Excel VBA - How to Redim a 2D array?

This isn't exactly intuitive, but you cannot Redim(VB6 Ref) an array if you dimmed it with dimensions. Exact quote from linked page is:

The ReDim statement is used to size or resize a dynamic array that has already been formally declared using a Private, Public, or Dim statement with empty parentheses (without dimension subscripts).

In other words, instead of dim invoices(10,0)

You should use

Dim invoices()
Redim invoices(10,0)

Then when you ReDim, you'll need to use Redim Preserve (10,row)

Warning: When Redimensioning multi-dimensional arrays, if you want to preserve your values, you can only increase the last dimension. I.E. Redim Preserve (11,row) or even (11,0) would fail.

I stumbled across this question while hitting this road block myself. I ended up writing a piece of code real quick to handle this ReDim Preserve on a new sized array (first or last dimension). Maybe it will help others who face the same issue.

So for the usage, lets say you have your array originally set as MyArray(3,5), and you want to make the dimensions (first too!) larger, lets just say to MyArray(10,20). You would be used to doing something like this right?

 ReDim Preserve MyArray(10,20) '<-- Returns Error

But unfortunately that returns an error because you tried to change the size of the first dimension. So with my function, you would just do something like this instead:

 MyArray = ReDimPreserve(MyArray,10,20)

Now the array is larger, and the data is preserved. Your ReDim Preserve for a Multi-Dimension array is complete. :)

And last but not least, the miraculous function: ReDimPreserve()

'redim preserve both dimensions for a multidimension array *ONLY
Public Function ReDimPreserve(aArrayToPreserve,nNewFirstUBound,nNewLastUBound)
    ReDimPreserve = False
    'check if its in array first
    If IsArray(aArrayToPreserve) Then       
        'create new array
        ReDim aPreservedArray(nNewFirstUBound,nNewLastUBound)
        'get old lBound/uBound
        nOldFirstUBound = uBound(aArrayToPreserve,1)
        nOldLastUBound = uBound(aArrayToPreserve,2)         
        'loop through first
        For nFirst = lBound(aArrayToPreserve,1) to nNewFirstUBound
            For nLast = lBound(aArrayToPreserve,2) to nNewLastUBound
                'if its in range, then append to new array the same way
                If nOldFirstUBound >= nFirst And nOldLastUBound >= nLast Then
                    aPreservedArray(nFirst,nLast) = aArrayToPreserve(nFirst,nLast)
                End If
            Next
        Next            
        'return the array redimmed
        If IsArray(aPreservedArray) Then ReDimPreserve = aPreservedArray
    End If
End Function

I wrote this in like 20 minutes, so there's no guarantees. But if you would like to use or extend it, feel free. I would've thought that someone would've had some code like this up here already, well apparently not. So here ya go fellow gearheads.

here is updated code of the redim preseve method with variabel declaration, hope @Control Freak is fine with it:)

Option explicit
'redim preserve both dimensions for a multidimension array *ONLY
Public Function ReDimPreserve(aArrayToPreserve As Variant, nNewFirstUBound As Variant, nNewLastUBound As Variant) As Variant
    Dim nFirst As Long
    Dim nLast As Long
    Dim nOldFirstUBound As Long
    Dim nOldLastUBound As Long

    ReDimPreserve = False
    'check if its in array first
    If IsArray(aArrayToPreserve) Then
        'create new array
        ReDim aPreservedArray(nNewFirstUBound, nNewLastUBound)
        'get old lBound/uBound
        nOldFirstUBound = UBound(aArrayToPreserve, 1)
        nOldLastUBound = UBound(aArrayToPreserve, 2)
        'loop through first
        For nFirst = LBound(aArrayToPreserve, 1) To nNewFirstUBound
            For nLast = LBound(aArrayToPreserve, 2) To nNewLastUBound
                'if its in range, then append to new array the same way
                If nOldFirstUBound >= nFirst And nOldLastUBound >= nLast Then
                    aPreservedArray(nFirst, nLast) = aArrayToPreserve(nFirst, nLast)
                End If
            Next
        Next
        'return the array redimmed
        If IsArray(aPreservedArray) Then ReDimPreserve = aPreservedArray
    End If
End Function

I know this is a bit old but I think there might be a much simpler solution that requires no additional coding:

Instead of transposing, redimming and transposing again, and if we talk about a two dimensional array, why not just store the values transposed to begin with. In that case redim preserve actually increases the right (second) dimension from the start. Or in other words, to visualise it, why not store in two rows instead of two columns if only the nr of columns can be increased with redim preserve.

the indexes would than be 00-01, 01-11, 02-12, 03-13, 04-14, 05-15 ... 0 25-1 25 etcetera instead of 00-01, 10-11, 20-21, 30-31, 40-41 etcetera.

As only the second (or last) dimension can be preserved while redimming, one could maybe argue that this is how arrays are supposed to be used to begin with. I have not seen this solution anywhere so maybe I'm overlooking something?