`Space$` Function

The Space$ function in Visual Basic 6 returns a string consisting of the specified number of space characters (ASCII 32). The dollar sign ($) suffix indicates that this function always returns a String type, never a Variant.

Syntax

Space$(number)

Parameters

number - Required. Long integer indicating the number of spaces to include in the string. Must be between 0 and approximately 2 billion (2,147,483,647).

Return Value

Returns a String containing number space characters.

Behavior and Characteristics

Number Handling

If number = 0: Returns an empty string ("")
If number < 0: Generates a runtime error (Invalid procedure call or argument)
If number is a fractional value: Rounds to the nearest integer
Maximum value is limited by available memory

Type Differences: `Space$` vs `Space`

Space$: Always returns String type (never Variant)
Space: Returns Variant containing a string
Use Space$ when you need guaranteed String return type
Use Space when working with Variant variables

Common Usage Patterns

1. Padding Strings

Function PadRight(text As String, width As Integer) As String
If Len(text) >= width Then
PadRight = text
Else
PadRight = text & Space$(width - Len(text))
End If
End Function

Dim padded As String
padded = PadRight("Hello", 10)  ' "Hello     "

2. Creating Fixed-Width Fields

Function FormatField(value As String, fieldWidth As Integer) As String
Dim temp As String
temp = value & Space$(fieldWidth)
FormatField = Left$(temp, fieldWidth)
End Function

Dim field As String
field = FormatField("Name", 20)  ' "Name                "

3. Indentation

Function IndentText(text As String, level As Integer) As String
IndentText = Space$(level * 4) & text
End Function

Debug.Print IndentText("Nested Item", 2)  ' "        Nested Item"

4. Column Alignment in Reports

Sub PrintReport()
Dim col1 As String, col2 As String, col3 As String
col1 = "Name"
col2 = "Age"
col3 = "City"
Debug.Print col1 & Space$(15) & col2 & Space$(10) & col3
End Sub

5. Creating Separator Lines

Function CreateSeparator(width As Integer, char As String) As String
' Create base with spaces then replace
CreateSeparator = String$(width, char)
End Function

' Or use spaces for visual separation
Debug.Print "Header" & Space$(10) & "Value"

6. Text Centering

Function CenterText(text As String, width As Integer) As String
Dim padding As Integer
If Len(text) >= width Then
CenterText = Left$(text, width)
Else
padding = (width - Len(text)) \ 2
CenterText = Space$(padding) & text & Space$(width - Len(text) - padding)
End If
End Function

Dim centered As String
centered = CenterText("Title", 20)

7. Creating Empty Buffers

Function CreateBuffer(size As Integer) As String
CreateBuffer = Space$(size)
End Function

Dim buffer As String
buffer = CreateBuffer(100)  ' 100-character buffer

8. Formatting Tables

Sub PrintTableRow(col1 As String, col2 As String, col3 As String)
Dim row As String
row = Left$(col1 & Space$(20), 20) & _
Left$(col2 & Space$(15), 15) & _
Left$(col3 & Space$(10), 10)
Debug.Print row
End Sub

9. Creating Blank Lines

Sub AddVerticalSpace(lines As Integer)
Dim i As Integer
For i = 1 To lines
Debug.Print Space$(0)  ' Or just Debug.Print
Next i
End Sub

10. Formatting Currency Values

Function FormatAmount(amount As Currency) As String
Dim amountStr As String
amountStr = Format$(amount, "#,##0.00")
FormatAmount = Space$(15 - Len(amountStr)) & amountStr
End Function

Debug.Print FormatAmount(1234.56)  ' Right-aligned in 15 chars

Space() - Returns a Variant containing the specified number of spaces
String$() - Returns a string of repeating characters (more flexible than Space$)
Left$() - Returns a specified number of characters from the left side
Right$() - Returns a specified number of characters from the right side
Len() - Returns the length of a string
LTrim$() - Removes leading spaces from a string
RTrim$() - Removes trailing spaces from a string
Trim$() - Removes both leading and trailing spaces
Spc() - Used in Print statements to insert spaces

Best Practices

When to Use `Space$` vs `String$`

' Use Space$ for creating spaces specifically
Dim spaces As String
spaces = Space$(10)  ' Clear intent

' Use String$ for other repeated characters
Dim dashes As String
dashes = String$(10, "-")  ' More flexible

' Note: Space$(10) is equivalent to String$(10, " ")

Prefer Constants for Fixed Padding

' Less efficient: creating spaces repeatedly
For i = 1 To 1000
Debug.Print "Item" & Space$(10) & values(i)
Next i

