Property set in vba excel

UserForm and Controls — Properties

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Contents:

UserForm and Controls

Basic Properties common to the UserForm and most Controls

Other Properties common to the UserForm and most Controls

Specifying Color in Properties Window

Applicability of Properties to UserForm and its Controls — A SnapShot

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UserForm acts as a container in which you add multiple ActiveX controls, each of which has a specific use and associated properties. By itself, a UserForm will not be of much use unless ActiveX controls are added to it which are the actual user-interactive objects. ActiveX controls can be used with VBA code or without, either directly on worksheets, while some can be used only on VBA UserForms. Using ActiveX Controls on a Worksheet have been illustrated in detail, in the separate section of «Excel VBA: ActiveX Controls, Form Controls & AutoShapes on a Worksheet».

Properties can be viewed in an alphabetical order or category wise by clicking the «Alphabetic» or «Categorized» options in the Properties Window, after selecting the respective Userform or Control. To set/edit, click on that property and make the change in its right column. For help on a Userform or Control property, in the Properties Window select the right column of that property and press F1.

Design-Time, Run-time and Break-time:

The time when an application is being developed in VBE (Visual Basic Environment) is termed as design-time. This is the time when you create a UserForm, add controls and set their properties. Run-time is the time when your code is being executed or the application is running. During this time the developer interacts with the application just like a user and the code cannot be edited then. Break-time is the time when an Application encounters any processing error that prevents the code from continuing or being executed further. Design-time manipulations are not permanent, while run-time are not. For ex, if you add a CheckBox in your code using the Add Method [Set ctrl = Controls.Add(«Forms.CheckBox.1»)], it will appear when the UserForm shows but when you return to VBE, the CheckBox will not be present. Similarly, if you set the Caption of an OptionButton in your code, the new set Caption will appear when the UserForm is displayed but will revert to its original in VBE. The ControlTipText property is set during design-time but is visible on the control during run-time only.

UserForm or Control properties can be set either at design-time or at run-time. Typically, a property which is dynamic is set at run-time and the more static ones at design-time. Name property of a UserForm can be set only at design-time and cannot be set at run-time. Though you can add, name and set properties of controls at run-time, these are mostly done at design-time itself, as these usually remain static while running a procedure. You might face some complications in adding controls and setting properties at run-time, hence only occasionally do you need to set properties at run-time to appropriately cope with a situation.

Setting control properties with vba:

If the code is in a procedure in the Code Module of the UserForm, use the vba syntax:   Controlname.Property = Setting/Value

If the code is in a Standard Module or in the Code Module of a different UserForm, use vba syntax:   UserFormName.Controlname.Property = Setting/Value

Examples of VBA Syntax:

Label1.Font.Name = «Arial»; Label1.ForeColor = RGB(255, 255, 0); OptionButton1.BackColor = 255; CheckBox1.Value = False; CheckBox1.Alignment = fmAlignmentLeft; TextBox1.MultiLine = True; TextBox1.WordWrap = True; TextBox1.ScrollBars = 2; OptionButton1.AutoSize = True; Me.TextBox1.Enabled = False; TextBox1.TextAlign = fmTextAlignLeft; TextBox1.Text = «Hello»; CommandButton1.Left = 50; TextBox1.MaxLength = 5;  Note: Label1, TextBox1, CheckBox1, OptionButton1 & CommandButton1 are the Control names.

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Basic Properties common to the UserForm and most Controls

Name Property

Use the Name property to specify a name for a control or to specify the font name (used in the text portion of a control). Name property of a UserForm can be set only at design-time and cannot be set at run-time. Name property for controls can be set either at design-time or at run-time, BUT if a control is added at design-time, its name cannot be changed at run-time. Typically, the default name of the first CheckBox created is CheckBox1, the default name of the second CheckBox will be CheckBox2, and so on, and similalry for other controls too. The default name of the first Userform you have created will be «UserForm1» (Image 1).

