Toggling Boolean values

Please let other users know how useful this tip is by rating it at the bottom of the page. Do you have a tip or code of your own you'd like to share? Submit it here.

This is the simplest of all tips, but one that is hardly ever used. When toggling a Boolean value, many people test for the current value and then change it -- something like this: 


If _BooleanValue = True then
 _BooleanValue=False
Else
 _BooleanValue=True
End if

A simpler way is to just do this:

_BooleanValue=_BooleanValue=False

Every time this line is called, it will toggle the value. I use this is many of my programs for doing things like enabling and disabling buttons and setting menu check marks.

Enjoy!

Several of you wrote in to comment on this tip. Thanks to J.P. Mohr, Stephen Hort, Harnarinder Singh, Jan van Veldhuizen, Albert Barnes and Terry Corridan for submitting the following alternative:
Another solution that is probably more easily understood is: _BooleanValue = NOT _BooleanValue

This was first published in March 2004

Disclaimer: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.

Back to top