THE ME IDENTIFIER IS MORE EFFICIENT When you reference a form or userform in an event procedure, we recommend that you use the Me identifier to refer to the form. For instance, if you wanted a command button's Click event to change the active form's color, you might use a procedure similar to this: Private Sub CommandButton1_Click() formname.BackColor = 0 End Sub where formname represents the active form. However, the statement Me.BackColor = 0 is more efficient. The Me identifier restricts Access's search for the form to the form that's running the code.

VALIDATING ENTRIES As a rule, you don't let users enter just any old data. You make them enter appropriate data. For instance, if you were adding a series of values, you wouldn't let a user throw in a string of characters, such as "abc." If the user tried, the data entry control should refuse to accept the entry and display an explanation as to why the error occurred and how the user can resolve it. This process is known as validating the data. The following procedure warns users if they enter a string instead of a value in a text box named txtNumber: Private Sub txtNumber_AfterUpdate() If IsNumeric(Me!txtNumber.Value) Then Else MsgBox "Please enter a valid number, vbOKOnly" End If End Sub Perhaps the biggest decision is deciding when to warn the user: as soon as the user enters one inappropriate character, when the user completes the current entry, or when the user attempts to move to a new record. The above procedure warns the user after completing the current entry and moving to the next control. (Depending on the data, you can often use the Change event.) If you want to check every character, try the KeyPress event. If you're working with an Access form and you don't want to disturb users until they've entered data in all the appropriate controls, you can use the form's Current or Deactivate event to validate all the data in the form. When working with userforms, use the Deactivate event.

WORKING WITH EXTERNAL DATA Many software applications incorporate the COM object model so you can use their objects in your applications. Here's how to see what foreign objects are available. Once you've installed the application, check your references by choosing Tools, References. Check the Available References list box for the application you want to borrow from. If it's listed, select it and click OK. Once you've referenced the application, open the Object Browser to see what objects are available to you.

ACTIVEX HELP In our last tip, we told you that it's fine to use your registered ActiveX controls in your own applications, even if you didn't pay for it outright. (You did pay for these controls, when you purchased the hosting application.) Unfortunately, unless you have the documentation and Help files that you get when you actually purchase the control, taking advantage of the control may not be an easy task. You'll need to know about the control's properties and methods to use it. If you're lucky, the Help files may be installed. To find out, insert the control in a form and then open that control's property sheet. Select any property and press F1. If the files are there, pressing F1 should access them and, of course, you're free to use them.

ACTIVEX LEGALITIES Often, you don't have to purchase an ActiveX control to have it. You see, any application that uses an ActiveX control registers that control on your system. Once the control is registered, you're free to use it, even though you didn't acquire it by purchasing the control outright. You'll find these additional controls on your Toolbox. Just click the More Controls tool to view a list of all the registered nonnative ActiveX controls residing on your system. Although you can use these ActiveX controls in your own applications, you can't distribute them. If you decide you want to distribute one of these controls, you'll need to acquire a license to do so.

EASY WAY TO GET CURRENT RECORD When working with database tables, you may use the Move method to change the current record in a recordset. Specifically, this method has one argument, which allows you to specify the number of rows you want to move. For instance, to move forward two rows, you'd use the statement rst.Move 2 Similarly, to move backward two rows, you'd use the statement rst.Move -2 If you use 0 as the Move method's argument, VBA will retrieve the latest data from the current record. This behavior is helpful when you want to make sure that the current record is the most recent data.

NEW RELEASE OF SCRIPT DEBUGGER In our last tip, you learned how to install Scripting Runtime so you can work with files as objects. If you're also using Script Debugger, you should download the new release 1.0a, which repairs some known bugs. Even if you're running Windows NT or Windows 2000 with Internet Explorer 5, you should still download version 1.0a. You can download versions 1.0 and 1.0a from http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-vba11-23%2C00.html

DELETING A SPLIT SCREEN In our last tip, we showed you how to split a module into two scrollable windowpanes. This tip is particularly useful when you're working with a large module. To return your view to just one pane, simply remove the split. When you're ready to return to a single screen, drag the split bar back to its originating split box. Perhaps the easiest way to eliminate a split module is simply to double-click the split bar.