By clicking on «Name» in the Properties Window, you can edit the name. The name should begin with a letter, can have any combination of letters, numbers or underscores, cannot have spaces or symbols and can have a maximum length of 40 characters. It might be a good idea to have a 3-letter prefix in lower case, for each name, to identify and associate with its respective control. The characters following the prefix can start with a capital, for easier readibility. Typically, prefix used for different controls are: frm for UserForm; lbl for Label; txt for TextBox; cmb for ComboBox; lst for ListBox; chk for CheckBox; opt for OptionButton; fra for Frame; cmd for CommandButton; tbs for TabStrip; rfe for RefEdit; and so on.

Syntax for Font:  Font.Name = String

Syntax for all other controls and objects:  object.Name = String

The Name Property is applicable to the UserForm and to all controls.

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Caption Property

Caption is the text which describes and identifies a UserForm or Control. Typically, the default name and Caption of the first CheckBox created at design-time is CheckBox1, the default name and Caption of the second CheckBox will be CheckBox2, …; default name and caption of the first OptionButton is OptionButton1, …; default name and caption of the first CommandButton is CommandButton, …; and so on. The default caption of the first Userform you have created will be «UserForm1» (Image 1). By clicking on Caption in the Properties Window, you can edit the same, in its right column. The Caption will display in the header of the Userform; in re of Label, CommandButton & ToggleButton controls, Caption is the text which appears on the control; in re. of Tab and Page objects Caption is the text that appears on the tab; in re. of CheckBox & OptionButton Caption appears to the side (right or left, as determined by its Alignment property) of the control; in re. of a Frame control Caption appears on the top-left border of the control. Setting the AutoSize property to True (in a control which has both Caption & AutoSize properties), automatically adjusts the control to display the entire caption. Caption can be set in the Properties window or with vba code. Syntax:  object.Caption = String.

Caption property is applicable to the UserForm and controls Label, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, Frame, CommandButton, Tab (Tabstrip) and Page (MultiPage).

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Size and Position of a Control

Height, Width Properties:

Sets the the height or width, measured in points. You can manually enter the Height and Width in the Properties Window, or when you size a control, the Height and Width properties get updated automatically. For these properties, VBA only accepts values which are greater than or equal to zero. These properties can be set in the Properties window or with vba code. Syntax:  object.Height = Number;  object.Width = Number. You can also resize a control with a mouse in the following manner: select the control -> the  mouse pointer will change to a two-headed arrow when positioned over the control’s handles (adjustment handles) which are in the middle or corner of its side borders -> adjust the horizontal or vertical size by using the appropriate side handles and to change both the horizontal & vertical size simultaneously use the corner handle -> click and drag handle to the required size and then release mouse button.

The Height and Width Properties are applicable to the UserForm and to all controls.

Left, Top Properties:

Left Property sets the distance between the left edge of the control and the left edge of the form that contains it. Top Property sets the distance between the top edge of the control and the top edge of the form that contains it. For a UserForm, the distance set is between the form and the left or top edge of the window that contains it. For both Left and Top properties, distance is set in pixels. You can manually enter the Left and Top properties in the Properties Window or when you move or size a control, the Left and Top properties get updated automatically. If the value of the Left or Top properties is set to zero, the control will appear at the left edge or top edge of the form that contains it, and specifying a value of less than zero in either of these properties will chop a portion of the control which will not remain visible on the form. These properties can be set in the Properties window or with vba code. Syntax:  object.Left = Number;  object.Top = Number. You can also move a control with a mouse in the following manner: select the control -> the  mouse pointer will change to a four-headed arrow when positioned over the control’s border (avoiding the handles used to resize) -> click and drag the control to the required position and then release mouse button.

The Left and Top Properties are applicable to the UserForm and to all controls.

