When writing a VBA code, I tried to call a Combobox_Change Sub (not Private Sub), which is located in 'Sheet2' of another workbook called 'wb2'.
Call wb2.Sheet2.ComboBox_Change
However, the program returns the runtime error 438. Am I missing anything or can someone proovide a fix? Thanks!
Run-time error 438: Object doesn't support this property or method
Event handlers do one thing: they handle events. That's why they're Private: they never need to be explicitly invoked by any other code - they're invoked by their respective event source, period.
C++
C#
Delphi
If it's bad practice in every language I could be bothered to find a SO post about this for, then why would it be any different in VBA? Hint: it's not, the reasons why explicitly invoking an event handler is a bad idea, are completely language-agnostic (provided your language has a concept of "event").
Don't make them Public and then invoke them explicitly. Instead, have that other code toggle the state of the control, and let the control fire its event - assuming an ActiveX/MSForms control:
Dim ctrl As MSForms.ComboBox
Set ctrl = wb.Worksheets("Sheet2").OLEObjects("ComboBox1").Object
ctrl.Value = Not ctrl.Value
If you don't want to toggle the control's state, only to invoke its handler, then pull the handler's implementation out - instead of this:
Private Sub ComboBox_Change()
'do stuff
End Sub
Do this:
Private Sub ComboBox_Change()
DoStuff
End Sub
Public Sub DoStuff()
'do stuff
End Sub
And then invoke DoStuff like you would any other macro-in-another-workbook.
Note that the Call keyword is completely redundant.
Related
I am generating a scripting dictionary using one button on a userform, using it to populate a listbox, and then need to use that same dictionary using a second button on the form. I have declared my dictionary either using early binding as so:
Dim ISINDict As New Scripting.Dictionary
or late binding as so
Dim ISINDict as Object
...
Set ISINDict = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
When I try to pass the dictionary to the other button like so:
Private Sub OKButton_Click(ISINDict as Scripting.Dictionary) 'if early binding
Private Sub OKButton_Click(ISINDict as Object) 'if late binding
I get the following error: "Procedure declaration does not match description of event or procedure having the same name" on that line.
Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
An event handler has a specific signature, owned by a specific interface: you can't change the signature, otherwise the member won't match the interface-defined signature and that won't compile - as you've observed.
Why is that?
Say you have a CommandButton class, which handles native Win32 messages and dispatches them - might look something like this:
Public Event Click()
Private Sub HandleNativeWin32Click()
RaiseEvent Click
End Sub
Now somewhere else in the code, you want to use that class and handle its Click event:
Private WithEvents MyButton As CommandButton
Private Sub MyButton_Click()
'button was clicked
End Sub
Notice the handler method is named [EventSource]_[EventName] - that's something hard-wired in VBA, and you can't change that. And if you try to make an interface with public members that have underscores in their names, you'll run into problems. That's why everything is PascalCase (without underscores) no matter where you look in the standard libraries.
So the compiler knows you're handling the MyButton.Click event, because there's a method named MyButton_Click. Then it looks at the parameters - if there's a mismatch, something is wrong: that parameter isn't on the interface, so how is the event provider going to supply that parameter?. So it throws a compile-time error, telling you you need to either make the signature match, or rename the procedure so that it doesn't look like it's handling MyButton.Click anymore.
When you drop a control onto a form, you're basically getting a Public WithEvents Button1 As CommandButton module-level variable, for free: that's how you can use Button1 in your code to refer to that specific button, and also how its Click handler procedure is named Button1_Click. Note that if you rename the button but not the handler, the procedure will no longer handle the button's Click event. You can use Rubberduck's refactor/rename tool on the form designer to correctly rename a control without breaking the code.
Variables in VBA can be in one of three scopes: global, module, or procedure level.
When you do:
Sub DoSomething()
Dim foo
End Sub
You're declaring a local-scope variable.
Every module has a declarations section at the top, where you can declare module-scope variables (and other things).
Option Explicit
Private foo
Sub DoSomething()
End Sub
Here foo is a module-scope variable: every single procedure in that module can access it - read and write.
So if you have data you want to pass between procedures and you can't alter their signatures, your next best option is to declare a module-scope variable.
[ignores global scope on purpose]
About As New - consider this:
Public Sub Test()
Dim foo As Collection
Set foo = New Collection
Set foo = Nothing
foo.Add 42
Debug.Print foo.Count
End Sub
This code blows up with run-time error 91 "object variable not set", because when foo.Add executes, foo's reference is Nothing, which means there's no valid object pointer to work with. Now consider this:
Public Sub Test()
Dim foo As New Collection
Set foo = Nothing
foo.Add 42
Debug.Print foo.Count
End Sub
This code outputs 1, because As New keeps the object alive in a weird, unintuitive and confusing way. Avoid As New where possible.
