Numbers: Always Randomize before using Rnd with Int
Type Awareness: Be aware of return type matching input type
Null Handling: Use Variant if input might be Null
Array Bounds: Ensure Int result is within array bounds
Division: For integer division, consider using \ operator instead

Comparison with Other Functions

Function	Behavior	Example
`Int`	Rounds down (floor)	Int(-8.7) = -9
`Fix`	Truncates toward zero	Fix(-8.7) = -8
`Round`	Rounds to nearest	Round(-8.7) = -9
`CLng`	Converts to Long with rounding	CLng(-8.7) = -9
`CInt`	Converts to Integer with rounding	CInt(-8.7) = -9
\	Integer division	-87 \ 10 = -8

Platform and Version Notes

Available in all VB6 versions
Consistent behavior across platforms
Return type matches input numeric type
Different from many languages int() which truncates toward zero
Equivalent to Math.floor() in many other languages

Limitations

Does not round to nearest (use Round for that)
Behavior with negative numbers can be unexpected (use Fix for truncation)
Return type depends on input type (can cause overflow)
Cannot specify decimal places (always removes all decimals)
No control over rounding direction (always down)

Fix: Returns integer portion, truncating toward zero
Round: Rounds to nearest integer or specified decimal places
CInt: Converts to Integer with rounding
CLng: Converts to Long with rounding
Rnd: Random number generator (often used with Int)
\: Integer division operator

Int Function