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Value Property

Determines the selection status of a control or specifies the control’s content. With respect to the controls CheckBox, OptionButton and ToggleButton: an Integer value of -1 means True and indicates that the control is selected; 0 value means False and indicates that the control is cleared; and the Null value indicates that the control is neither selected nor cleared, and will appear shaded in this case. For the controls ScrollBar and SpinButton, it indicates their current value, which is an integer between maximum and minimum values specified in the Max and Min properties. For the controls ComboBox and ListBox (value cannot be used with a multi-select ListBox), it is the value in the BoundColumn of the currently selected row (BoundColumn property specifies the column from which value is to be stored in a multicolumn ComboBox or ListBox, when a row is selected by the user). For a CommandButton, it is a Boolean value which indicates whether the control has been chosen — default setting is False and setting it to True (can be done only with vba code) will invoke the button’s Click event. For a MultiPage, the Value property is set (can be done only with vba code) with an Integer which indicates the current (active) page, and pages are numbered starting from zero (0) which is the first page so that the maximum value is one less than the number of pages. For a TextBox, it refers to the text in the text box. Value property can be set in the Properties window (except for CommandButton and MultiPage controls) or with vba code. Syntax:  object.Value = Variant.

The Value property is applicable to all controls except Label, Frame and Image.

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Other Properties common to the UserForm and most Controls

These properties can be set in the Properties window or with vba code, unless specified otherwise.

Accelerator Property:

Sets the key to access a control — it is referred to as the accelerator key or access key. This key is a single character, pressed in combination with and after the Alt key. It is used as a short-cut and gives focus to a control and initiates the Click event. In case multiple characters are entered as its value, the first character becomes the value of Accelerator. To click the ‘Enter’ command button in a form, the accelerator key can be set as letter «E» and used by pressing Alt+E. In case the accelerator is set for a Label, then the control which follows Label next in the tab order receives focus (but not initiation of the Click event) instead of the Label itself. Note: The character used as the value of accelerator is key-sensitive, meaning that setting the accelerator key as letter P is the same as letter p or the character + is the same as = because they are entered by pressing the same key.

Accelerator property is applicable to the controls Label, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, CommandButton and MultiPage. 

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Alignment Property:

Specifies how a caption will appear relative to the control. There are 2 settings: (i) fmAlignmentLeft (value 0) — caption appears to the left of the control; and (ii) fmAlignmentRight (value 1) — this is the default setting wherein the caption appears to the right of the control. Note 1: Though ToggleButton has Alignment as one of its properties, it is disabled and Alignment cannot be specified for the ToggleButton. Note 2: The caption text is always left-aligned.

Alignment property is applicable to the controls CheckBox, OptionButton and ToggleButton.

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AutoSize Property:

A Boolean value (True/False) which specifies if or not the control resizes automatically for its entire contents to be displayed. Setting AutoSize to TRUE automatically resizes the control while setting AutoSize to FALSE (Default option) keeps the size of the control constant wherein content exceeding the control’s area get cut. For the controls TextBox and ComboBox, AutoSize applies to displayed text; for the Image control, AutoSize applies to the displayed image; while for other controls AutoSize applies to the caption. Settings for TextBox: (i) if the TextBox is single-line, AutoSize resizes width of TextBox to the length of the text; (ii) if the TextBox is MultiLine with no text, AutoSize resizes width to display single letter (of widest width of that font size) and resizes height to display the entire text; and (iii) if the TextBox is MultiLine with text present, AutoSize does not change the width of the TextBox and resizes height to display the entire text.

AutoSize property is applicable to the controls Label, TextBox, ComboBox, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, CommandButton, Image and RefEdit.

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BackColor Property:

Sets the background color for UserForm and controls. The BackStyle property (in re of controls) should be set to fmBackStyleOpaque for the BackColor to have any effect.

BackColor Property applies to all controls (for MultiPage the property can be set only with vba code) and UserForm.

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BackStyle Property:

Determines whether the background of Controls will be Opaque or Transparent. Sets the background style for an object. It has two settings: (i) fmBackStyleTransparent (value 0) for transparent background, wherein everything behind the control on a form is visible; (ii) fmBackStyleOpaque (value 1) for opaque background, wherein nothing is visible behind the control on a form, and this is also the default. The BackStyle property (for controls) should be set to fmBackStyleOpaque for the BackColor to have any effect.

BackStyle is applicable to the controls Label, TextBox, ComboBox, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, CommandButton, Image and RefEdit.