MINIMIZING OLE REFERENCES VBA methods and properties use the OLE IDispatch interface, and that takes time. Consequently, minimizing the number of methods or properties can speed things up. Here's the general rule of thumb: Every time you use the dot identifier (.), VBA hits the OLE Idispatch interface. For example, this statement contains three dots: Workbooks(1).Sheets(1).Range("A1").Value = "abc" This statement will call on the interface three times, which of course takes more processing time than a statement with only one dot identifier. Although it isn't always practical, keeping the dot identifiers to a minimum is one good way to speed up your code.

NEED A CALCULATOR? Normally, we like to share expressions and formulas that you can use in VBA. However, we've found a Web site that may make some of your work unnecessary. The Calculators On-Line Center at http://www-sci.lib.uci.edu/HSG/RefCalculators.html offers more than 5,000 Web calculators. You'll find calculators to handle all sorts of tasks, from a lye calculator (for making soap) to a capital gains calculator. You can easily convert and incorporate these calculators into your VBA projects using Microsoft Web components.

NO SECRET CODE IN THOSE COMMENTS All developers know that they're supposed to comment their code, and most do. However, some don't do a very good job. Too often developers want to take shortcuts with their code and write phrases and abbreviations. Do yourself a favor and use proper English in your comments. In addition, use whole sentences for your comments. As a final thought, avoid abbreviations unless they're universally known. If you end up being the application's maintenance developer, you'll be glad you were so thorough.

OFFICE ERROR MESSAGES If you're using a Microsoft Office program as your application's host, you might be interested in an Excel workbook that lists all the Office error messages and their corresponding values. The name of this file is Errormsg.xls, and it is available for download from http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-vba11-25%2C00.html Once you've downloaded the file--an EXE file that you should find in the Program Files\ORKTools\Download\Documents\Cstalert folder--run it. The EXE file will install several files, including Errormsg.xls. At that point, simply open Errormsg.xls in Excel. Each Office application has its own sheet--just click the corresponding tab to view the error messages for an application. Since you're working with an Excel workbook, you can easily add your own notes and information to each record for future reference.

OUTLOOK DEVELOPMENT Outlook is one of the more difficult Office products to program. I say that not because it's complicated, but because it is limited. Outlook 2000 forms finally support VBA, but automating Outlook can still be a challenge. If you're looking for information on VBA and Outlook (or Exchange), one of the best sites we've come across is OutlookExchange.com, sponsored by ECMS and Micro Eye. The URL for this site is http://www.outlookexchange.com/ You'll find plenty of code samples, tips, and documentation for the Outlook power user. If you're not a power user, take a look anyway, because there's a ton of documentation that just may help turn you into one.

PRINTING HELP TOPICS You can easily print Help topics by clicking the Print icon in the Help window. However, as you know, most Help topics are spread across several pages with many subheadings. That means that you must access each one and print it to get a set of the entire Help topic. Right? Not anymore. To print the entire topic, locate the appropriate book in the Contents tab. Click the Print button, and in the Print Topics dialog box, click Print The Selected Heading And All Subtopics. Then, click OK twice. Furthermore, your host application will print the topic continuously, rather than printing each heading on a separate page.

SPEAKING OF CALCULATIONS Even though you can find Web sites with downloadable calculators for all kinds of tasks, most of the time you'll have to rely on your own expressions to get the results you need. Occasionally your expressions will return errors, and there are several reasons why VBA or your host application can't evaluate your expression. Review these possibilities before you start pulling out your hair: - Make sure you've included the appropriate number of parentheses (each opening parenthesis requires a closing parenthesis). - Make sure you've supplied all the required arguments for any functions or procedures. - Check all your object and variable references to make sure they're correct.

THE VALUE OF AN INTRINSIC CONSTANT VBA offers several intrinsic constants--predefined values that can't be changed. For instance, the DAO model offers several constants that represent the different record status conditions. In addition, all of the Office applications have native intrinsic constants. Although we recommend that you use the constant instead of the value in your code, sometimes you need to know the value. To learn a constant's actual value, simply run it in the Immediate or Debug window. For instance, to learn the value for the dbRecordNew DAO constant, open the Immediate or Debug window and type the statement: ?dbRecordNew and press Enter. The response is the value 2. You can use this technique with almost any constant, as long as you've referenced the appropriate library.

