Excel VBA Reference Table Column by Variable
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This should be simple, but I'm a VBA noob.  I've read lots of forums, and found nothing but overly complicated code that I couldn't decipher to fit my application.

In Excel 2007 I have a Table already defined.  I can't post a picture because I am new to the forum, but the table has 3 columns, with header rows named 1 through 3, and one data row as crudely shown below:

Table1

[1    ][2    ][3      ]

[Alpha][Bravo][Charlie]

With this simple Table the following works, and returns the text "Alpha".

    Sub works()
    
        Dim item As String
    
        Sheets("Sheet1").Select
        item = ActiveSheet.Range("Table1[1]")
        MsgBox (item)
    
    End Sub



But I want to be able to refer to table column headers with an adjustable variable.  Why doesn't this work:

    Sub doesntwork()
    
        Dim item As String
        Dim i As String
        
        i = 1
        Sheets("Sheet1").Select
        item = ActiveSheet.Range("Table1[i]")
        MsgBox (item)
    
    End Sub

It's got to be a syntax thing, but I'm having no luck sorting through all the various iterations of VBA syntax in the last 10+ years...

Please help!  Thanks.