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BorderColor Property:

Sets the border color for UserForm and Controls. Unless the BorderStyle Property sets a border (ie. it should be a non-zero value, which means other than fmBorderStyleNone), this property will have no effect. BorderStyle defines the border colors using the BorderColor Property while the SpecialEffect property exclusively uses system colors (which are part of the Control Panel for Windows OS) to define its border colors.

BorderColor is applicable to UserForm and the controls Label, TextBox, ComboBox, ListBox, Frame, Image and RefEdit.

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BorderStyle Property:

Specifies the type of border for an object (control or a form). It has two settings: (i) fmBorderStyleNone (value 0) for no border; (ii) fmBorderStyleSingle (value 1) for a single-line border. UserForm, Label, TextBox, ComboBox, ListBox and Frame have the default value of 0 whereas the default value for an Image is 1. BorderStyle defines its border colors using the BorderColor Property. Note: You cannot simultaneously use both the BorderStyle and SpecialEffect properties to specify the border for a control — specifying a non-zero property for either one will automatically set the other property to zero. And, if the SpecialEffect property for a Frame is set to zero (ie. Flat), the BorderStyle property is ignored.

BorderStyle is applicable to UserForm and the controls Label, TextBox, ComboBox, ListBox, Frame, Image and RefEdit.

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ControlSource Property:

Mentions a cell or field (viz. worksheet range in Excel) which is used to set or store the Value property of a control. Changing the value of the control will automatically update the linked cell and a change in the linked cell will update the value of the control. Where A1 is entered in a ControlSource property of a CheckBox, and if cell A1 in ActiveSheet contains TRUE, the CheckBox will appear selected on activating the form and if you deselect the CheckBox, cell A1 will change to FALSE. In a ListBox where the ControlSource mentions Sheet3!D2, the value in the BoundColumn of the selected row will get stored in cell D2, Sheet3. In a TextBox where the ControlSource mentions Sheet3!F2, the text or value in the TextBox will get stored in the worksheet cell Sheet3!F2 and if the cell Sheet3!F2 contains any text, this will appear in the TextBox on activation of UserForm. The default value is an empty string which indicates that no ControlSource Property has been set. Note: To set ControlSource property in Properties window, enter without inverted commas: =Sheet3!F2, and to set with vba code: .ControlSource = «=Sheet3!F2» or .ControlSource = «Sheet3!F2».

ControlSource property is applicable to the controls TextBox, ComboBox, ListBox, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, ScrollBar and SpinButton.

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ControlTipText Property:

Specifies the text displayed when the user holds the mouse over a control. It is useful in giving tips or clarifications to the user on using the control. The default value is an empty string which indicates that no text will be displayed.

ControlTipText Property is applicable to all controls.

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Enabled Property:

A Boolean value (True/False) which specifies whether the control can be accessed through a vba code and can respond to user-generated events (ie. the user can interact with the control by using mouse, keystrokes, accelerators, or hotkeys). Default value is True, which indicates that the control can be accessed whereas a False value indicates that the user cannot interact with the control. The control is usually accessible through a code even in the case the value is set to False. If Enabled is set to False, the control appears dimmed (except for Image). If Enabled is set to False for a UserForm or a Frame, all controls they contain also get disabled. Enabled Property of a TextBox is particularly useful where you do not want to allow the user to type directly into the TextBox but should be filled only per the user-selected option, say from a ListBox.

Enabled Property applies to all controls and UserForm.

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Locked Property:

A Boolean value (True/False) which specifies whether the control is editable or not. True value indicates uneditable, while the default value is False wherein the control can be edited.

Locked property is applicable to the controls TextBox, ComboBox, ListBox, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, CommandButton and RefEdit.

Using the Enabled and Locked Properties in conjunction:

1. Enabled is True and Locked is False: the control responds to user-generated events and appears normally; data can be copied and edited in the control.

2. Enabled is True and Locked is True: the control responds to user-generated events and appears normally; data can be copied but not edited in the control.