TURNING OFF WARNINGS When you run an Access action query, Access will display a message warning you that you are about to modify the existing data. If you don't want to display this warning, you can turn it off temporarily using the SetWarnings method. However, we recommend that you not add the SetWarnings statement until the procedure is complete, debugged, and running as expected. During the testing and debugging process, those messages can give clues as to whether the code is running as expected. The statement DoCmd.SetWarnings False turns off the display. Substitute the False value with True to turn on the display. If you're using Excel, use the Application object's DisplayAlerts method in the form: Application.DisplayAlerts = False to inhibit warnings. Then, use the statement Application.DispayAlerts = True to return to normal.

USING OBJECT VARIABLES In our last tip, we recommended that you use the dot identifier sparingly because it slows down your code. Here's an option for reducing the number of dot identifiers in references. When you find yourself repeating the same object reference, use an object variable instead. For instance, we can optimize the statement we used in our last tip example: Workbooks(1).Sheets(1).Range("A1").Value = "abc" by setting the Workbook reference as follows: Set sheet = Workbooks(1).Sheets(1) sheet.Range("A1").Value = "abc" We've reduced each call by one dot, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but every dot helps.

VIEWING A FORM'S DESCRIPTION Most VBA files are saved in binary format, which makes reading these files a bit difficult. Forms and projects, however, are saved as ASCII text and are easily readable in a text viewer. Simply open the .frm file in your word processor the same way you'd open any other file to display a text version of your form that contains: The version number of the file format The form's description The form's attributes The form's code The following is the form description of a form with one command button: VERSION 5.00 Begin {C62A69F0-16DC-11CE-9E98-00AA00574A4F} UserForm1 Caption = "UserForm1" ClientHeight = 3225 ClientLeft = 45 ClientTop = 330 ClientWidth = 4710 OleObjectBlob = "UserForm1.frx":0000 StartUpPosition = 1 'CenterOwner End Attribute VB_Name = "UserForm1" Attribute VB_GlobalNameSpace = False Attribute VB_Creatable = False Attribute VB_PredeclaredId = True Attribute VB_Exposed = False Private Sub CommandButton1_Click() MsgBox "This is a test" End Sub To save your form or userform as a separate file, select the form in the VB Editor and then choose Export File from the File menu.

VIEWING MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT Do you sometimes wish you had two monitors and two pairs of hands when working in a module window? If you need to view different parts of your code at the same time, simply split the worksheet into two panes. I find a horizontally split module particularly useful when I need to return to the beginning of a function or sub procedure to add a declaration. I just hop up to the top pane, add the declaration, and then hop back down to the bottom window and return to my code. This isn't the only use for a split module--it just happens to be my favorite. If you want a horizontal split, drag down the split box (the small rectangle that rests on top of the vertical scroll bar). You'll take similar steps to create a vertical split, except drag the split box that's to the right of the horizontal scroll bar. Once you've split your module into two panes, you can scroll either pane to find any section of the same module.

A QUICK PRINT You can quickly print a form and its code from the VB Editor. Simply select the form you want to print and then choose Print from the File menu on the VB Editor's Standard toolbar. The VB Editor will then display the Print dialog box, which will offer several options. You can print the form's image, its code, or both. You can even change the print quality (the default is High) or send the form to a print file.

ADDING AN ITEM TO A LIST BOX To fill a list or combo box, you use the AddItem method. Did you know you could add an item to a specific position within the list? You can if you include the method's index value in the form: ListBox1.AddItem "One", 0 where 0 represents the first position in the list. For instance, the following procedure will display the items "Two" and "Three" in a list box named ListBox1. Private Sub Form_Activate() ListBox1.AddItem "Two" ListBox1.AddItem "Three" End Sub This second procedure will add the item "One" to the beginning of that same list when you click the form. Private Sub CommandButton1() ListBox1.AddItem "One", 0 End Sub (Just remember that the index values begin with 0 and not 1.)

AN ARRAY TIDBIT An array can store any type of data--strings, dates, currency values, or numbers. However, an array can hold only one type of data. You can't specify one array element as an integer and another as a string. Fortunately, there's a way around this limitation. Simply define your array as a Variant data type. As you probably know, a Variant can store any type of data. By declaring your array as a Variant, that array can store any type of data, which might come in handy when working with different fields in a database. You should be aware that a Variant array will consume more memory than the other data types. In the right circumstances, the additional memory can be an acceptable trade for the added flexibility the Variant supplies.

