Calling Functions in VB & VBA: Syntax, Examples, & More

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Learn how to execute functions in VB and VBA

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: August 23, 2025 Fact Checked

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Calling a Function Syntax

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Function Calling Examples

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Q&A

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Are you confused about calling function procedures in Visual Basic and VBA? This wikiHow tutorial will teach you easy ways to call functions in VB and VBA.

Calling a Function in VBA: Overview

Use the syntax lvalue = functionName (argument1, argument2) to call functions in VB and VBA. If there are no arguments, omit the parentheses or leave them blank. If you're using VBA within a cell in an Excel spreadsheet, use the syntax =functionName(argument1, argument2).

Section 1 of 2:

Calling a Function Syntax

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The syntax for calling a function in VB and VBA is lvalue = functionName (argument1, argument2). If there is more than one argument (like in this example), you'll separate the arguments with commas.^{[1]
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Research source}
- You must provide values for all arguments that aren't optional. But if there are no arguments, you can omit the parentheses or just leave them blank ().^{[2]
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- When you call a function, its statements run beginning with the first executable statement after the Function statement until End Function, Return, or Exit Function is encountered.^{[3]
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- Unlike when calling a subroutine, you usually won't need to include the Call keyword when calling a function.^{[4]
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  Research source} If you use the Call keyword, no value will be returned.
- If you're using VBA in a cell within an Excel spreadsheet, the syntax is =functionName(argument1, argument2). If you're writing code in the Excel VB editor, you'll use the standard syntax. But in a cell, you'll need to preface the call with an equals sign as you would when writing a formula.

Section 2 of 2:

Function Calling Examples

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In this example, we'll write a function that finds the hypotenuse of a right triangle.^{[5]
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Research source} Then, we'll call that function to find the hypotenuse for a triangle if one of the lines is 2.3.
- First, let's create the function.
  Function hypotenuse(ByVal side1 As Single, ByVal side2 As Single) As Single Return Math.Sqrt((side1 ^ 2) + (side2 ^ 2)) End Function
- And here's how we'd call the function if one side is 2.3.
  Dim testLength, testHypotenuse As Single testHypotenuse = hypotenuse(testLength, 2.3)
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We can also call functions using expressions. In this example, we'll call the MsgBox function, which displays a message box to the user and accepts input. There are 5 possible named arguments for MsgBox in Visual Basic and VBA—prompt, buttons, title, helpfile, and context.^{[6]
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Research source} We want to pass two arguments—one to display a message, and another to display yes and no buttons:
```
Dim intResponse As Integer
intResponse = MsgBox("Are you sure you want to proceed?", vbYesNo)
If intResponse = vbYes Then
    End
End If
```
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Now we'll create a function that adds two numbers together. First we'll write a function called Add, and then we'll call the function to add the numbers 32 and 64.
- First, here's the function:^{[7]
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  Function Add(ByVal x As Integer, ByVal y As Integer) As Integer Dim Res as integer Res = x + y Add = Res End Function
- Now, let's call the function in a subroutine to add our numbers:
  Sub Form_Load() Dim a As Integer Dim b As Integer Dim c As Integer a = 32 b = 64 c = Add(a, b) MsgBox ("Sum is : " & c) End Sub

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How do I run a function in VB.net?

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Click Compile then Run using the menu. There may also be keyboard shortcut hotkeys.

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Functions are public by default, so you can call them from anywhere in the program that has access to its containing class, module, or structure.

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