3. Enabled is False (irrespective of Locked value): the control cannot respond to user-generated events and also appears dimmed; data can neither be copied nor edited in the control.

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Font Object:

Determines the type of font used in a control or form. You can specify the font name, set the font style (Regular, Italic, Bold, …), underline or strikeout text, and adjust the font size. For the controls TextBox, ComboBox and ListBox, the font of displayed text is set, while for other controls the caption font is set. Note: Setting Font of a UserForm will automatically set the Font of all controls if entered post the UserForm setting but will not change the Font of these controls if they were already present for which you will need to reset Font of each individual control separately. Font property for a MultiPage control can be used only with vba code.

Font applies to UserForm and all controls except ScrollBar, SpinButton and Image.

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ForeColor Property:

Specifies the foreground color ie. color of displayed text. In respect of Font controls, ForeColor determines the text color; in a Frame, ForeColor determines its caption color; in a ScrollBar or SpinButton, ForeColor determines the color of the arrows. Note: Setting ForeColor of a UserForm will automatically set the ForeColor of controls Label, CheckBox, OptionButton, Frame, MultiPage and TabStrip if entered post the UserForm setting and but will not change the ForeColor of these controls if they were already present for which you will need to reset ForeColor of each individual control separately. ForeColor property for a MultiPage control can be used only with vba code.

ForeColor Property applies to UserForm and all controls except Image.

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MouseIcon Property:

Assigns an image to a control which gets displayed when the user moves the mouse across that control. Image is assigned by specifying the path and filename of the file it is in. To use the MouseIcon property it is required that the MousePointer property is set to fmMousePointerCustom (value 99).

MouseIcon property is applicable to UserForm and all controls, except MultiPage.

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MousePointer Property:

Specifies what type of mouse pointer will be visible when the user moves the mouse over a control. There are 15 settings: (i) fmMousePointerDefault (value 0) — standard pointer, and default value; (ii) fmMousePointerArrow (value 1) — arrow; (iii) fmMousePointerCross (value 2) — Cross-hair pointer; (iv) fmMousePointerIBeam (value 3) — I-Beam; (v) fmMousePointerSizeNESW (value 6) — two-headed arrow pointing northeast and southwest; (vi) fmMousePointerSizeNS (value 7) — two-headed arrow pointing north and south; (vii) fmMousePointerSizeNWSE (value — two-headed arrow pointing northwest and southeast; (viii) fmMousePointerSizeWE (value 9) — two-headed arrow pointing west and east; (ix) fmMousePointerUpArrow (value 10) — up arrow; (x) fmMousePointerHourglass (value 11) — hourglass; (xi) fmMousePointerNoDrop (value 12) — circle with a diagonal line, appearing as a «Not» symbol indicating an invalid control; (xii) fmMousePointerAppStarting (value 13) — arrow and hourglass; (xiii) fmMousePointerHelp (value 14) — arrow and question mark; (xiv) fmMousePointerSizeAll (value 15) — four-headed arrow, pointing north, south, east, and west; and (xv) fmMousePointerCustom (value 99) — image specified by the MouseIcon property.

MousePointer property is applicable to UserForm and all controls, except MultiPage.

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Picture Property:

Specifies the picture to be displayed on a control. Picture is assigned by specifying the path and filename of the file it is in. To remove the picture, press DELETE on the value of the property (pressing BACKSPACE will not remove). For controls with captions, you can specify the location of the picture by using the PicturePosition property. For other controls and UserForm, use PictureAlignment Property to specify the location (identifies the control corner to display or at the center) of the picture and use PictureSizeMode Property to specify how (size, scale, strech or enlarge mode) to display the picture.

Picture property is applicable to UserForm and the controls Label, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, Frame, CommandButton, MultiPage and Image.

