Delphi in a Nutshell

Name

VarType Function

Syntax

function VarType(const V: Variant): Integer;

Description

VarType returns a Variant’s type code. The type code determines the actual data type of the Variant value, and whether the Variant is an array or a reference.

See Chapter 6 for a list of variant type codes.

VarType is a real function.

Tips and Tricks

The type code is a bit mask. The low-order 12 bits specify a type code, and the higher bits specify additional type information. Use the varTypeMask constant to find the actual type code. The possible modifiers are varArray for an array and varByRef for indirect data.

Example

// Calling VarType is the same as accessing the VType field of the
// TVarData record. The following two examples do the same thing.
// (Accessing the field is slightly faster, but is harder to read.)
I := VarType(V);

I := TVarData(V).VType;

if VarType(V) = varDateTime then
  TVarData(V).VDate := Now;

See Also

TVarData Type, Variant Type, VarIsArray Function, VarIsEmpty Function, VarIsNull Function