' More efficient: create once
Const PADDING As String = "          "  ' 10 spaces
For i = 1 To 1000
Debug.Print "Item" & PADDING & values(i)
Next i

Validate Negative Values

Function SafeSpace(count As Integer) As String
If count < 0 Then
SafeSpace = ""
Else
SafeSpace = Space$(count)
End If
End Function

Combine with `Left$` or `Right$` for Fixed Width

' Ensure exact width regardless of input length
Function FixedWidth(text As String, width As Integer) As String
Dim temp As String
temp = text & Space$(width)
FixedWidth = Left$(temp, width)
End Function

Performance Considerations

Space$ is optimized for creating space-filled strings
Very efficient for small to moderate numbers of spaces (< 1000)
For large numbers, consider memory implications
Reuse space strings when possible instead of recreating

' Inefficient: creating space string in loop
For i = 1 To 10000
output = output & Space$(5) & data(i)
Next i

' More efficient: create once
Dim spacer As String
spacer = Space$(5)
For i = 1 To 10000
output = output & spacer & data(i)
Next i

' Even better: use array and Join
Dim parts() As String
ReDim parts(1 To 10000)
For i = 1 To 10000
parts(i) = spacer & data(i)
Next i
output = Join(parts, "")

Common Pitfalls

1. Negative Values Cause Errors

' Runtime error: Invalid procedure call or argument
result = Space$(-5)  ' ERROR!

' Always validate
If count >= 0 Then
result = Space$(count)
Else
result = ""
End If

2. Confusion with `Spc()` Function

' Space$ returns a string
Dim s As String
s = Space$(5)  ' Returns "     " (5 spaces)

' Spc is used in Print statements only
Debug.Print "A"; Spc(5); "B"  ' Prints "A     B"

' Cannot assign Spc to variable
s = Spc(5)  ' ERROR!

3. Memory Issues with Large Values

' Be careful with very large values
Dim huge As String
huge = Space$(10000000)  ' 10 million spaces = ~20 MB

' Consider if you really need that many spaces
' Often there are better alternatives

4. Not Accounting for Existing Length

' Wrong: may create string longer than desired width
result = text & Space$(width)

' Correct: ensure exact width
temp = text & Space$(width)
result = Left$(temp, width)

5. Using for Non-Space Padding

' Wrong: Space$ only creates spaces
underline = Space$(20)  ' Trying to create underline
' This creates "                    ", not "____________________"

' Correct: use String$ for other characters
underline = String$(20, "_")

6. Floating Point Rounding

Debug.Print Space$(5.4)   ' Creates 5 spaces (rounds down)
Debug.Print Space$(5.6)   ' Creates 6 spaces (rounds up)
Debug.Print Space$(5.5)   ' Creates 6 spaces (banker's rounding)

' Be explicit with integer conversion if needed
Dim count As Integer
count = Int(5.7)  ' Force truncation
result = Space$(count)

Practical Examples

Creating Fixed-Width Reports

Sub PrintInvoice()
Dim header As String
Dim separator As String

' Create header with aligned columns
header = Left$("Item" & Space$(30), 30) & _
Left$("Qty" & Space$(10), 10) & _
Left$("Price" & Space$(15), 15)

separator = String$(55, "-")

Debug.Print header
Debug.Print separator
Debug.Print Left$("Widget" & Space$(30), 30) & _
Right$(Space$(10) & "5", 10) & _
Right$(Space$(15) & "$10.00", 15)
End Sub

Building Hierarchical Output

Sub PrintTree(text As String, level As Integer)
Debug.Print Space$(level * 2) & "- " & text
End Sub

PrintTree("Root", 0)
PrintTree("Child 1", 1)
PrintTree("Grandchild", 2)
PrintTree("Child 2", 1)

Formatting Data for Fixed-Width Files

Function FormatRecord(name As String, age As Integer, city As String) As String
Dim record As String
record = Left$(name & Space$(25), 25) & _
Right$(Space$(3) & CStr(age), 3) & _
Left$(city & Space$(20), 20)
FormatRecord = record
End Function

' Writes: "John Doe              25New York            "
Print #1, FormatRecord("John Doe", 25, "New York")

Limitations

Can only create space characters (ASCII 32), not other whitespace
Negative values cause runtime errors
Very large values can cause out-of-memory errors
Cannot be used directly in Print statements like Spc()
Floating-point parameters are rounded (may be unexpected)
Maximum string length limited by VB6 string constraints (~2 GB)

Space$ Function