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PicturePosition Property:

Specifies where the picture appears in the control vis-a-vis its caption. The alignment of the picture with its caption is determined by this property. There are 13 settings in a format where the string fmPicturePosition is followed by the location of the picture relative to its caption and next is the alignment of the caption relative to the picture, viz. fmPicturePositionLeftTop — the picture appears to the left of the caption and the caption is aligned with the top of the picture; and so on. The last setting is fmPicturePositionCenter — both the picture and caption are centered in the control and the caption is on top of the picture. Default is fmPicturePositionAboveCenter (value 7) — the picture appears above the caption and the caption is centered below the picture. In the absence of a caption, the picture’s location is relative to the center of the control. If no picture is specified to be displayed, the PicturePosition property will have no effect.

PicturePosition property is applicable to the controls Label, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton and CommandButton.

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SpecialEffect Property:

Determines how the control visually appears. For a CheckBox, OptionButton, or ToggleButton, the two settings are: (i) fmButtonEffectFlat (value 0); and (ii) fmButtonEffectSunken (value 2) — Default for CheckBox and OptionButton. For other applicable controls the five settings are: (i) fmSpecialEffectFlat (value 0) — Default for UserForm and the controls Image and Label; (ii) fmSpecialEffectRaised (value 1); (iii) fmSpecialEffectSunken (value 2) — Default for controls TextBox, ComboBox and ListBox; (iv) fmSpecialEffectEtched (value 3) — Default for Frame; and (v) fmSpecialEffectBump (value 6). The visual appearance of each setting is self-explanatory viz. visual effect can be Flat, Raised, Sunken, Etched and Bump. Note 1: Though ToggleButton has SpecialEffect as one of its properties, it is disabled and SpecialEffect cannot be specified for the ToggleButton. Note 2: You cannot simultaneously use both the BorderStyle and SpecialEffect properties to specify the border for a control — specifying a non-zero property for either one will automatically set the other property to zero. And, if the SpecialEffect property for a Frame is set to zero (ie. Flat), the BorderStyle property is ignored. Note 3: SpecialEffect property exclusively uses system colors (which are part of the Control Panel for Windows OS) to define its border colors.

SpecialEffect property is applicable to UserForm and the controls Label, TextBox, ComboBox, ListBox, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, Frame, Image and RefEdit.

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TabIndex Property:

TabIndex is the position of the control in a UserForm’s tab order (when the user presses the Tab key). The Index value is expressed as an Integer, with 0 being the first position in the tab order and the highest possible Index value will be one less than the number of controls in the form, to which the TabIndex property is applicable. Entering an Index value less than zero will give an error, a value greater than the highest possible will reset it to the highest value, and each control will have a unique Index value. TabIndex property for a MultiPage control can be used only with vba code.

TabIndex is applicable to all controls except Image.

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TabStop Property:

A Boolean value (True/False) which specifies whether the control can be selected with the tab key. The True value is the default, and sets the control as a tab stop. The False value ignores the control during user tabs but its position in the tab order (as specified in the TabIndex property) remains intact. TabStop property for a MultiPage control can be used only with vba code.

TabStop is applicable to all controls except Label and Image.

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Visible Property:

A Boolean value (True/False) which is set to make a control visible or hidden. Default value is True, wherein control is visible. This property is particularly useful wherein on satisfaction of a condition you can activate a hidden control which otherwise you might not want to appear in the UserForm viz. show or hide a message dependent on total marks received in a test.

Visible Property applies to all controls.

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WordWrap Property:

A Boolean value (True/False) which specifies whether the text of a control will wrap to the next line. Default value is True, wherein the text wraps. If MultiLine property of a control is set to False, WordWrap is ignored (in controls which support both these properties viz. TextBox).

WordWrap property is applicable to the controls Label, TextBox, CheckBox, OptionButton, ToggleButton, CommandButton and RefEdit.

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Specifying Color in Properties Window

To enter or change color, in the property’s right column (in Properties Window) click the «Palette» tab and select a new color, or select a predefined color from the «System» tab. It can also be entered as a Long Integer which represents a valid color (this is the decimal format). Alternatively, the color can be entered in hexadecimal notation. The Properties Window displays values in Hexadecimal format, even if the color is entered in decimal format.