Declare the dictionary at the module level and fill it in button-1-click event handler. Then it can be simply re-used in button-2-click event handler. So there is no need to pass the dictionary to event handlers which is not possible either. HTH
Form module
Option Explicit
' Declare dictionary at the user form module level
Private ISINDict As Scripting.Dictionary
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
FillDictionary
End Sub
Private Sub CommandButton2_Click()
' Use the dictionary filled in event handler of CommandButton-1
End Sub
Private Sub FillDictionary()
With ISINDict
.Add "Key-1", "Itm-1"
.Add "Key-2", "Itm-2"
.Add "Key-3", "Itm-3"
End With
End Sub
Private Sub UserForm_Initialize()
Set ISINDict = New Scripting.Dictionary
End Sub
I currently have a Form set in place within my workbook. This form contains a button. On the click of the button, I would like to call a Sub which is located within the "ThisWorkbook" section. How could I go along of doing this?
Button within form...
Sub CommandButton1_Click()
Call Main("Test")
End Sub
The Sub that needs to be called within "ThisWorkbook"
Sub Main(DPass As String)
msgbox Dpass
End Sub
This will give me a compile error of: Sub or Function not defined. Why does this happen?
There are essentially two types of modules:
"Standard/Procedural" modules
Class modules
"Document" modules (e.g. ThisWorkbook, Sheet1, etc.) are just special kinds of class modules. Same for "UserForm" modules, which are basically classes with a default instance and a designer.
Members of a class module don't exist at run-time; a class is nothing but a blueprint for an object - so you need to either create an object of that type (the class determines the type), or use an existing one.
ThisWorkbook is an instance of the Workbook class; Sheet1 is an instance of the Worksheet class. Chart1 is an instance of the Chart class; UserForm1 is an instance of the UserForm class. And so on.
If you make a new class module and call it Class1, and add a public procedure to it:
Public Sub DoSomething()
MsgBox "Something!"
End Sub
Then in order to call DoSomething you need an instance of Class1:
Dim foo As Class1
Set foo = New Class1
foo.DoSomething
If DoSomething is in the ThisWorkbook module, then you can call it by qualifying the method name with the object it exists on, as was mentioned in the comments and in the other answer:
ThisWorkbook.DoSomething
If DoSomething is implemented in a standard/procedural module, then there is no object, the procedure exists in global scope, and you can just do this:
DoSomething
However public members of procedural modules are also exposed as macros (Public Sub) and user-defined functions (Public Function), which you may not want to do.
If you need a procedural module with public members that you can only call from VBA code (and not by clicking a button on a worksheet, or by entering a formula in a cell), then you can specify Option Private Module at the top:
Option Private Module
Public Sub DoSomething()
' DoSomething is not exposed as a macro,
' but can be called from anywhere in the VBA project.
End Sub
Put your sub in a module and not in your ThisWorkbook unless you have to for some reason, if so use ThisWorkbook.Main "string".
I was wondering if there's a way to refer to the object of the "Click()" sub.
To make it clearer, let's say we have a button named foo1 and this button has a click sub "foo1_Click()". Does vba has a keyword to get the reference to foo1 that is global?
Something like:
Public Sub foo1_Click()
GlobalKeyword.Property
End Sub
P.s.: something like the word "this" from java refering to its own instance of class
Edit: In the example, the "GlobalKeyword" would refer to "foo1"
I think you're looking for the Application.Caller property found here.
In your case you would want to do something like....
Public Sub foo1_Click()
Dim button As Shape
Set button = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheetname").Shapes(Application.Caller)
End Sub
Of course after that you would want to do some error checking to make sure button is not nothing.
If you want to use the same code for a lot of buttons, then you may be better of using a separate subroutine.
Private Sub foo1_Click()
Call do_something
End Sub
Private Sub foo2_Click()
Call do_something
End Sub
Sub do_something() 'called by the foo _Click event
MsgBox Application.Caller
End Sub
This way, you it is easy to maintain the core functionality for all buttons simply by updating the do_something procedure.
When I call SetFocus for my textbox, it throws this error:
Run-time error '438':
Object doesn't support this property or method.
Is SetFocus readily available in Excel 2013 or do I have to patch or update any component of my Excel?
I think Setfocus() probably never throw an error like that!!
Object doesn't support this property or method (Error 438)
This method or property does not exist for this OLE automation object. See the object's documentation for more information on the object and to check the spellings of properties and methods.
Here you have a method SetFocus(), So you need to know when this method does not exist!
In Office 2013 if object or one of its containers is not visible or enable, it throw this error:
Run-time error '2110':
Can't move focus to the control because it is invisible, not enabled, or of a type that does not accept the focus.
And as I tested making loop by raising Enter Event is also don't throw error, And also for similar using SetFocus() method:
Private Sub TextBox1_Enter()
TextBox2.SetFocus
End Sub
Private Sub TextBox2_Enter()
TextBox1.SetFocus
End Sub
And I can't figure any other reason !
