How to get selected text in VBA - vba

I have a macro that changes the selected text, and I have it assigned to a button.
It works perfectly when i run it directly from visual basic, but when I click the button, the button gets the focus and my text is no longer selected so the macro change the selected element to (button).
How can I select the text and run the macro by clicking on the button and still have the text selected?

The way to do this is to set the set the TakeFocusOnClick property of the CommandButton to False. Here are is the code I use.
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
Dim Sel As Selection
Set Sel = Application.Selection
If Sel.Type <> wdSelectionIP Then
MsgBox Sel.Text
End If
End Sub

Is the button embedded in the document? You may need to put it on a form that loads on top of the Word window or in a menu/toolbar, so that clicking it does not affect the selection in the document itself.
Edit:
I think you can use Application.Selection.Previous to get at what you need. You could use this to restore the selection after the click event, or to act upon that section of the document, or both.
I assume that this is available in previous versions of Word, but have only confirmed its presence in 2007.

You need to change TakeFocusOnClick to "False" in the Button Preferences.

Related

What is the best approach for generating a Word document based on a user selection via checkboxes?

I am trying to create a form template to use at work that can be customized via check boxes.
So far, I have been thinking about adding check boxes before every paragraph and at the end a button.
When I click the button, my intention is to delete all the paragraphs that don't have the checkbox activated.
The problem is that I don't know which is the most user friendly approach to this.
I am thinking about making bookmarks for each paragraph and use an IF formula for each of the check boxes.
The most user friendly check boxes are the content control ones, but I don't know how to reference them in VBA code.
All I can find is about form field check boxes, but I don't know how to make them clickable.
Before I go studying about each of these two options, I am interested in finding out which of these two alternatives is more appropriate to fulfill my requirements.
Thank you!
I have managed to do what I intended.
First of all, I've put content control checkboxes before every paragraph and I've set a unique tag for each one.
Then, for each checkbox, I've selected the paragraph, including the checkbox, and added a bookmark named exactly like the checkbox. Next, I've selected only the checkbox and added a bookmark name hide_nameofthecheckbox.
I've added an ActiveX button, with the following vba Code on click:
Private Sub btnSubmit_Click()
Dim bookmark As String
Dim ctl As ContentControl
For Each ctl In ActiveDocument.ContentControls
If ctl.Type = wdContentControlCheckBox Then
If ctl.Checked = False Then
bookmark = ctl.Tag
Bookmarks(bookmark).Range.Font.Hidden = True
Else
bookmark = "hide_" & ctl.Tag
Bookmarks(bookmark).Range.Font.Hidden = True
' DO NOTHING
End If
End If
Next
End Sub
Basically, when I click the Submit button, the code verifies each checkbox for value True or False. If it is checked, it hides the checkbox, If it is unchecked, it hides the entire paragraph, including the checkbox.
This way, after I click the submit button, there will be no checkboxes visible, so the document is print-ready.

How to update a label's caption on another user form?

I am using VBA to Show a userform.
On this form, I have buttons to open another userform (AddAmountForm).
When I click on the button to open AddAmountForm I also want to update the caption for a label that is on AddAmountForm.
Here is what I've tried this on the first userform:
Private Sub AssocDuesAddbtn_Click()
AddAmountForm.Show
With AddAmountForm
.AddName.Caption = "Assoc. Dues"
.Repaint
End With
End Sub
However, this doesn't update the caption, it remains the same.
There will be several buttons that will open this second userform and each one will need to update the label to something different based on what each button is supposed to be updating.
What am I doing wrong?
AddAmountForm.Show
This displays the default instance of the AddAmountForm form, modally. This means the next instruction will only execute after the form is closed.
You probably mean to change its label before you show it:
With AddAmountForm
.AddName.Caption = "Assoc. Dues"
.Show
End With
That said, using a form's default instance is going to bite you in the rear end, one day or another. Forms are objects, treat them as such:
With New AddAmountForm
.AddName.Caption = "Assoc. Dues"
.Show
End With
If the caption is a compile-time constant (a string literal is a compile-time constant expression), there's no reason to assign it at runtime - just set the label's caption in the form designer's Properties toolwindow (F4).

excel: use keyboard to move column in data validation mode

Usually in excel, when we press the "->" in keyboard, the cell will move from "A1" to "B1". However, it does not work on a drop-down list.
I create this drop-down list by data validation. When I press "->", nothing happen. I have to use mouse to click it every times, it is trouble. Is there any way, or any key, to let me move to new cell?
Assuming you have your drop-down box on a worksheet, you are right that it doesn't work.
Although you may have lined the drop-down box with the cells around it, it is an object sitting over the cell, when you push -> (the right arrow?) or the tab button the selection will go to the next cell, which is under the drop-down box.
The only way to get focus onto the drop down box is to click on it, from there you can use up and down keys to change selection and enter to select an item. After selection focus is given back to the selected cell in the worksheet.
You have tagged this question as 'vba' so to that end what you could do (although it may be a little excessive) is
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
If Replace(Target.Address, "$", "") = "C2" Then
UserForm1.Show 1
End If
End Sub
The above code is placed with the required sheet, if the selection is equal to C2 then a UserForm opens, within that you could build the selection that are keyboard compatible so you don't need to reach for the mouse.

