dim (thing)

In Microsoft Visual Basic, the Dim keyword is used to declare a local variable. It allocates enough space in the computer's memory for data of a specific type. In Visual Basic, these types are Integer, Long, Double, Boolean, Currency, Date, String, Byte, Object, or Variant. A variable declared using the Dim keyword lasts only as long as a particular sub or function lasts.

The syntax is: Dim varName As varType

The statement might be used in a program such as this:

Private Sub cmdVariables_Click()
     Dim intResult As Integer
     
     intResult = 5
     lblResult.Caption = intResult
End Sub

An alternative to using As is to use a Type Suffix to declare the type of your variable. These type suffixes are:

_____________________________
|Variable Type |  Suffix     |
|Integer       |  %          |
|Double        |  #          |
|String        |  $          |
|Long          |  &          |
|Single        |  !          |
|Currency      |  @          |
______________________________

If you want another type of variable (such as a global variable), you can use Private, Public, or Const (for a constant).