Please see this answer: https://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?646411-RESOLVED-How-can-I-make-setfocus-ot-Textbox-in-vba
You are using Excel after all, but you have the textbox on a worksheet rather than a userform.
Setfocus will work for textboxes on a Userform, but as you have discovered, not if they are on the actual worksheet.
Instead of setfocus try activate:
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
TextBox1.Activate
End Sub
I know this is a simple question for someone out there, but I have never really used function module at all because I did not understand what they were.
So I have a whole bunch of things I can use this for (cut down on redundancy), but I want to know how I call into a sub (like a button click) procedure from a form.
I tried this...
Sub Command_Click()
Call "pptCreator"
End Sub
I know that is pretty bad, but I have no idea how to bring this into a procedure.
Here are some of the different ways you can call things in Microsoft Access:
To call a form sub or function from a module
The sub in the form you are calling MUST be public, as in:
Public Sub DoSomething()
MsgBox "Foo"
End Sub
Call the sub like this:
Call Forms("form1").DoSomething
The form must be open before you make the call.
To call an event procedure, you should call a public procedure within the form, and call the event procedure within this public procedure.
To call a subroutine in a module from a form
Public Sub DoSomethingElse()
MsgBox "Bar"
End Sub
...just call it directly from your event procedure:
Call DoSomethingElse
To call a subroutine from a form without using an event procedure
If you want, you can actually bind the function to the form control's event without having to create an event procedure under the control. To do this, you first need a public function in the module instead of a sub, like this:
Public Function DoSomethingElse()
MsgBox "Bar"
End Function
Then, if you have a button on the form, instead of putting [Event Procedure] in the OnClick event of the property window, put this:
=DoSomethingElse()
When you click the button, it will call the public function in the module.
To call a function instead of a procedure
If calling a sub looks like this:
Call MySub(MyParameter)
Then calling a function looks like this:
Result=MyFunction(MyFarameter)
where Result is a variable of type returned by the function.
NOTE: You don't always need the Call keyword. Most of the time, you can just call the sub like this:
MySub(MyParameter)
if pptCreator is a function/procedure in the same file, you could call it as below
call pptCreator()
Calling a Sub Procedure – 3 Way technique
Once you have a procedure, whether you created it or it is part of the Visual Basic language, you can use it. Using a procedure is also referred to as calling it.
Before calling a procedure, you should first locate the section of code in which you want to use it. To call a simple procedure, type its name. Here is an example:
Sub CreateCustomer()
Dim strFullName As String
strFullName = "Paul Bertrand Yamaguchi"
msgbox strFullName
End Sub
Sub Exercise()
CreateCustomer
End Sub
Besides using the name of a procedure to call it, you can also precede it with the Call keyword. Here is an example:
Sub CreateCustomer()
Dim strFullName As String
strFullName = "Paul Bertrand Yamaguchi"
End Sub
Sub Exercise()
Call CreateCustomer
End Sub
When calling a procedure, without or without the Call keyword, you can optionally type an opening and a closing parentheses on the right side of its name. Here is an example:
Sub CreateCustomer()
Dim strFullName As String
strFullName = "Paul Bertrand Yamaguchi"
End Sub
Sub Exercise()
CreateCustomer()
End Sub
Procedures and Access Levels
Like a variable access, the access to a procedure can be controlled by an access level. A procedure can be made private or public. To specify the access level of a procedure, precede it with the Private or the Public keyword. Here is an example:
Private Sub CreateCustomer()
Dim strFullName As String
strFullName = "Paul Bertrand Yamaguchi"
End Sub
The rules that were applied to global variables are the same:
Private: If a procedure is made private, it can be called by other procedures of the same module. Procedures of outside modules cannot access such a procedure.
Also, when a procedure is private, its name does not appear in the Macros dialog box
Public: A procedure created as public can be called by procedures of the same module and by procedures of other modules.
Also, if a procedure was created as public, when you access the Macros dialog box, its name appears and you can run it from there
Procedures in a Module start being useful and generic when you pass in arguments.
For example:
Public Function DoSomethingElse(strMessage As String)
MsgBox strMessage
End Function
Can now display any message that is passed in with the string variable called strMessage.
To Add a Function To a new Button on your Form: (and avoid using macro to call function)
After you created your Function (Function MyFunctionName()) and you are in form design view:
Add a new button (I don't think you can reassign an old button - not sure though).
When the button Wizard window opens up click Cancel.
Go to the Button properties Event Tab - On Click - field.
At that fields drop down menu select: Event Procedure.
Now click on button beside drop down menu that has ... in it and you will be taken to a new Private Sub in the forms Visual Basic window.
In that Private Sub type: Call MyFunctionName
It should look something like this:
Private Sub Command23_Click()
Call MyFunctionName
End Sub
Then just save it.