AN IMMEDIATE WINDOW SHORTCUT When you want to run an expression, function, or variable in the Immediate window, you don't have to retype it. You can drag it from its module to the Immediate window and then run it. You may need to revamp it just a bit, but you'll save yourself a little time by not having to re-enter long expressions, etc. Dragging the statement also cuts down on typos.

ANOTHER CONSTANT TIP A fairly common sight when working with strings is the expression: Chr(13) & Chr(10) This combination concatenates a carriage return and a line feed. However, there's an intrinsic constant you should use instead--vbCrLf. We recommend you use constants whenever possible. They're more readable and easier to remember (most of the time) than the value they represent.

CHANGING A CONTROL'S NAME It's a good idea to name a control as soon as you create it, if you plan to give it a name other than its default. If you decide to give the control a more descriptive name later, you'll have to update all the code that references that control. Most importantly, you'll need to update the control's event procedures. VBA won't update these for you, which explains why your control ceases to work if you change its name. Simply locate the original procedure in the module and update the name. For instance, if you rename a command button named CommandButton1 to cmdOpen, you should find the original procedure name: CommandButton1_Click() and rename it accordingly: cmdOpen_Click()

FORM EVENTS There are several form (userform) events, but some of them can be confusing. Take the Initialize and Activate events. It's difficult to know just which one to use. In fact, there's a big difference between the two events: - Initialize: Use this event when you want to run a task when VBA first loads the form. - Activate: You'll use this event when you want to run a task each time the form is displayed. As you can see, choosing the right event can be critical to your form's success.

HIDING FORMS You can use the Hide method to close the current form so that you can return your document or activate another form. If the form is modal, the method must be in an event procedure belonging to the form. When this is the case, you can run the hide method by simply adding it to your code--you don't need to specify the form, since VBA knows you mean the current form. Most likely, you'll add the Hide method to an OK, Cancel, or Close command button.

HOW FAST DOES YOUR APPLICATION LOAD? Let's face it--appearances count, and if your application appears to load fast, it will make a great first impression. One way to improve load time is to trim down your startup form. Here are a few guidelines you can follow to streamline your startup forms and help your application load quickly: - Use as little code in your startup form as possible. - Store all the code that your startup form requires in that form's module. (Don't call function procedures from a standard module.) - ActiveX controls require more time to load, so avoid using ActiveX controls in your startup form. If you follow these simple guidelines, your startup form should load quickly. Of course, other objects may still be loading, but perception is the key in this discussion. The faster that first form loads, the faster the user perceives he or she is getting to work.

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR VARIABLES If you have room, you should keep the Locals window open when you're debugging. This window displays all the variables in the current procedure. Specifically, the window displays the variable names, values, and data types. If your procedure updates a variable, the window will reflect that change. To open the Locals window, click the Locals Window button on the Debug toolbar. Or, you can choose Locals Window from the View menu.

MORE ON RESETTING ARRAY ELEMENTS In a previous tip, we showed you a quick way to force an array's elements to begin with the value 1 by entering the statement Option Base 1 in the module's General section. You can accomplish the same thing when you declare your array. For instance, the statement: Dim iMyArray(3) As Integer declares an integer array with three elements. By default, the value 0 will represent the first element, 1 will represent the second, and 2 will represent the third. If you want to force the first value to be something other than 0, simply say so in the declaration statement in the form: Dim iMyArray(firstelement To lastelement) As Integer For example, if you wanted to start with the value 1, you'd use the statement: Dim iMyArray(1 To 3) As Integer CORRECTION: MOB FORMING...stop SEND REINFORCEMENTS... stop You transform a few values and suddenly they want to lynch you. All kidding aside, we did make a mistake in our division tip awhile back. We said the result of the expression 10 Mod 4 was 5. Of course, that's incorrect. The Mod operator always returns the remainder, which in this expression is 2. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you to everyone who gently pointed out our error.