Ellipsis Textbox for VBA Userform File Select

I am trying to create a path selection user interface for an extensive VBA program I've been working on, but I can't seem to get the ellipsis textbox that I'd like. This is a very common feature, especially in option tables. This is an example of what I'd like to get, straight from the VBA Options panel:
I would LOVE to find a way to get the same functionality in a Userform. The only solution that I've found thus far is to use a combo box with the ellipsis arrow option enabled. However, there doesn't seem to be an apparent way to use the activation of the combo box arrow to run a dialog box, nor does there seem to be a way to make it look UNLIKE a combo box. Last resort I use a button below the text box, but I'd really prefer a less-bulky way of doing this.
Any solution would be greatly appreciated.
The only solution that I've found thus far is to use a combo box with
the ellipsis arrow option enabled. However, there doesn't seem to be
an apparent way to use the activation of the combo box arrow to run a
dialog box, nor does there seem to be a way to make it look UNLIKE a
combo box
Your suggestion does work, and it is surely less complex and more elegant than having two controls work together, Button + Textbox.
A Combo can achieve perfectly the desired feature, in the following way.
1) In design mode, set the button style to Ellipsis
DropButtonStyle = fmDropButtonStyleEllipsis
And eventually, make the ellipsis show up only when the combo is entered, by setting the design-time property:
ShowDropButtonWhen = ShowDropButtonWhenFocus
2) If needed, you can set other design-time properties to have some look and feel. The defaults look pretty good however.
3) Add the following handler to the parent userform. The snippet simulates the launching of a dialog and getting a new value or cancelling. It does not show any dropdown window. (but you still have control over that: if you want to show it according to some condition, you still can call the method ComboBox1.DropDown)
Private Sub ComboBox1_DropButtonClick()
' The following two lines avoid to call the routine twice, at entry and at exit
Static i As Integer
i = (i + 1) Mod 2: If i = 0 Then Exit Sub
With ComboBox1
s = InputBox("enter some text", , .Value) '<~~ simulates any dialog
If s <> "" Then .Value = s
SendKeys ("{Enter}") '<~~ to close immediately the dropdown window
End With
End Sub
Try it ;)
Not only do ComboBoxes have Drop Buttons, so do TextBoxes (as do Excel's RefEdit controls). Even though you can't access the Textbox's Drop Button at design time, you can do so at runtime. Using a textbox avoids having to deal with the dropped down list of a combobox.
Given a textbox named TextBox1, the following code will provide the desired ellipsis drop button:
Private Sub UserForm_Initialize()
With Me.TextBox1
.DropButtonStyle = fmDropButtonStyleEllipsis
.ShowDropButtonWhen = fmShowDropButtonWhenAlways
End With
End Sub
Then use the DropButtonClick event of the textbox to perform whatever action you want:
Private Sub TextBox1_DropButtonClick()
'' Code here to do what you need
End Sub
I have an extensive example at Alternative to Excel’s Flaky RefEdit Control that uses a textbox with a "Reduce" drop button to replicate the functionality of Excel's unreliable RefEdit controls.

Running a VBA script from a button after selecting a chart

I’m running Excel 2010 on Windows 7.
I have four charts on a worksheet. What I want to do is select one of the charts and then click a button to open the ‘Format Axis’ dialogue box. I found the following code online to open the dialogue box. If I select a chart and then run the code from the toolbar (Developer tab, Macros, select macro, press ‘Run’), it works well.
Sub formatXAxis1()
ActiveChart.Axes(xlCategory).Select
Application.CommandBars.ExecuteMso "ChartFormatSelection"
End Sub
The trouble I have is when the VBA script is assigned to a button. If I use a shape as the button, I get “Run-time error ‘91’: Object variable or With block variable not set”. I get the same error if I use an ActiveX Command Button. However, with a Form Control button it works as expected. The only problem with this solution is that it is not possible to change the background colour of the button so it looks out of place against the other macro calling buttons on the worksheet.
I'm guessing that in the first two cases (shape and ActiveX buttons), VBA drops or loses the chart selection when I press the button – even though the chart still appears selected on screen. Is there a fix for this, or am I doing something wrong?
For an ActiveX button, in the Properties set the property
TakeFocusOnClick
to False. That will cause Selection to keep on the chart rather than switch to the button and your code should work. The color can also be changed from the properties box, though you probably already know that.
You need to reference the chart by name. So either have 4 buttons (one for each chart), or ask the user to input the name of the chart, then:
Dim co as ChartObject
Dim c as Chart
Dim NameOfChart as String
NameOfChart = Inputbox("Enter name of chart")
Set co = ActiveSheet.ChartObjects(NameOfChart)
Set c = co.chart
c.Axes(xlCategory).Select
Application.CommandBars.ExecuteMso "ChartFormatSelection"