Returning Jagged Arrays

[KBARAD]

I've got a VBA UDF which extracts (multiple) numbers from a string, cell, range, or array. It's used in a variety of scenarios so it needs that flexibility, and generally worked EXCEPT...when the range has different result sizes in different cells
The function returns a single number, array of results, or array of array of results (if a range/array input). I think the issue is excel doesn't handle returning a jagged array and it is trying to convert it to a 2d array and falling over at the different subarray lengths. Is there a way around this other than normalising to a 2d?

I've attached a watch showing the output variable in the function (dummy line as breakpoint added directly before the end function line). It works, but fails on the spreadsheet side. If the sub arrays are the same size it works. This is one of a set of very similar functions I'm developing - but with the same mechanism.

 

[RoryA]

Given that the result range is going to have to be rectangular, you'll need to normalise it to a 2d array.

 

[KBARAD]

Given that the result range is going to have to be rectangular, you'll need to normalise it to a 2d array.

so you confirm it is an issue of requiring a rectangular result? It did take me an hour or so to find that seemed to be the case - I was hoping there was a way around it. Particularly since I will be more likely to be nesting this inside other functional calls