MOVING AROUND In December, we showed you how to move backward through a recordset using the Move method in the form: rst.Move -2 where rst is the name of a recordset. When you specify a negative value, VBA moves the current record position backward through the recordset. What you might not realize is that this holds true even if your recordset is a forward-only type. The one stipulation is that the record you're trying to access must be in the current set of cached records. If the Move method tries to move to a position before the first cached record, VBA will return an error.

REPLACE WITH NOTHING Most of you probably know that you can use the Replace() function to replace one string with another. To do so, you use the function in the form: Replace(string,findstring,replacementstring) where string is the string you're searching, findstring is the character or substring you want to replace, and replacementstring is the string you mean to substitute for findstring. What you might not realize is that you can use Replace() to delete a character or substring by specifying a zero-length string as replacementstring. For example, the following statement: Replace("Now you see it now you don't", "it", "") Returns the string "Now you see now you don't." We completely removed the pronoun "it." Be careful with that zero-length string though. The zero-length string, "", doesn't equal the string " " (where there's a space between the two apostrophe characters). These two string characters aren't interchangeable.

RESETTING ARRAY ELEMENTS Generally, the first element in an array is 0. You can force the first element to be 1 by using the Option Base statement. Specifically, enter the statement: Option Base 1 in the General section of your module. As a result, the elements in your array will begin with the value 1 instead of 0. For instance, the following procedure's first element will be 1: Option Base 1 Function TestArray() Dim iMyArray(3) As Integer iMyArray(1) = "x" iMyArray(2) = "y" iMyArray(3) = "z" MsgBox iMyArray(1) End Function

TYPE MISMATCH Do you hate the Type Mismatch error as much as I do? Any error is annoying, but this one seems to crop up way too often. When this error appears, it generally means you've made one of the following mistakes: - You've attempted to define a variable or set a property with the wrong data type. For instance, you can't pass a string to a procedure that expects an integer. If you don't know what type of data you might have to accommodate, use the Variant data type. - You tried to pass an object to a procedure that's expecting a single property or value. - You used a module or project name where VBA expected an expression. For instance, you can't print an object with the Debug object. These three mistakes are probably the most common reasons VBA returns the Type Mismatch error. Fortunately, all three errors are relatively easy to find and resolve.

UNIVERSAL CURRENCY When referring to currency in your code, avoid strings. For instance, it might be tempting to use the following statement: strAmount = "$999.99" If you use this statement, there's no way to control the way your application displays this currency amount, which means it has no international appeal. Even though your application may never see the international market, it's just not a good idea to hard code formats unless it's absolutely necessary. Fortunately, you can avoid the problem altogether if you use the CCur function in the form: strAmount = CCur(amount) The CCur function will provide internationally aware conversions from any other data type to Currency.

WORD BUG The Is operator doesn't always work as expected in Word--specifically, it has trouble with the Range object. The Is operator compares two object variables. You use this operator in the form: object1 IS object2 If the objects are the same, the statement is True. If they aren't the same, the statement is False. For instance, the following code compares the same worksheet to itself: Dim wks1 As Worksheet, wks2 As Worksheet Set wks1 = ActiveSheet Set wks2 = ActiveSheet MsgBox wks1 Is wks2 The message box will display the value True, since the two sheets are the same. However, when used with the Range object, the Is operator runs into trouble. The following code will incorrectly return the False value: Dim rng1 As Range, rng2 As Range Set rng1 = ActiveSheet.Rows(2) Set rng2 = ActiveSheet.Rows(2) MsgBox rng1 Is rng2 There is an easy workaround. When working with the Range object, use the equal operator in the form: MsgBox rng1 = rng2

A TIP FOR THE VBA BEGINNER Almost everyone indents their code a bit, and if you want to know just when to add an indent or tab, several guidelines can help. If you don't indent as you enter the code, you can do so later. In fact, there are two ways to indent existing code. First, you can select the code you want to indent and choose Edit, Indent. The second way is simpler. Highlight the code you want to indent and press Tab. If you get carried away and add a few too many indentations, you can outdent your code as easily as you indented it. After selecting the code you want to outdent, you have two options: You can choose Edit, Outdent, or you can press Shift-Tab.

