VBA Variable Help (Newbie Question)

[helpneeded2]

I only have a very surface level understanding of VBA.

I cannot figure out why this is generating an error:

Dim DateStart As Date
Dim DateEnd As Date
DateStart = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Range("D4").Value
DateEnd = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Range("D6").Value

Sub RetrieveData()

    If DateStart = True Or DateEnd = True Then
        MsgBox "Date must be entered for both the Start Date and the End Date!"
        Else
        If DateStart > DateEnd Then
            MsgBox "The End Date must be greater than the Start Date!"
            Else
            MsgBox "Good to Go"
        End If
    End If
    
End Sub

When I try executing this, I get a Compile error message: Invalid outside procedure

Could someone please let me know what I am doing wrong.

 

[Candyman8019]

Try putting Sub RetrieveData() at the top.

 

[helpneeded2]

Try putting Sub RetrieveData() at the top.

Thank you. I wanted to have the variables available as global variables so I thought I would have to declare them outside of a sub.

 

[dreid1011]

Upon some light reading, you can declare variables outside of a Sub, but you cannot set their values outside of the sub.

 

[Joe4]

Upon some light reading, you can declare variables outside of a Sub, but you cannot set their values outside of the sub.

That is correct. You can declare public variables outside of any procedures, but you cannot set them outside of any procedures.
By declaring them outside of the procedure, it ensures that they maintain their value during that Excel session and can be used in multiple procedures.

 

[helpneeded2]

Great, thank you for everyone's help and education on this.

 

[Scott Huish]

The only way you can declare a value outside of a sub is as a Constant (a value that does not change) but not as a variable (a value that can change)

This works because it has a single nonchanging (constant) value:

Public Const DateStart = True

this would not because it refers to a cell which could potentially change

Public Const DateStart = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Range("D4").Value