A VBA ALTERNATIVE VBA isn't always the most efficient solution. Occasionally, there are noncode solutions that are more efficient, but because we're accustomed to using code, we continue to use code. For instance, do you use command buttons to open other objects or files? If so, you should know that a hyperlink is often quicker and it's always easier. You should consider a hyperlink solution when using a command button to open another form or report. Here's what you do: In the VB Editor, open the form that would normally contain the command button that you're eliminating. Choose Insert, Hyperlink. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, skip the first text box and enter the name of the object you want to open in the Named Location In File (Optional) control. Finally, click OK. Unfortunately, you can't automatically insert a hyperlink in an Excel or Word userform.

AVAILABLE FONT SIZES The Font Size tool on the Formatting toolbar lists sizes 8 to 72 (in most host applications), but you're not limited to just those sizes. If you want a smaller or larger font, use the VBA FontSize property. As a rule, you can specify a font size of 1 to 127 using VBA. However, just because VBA will allow you to specify a font size doesn't mean your printer can print it. When working with unusual font sizes, you should test the point size you choose to make sure your printer and font can accommodate that size.

AVOIDING A WORD PRINTING PROBLEM It's easy to print part or all of a Word document with VBA code. For instance, the following code prints the current page: ActiveDocument.PrintOut Range:= wdPrintCurrentPage ActiveDocument.Close But what if the document doesn't print? Generally, that can happen when Word prints the document in the background, and VBA doesn't pause long enough for Word to spool the document. VBA closes the document before the printer knows what it's supposed to print. There's an easy fix for this problem--simply set the PrintOut method's Background argument to True before you send the print parameter. For instance, the code below turns on the background printing, then tells VBA to print the current page before closing the document. As a result, Word and VBA both wait until the print job is complete before closing the document. ActiveDocument.PrintOut Background:=True, Range:= wdPrintCurrentPage ActiveDocument.Close

CONCATENATION OPERATORS If you convert older applications, you may run into the plus sign (+) used as a concatenation character. Older versions of VBA (VB and BASIC) used the plus sign before the ampersand became the prevalent concatenation operator. VBA continues to support the plus sign for the sake of backward compatibility. If you still use the plus sign as your operator of choice, we recommend that you begin using the ampersand instead, even though VBA still supports the plus sign. Each new version usually brings replacements, and as a rule, VBA will continue to support replaced keywords, operators, etc. for a while. Eventually, Microsoft usually drops the originals to make room for newer features. This means that some day, VBA may no longer support the plus sign as a concatenation operator. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with replacements when a new version is released and start using those replacements right away.

LEARNING ABOUT OBJECTS If you're new to VBA, you may find learning the various objects, and the methods and properties that go with each object, a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, a tool in most Office applications can help you become more familiar with the object model. That tool is the Macro Recorder, and you'll find it in Word and Excel. You see, when you write a macro in Word or Excel, you're really creating a VBA procedure. To record a macro, first choose Tools, Macro, then select Record New Macro. Enter a name for the macro in the Macro Name control, or accept the default. Identify the document where you want to store the document in the Store Macro In drop-down list. If you don't, VBA will add the macro to your normal.dot template. Click OK, then perform the tasks you want the macro to repeat. Click Stop Recording in the Macro Recorder toolbar when you're done. Now you need to review the code, so you can learn more about the objects and properties you just manipulated. To do so, first choose Tools, Macro, then select Macros (or press Alt-F8). Select the macro you just recorded in the Macros dialog box and click Edit to display the procedure in the VB Editor. Although the recorder does have its limits, you can learn about the object model and the many properties and methods just by reviewing your macro code.

RESIZING AN ARRAY VBA allows you to resize an array. By resize, we mean you can change the number of elements the array stores. For instance, the statement Dim iMyArray(3) As Integer declares an integer array with three elements. If you need to change the number of elements in an existing array, you should use the Redim statement in the form Redim arrayname(x) As datatype For instance, if we wanted to resize iMyArray to handle 10 elements, we'd use the statement Redim iMyArray(10) As Integer Be careful when you resize an array because the elements will lose their values.

MORE ON RESIZING AN ARRAY In our previous tip, we showed you how to use the Redim statement to resize an array. We also mentioned that when you resize an array, the elements lose their values. Fortunately, you can retain the element values using the Preserve keyword in the form Redim Preserve arrayname(x) As datatype If you use the Preserve keyword in your Redim statement, VBA will retain the value of each existing element in your array.