Long Integer as Color: Excel color can be represented as a Long Integer, the integer value being derived from the vba RGB function viz. «RGB(Red, Green, Blue)». In the RGB function, the value of each color component of Red, Green & Blue is in the range of 0 to 255. A Long Integer can be derived from the RGB function as shown below:

Hexadecimal notation for Color:

In hexadecimal format numbers are expressed in base-16 notation. There are 16 hexadecimal digits. The first 10 are the same as decimal digits viz. 0 to 9, and then the six letters A to F in place of decimals 10 to 15. Hence, 16 different values can be represented by a single hexadecimal digit whereas these would be 10 for a decimal digit, making it more compact because values can be represented in fewer digits. Colors are derived from 3 color components of Red, Green & Blue and each component can take a value from 0 to 255 and the corresponding hexadecimal representation is from 00 to FF. FF is the largest hex number, equating to the decimal value of 255. In hexadecimal, color is represented by six characters. In web and HTML programming, hex notation is in the format of RRGGBB (coded as #RRGGBB viz. RRGGBB prefixed with #), wherein the first two characters represent Red, the next two represent Green and the last two represent Blue viz. RRGGBB. The red color represented by RGB function of RGB(255,0,0) equates to integer value of 255 and to hexadecimal notation of FF for the red color and 00 for green and 00 for blue ie. «FF0000». New colors can be derived by mixing the basic 3 color values viz. get yellow from mixing red and green (255,255,0) which equates to integer value 65535 and to hexadecimal notation of «FFFF00». Get Magenta color by mixing red and blue (255,0,255) which equates to integer value 16711935 and to hexadecimal notation «FF00FF». Color tone can be changed wherein «FF77FF» (increasing intensity of green) will be a lighter magenta and «FF00FF» (decreasing intensity of green) will be a darker shade of magenta.

The VBA Hex function «Hex(number)» returns a string representing the hexadecimal value of a number. Hex function converts a decimal format to a hex notation. Converting a number to hex format with the Hex function viz. Hex(255), will return «FF», representing the color Red. It should be prefixed with &H and then («&HFF») entered in the Properties Window (right column), wherein it will appear as «&H000000FF&». Hex notation is always prefixed with &H, which indicates it is being used. The trailing ampersand (&) tells vba it’s a Long value/data type (4 byte) and not a 2-byte Integer data type, and has nothing to do with hexadecimal notation. Note: Instead of the RRGGBB notation (used in web and HTML programming) VBA uses BBGGRR notation, or &H00BBGGRR&. The Hex function also returns in BBGGRR notation. This explains why the color red appears as &H000000FF& in the Properties window whereas its html hexadecimal notation is FF0000 viz. RGB(255,0,0) using the RGB function. Using another example for color blue represented by RGB(0,0,255): this equates to integer value of 16711680 (=0*1+0*256+255*65536), and using the Hex function, Hex(16711680) returns FF0000 whereas the web/html hexadecimal notation of color blue RGB(0,0,255) is 0000FF. The hex notation displayed in the Properties Window (VB editor) is in BBGGRR format: &H00FF0000&.

Four ways to specify color in Properties Window — (i) in the property’s right column (in Properties Window) click the «Palette» tab and select a new color; (ii) select a predefined color from the «System» tab; (iii) enter a Long Integer which represents a valid color; or (iv) enter the hexadecimal notation in BBGGRR format preceded by &H. The hex notation displayed will be in BBGGRR format, viz. &H00FFFF0A& for aqua (variation of aqua) color.

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Applicability of Properties to UserForm and its Controls — A SnapShot:

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Get [#]номерФайла, [номерЗаписи], имяПеременной
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номерФайла Обязательный. Любой допустимый номер файла.
номерЗаписи Необязательный. Тип Variant (Long). Номер записи (для файлов в режиме Random) или номер байта (для файлов в режиме Binary), с которого следует начать чтение.
имяПеременной Обязательный. Допустимое имя переменной, в которую следует поместить считанные данные.
Дополнительные сведения

Данные, считываемые с помощью инструкции Get, обычно записываются в файл с помощью инструкции Put.
Первой записи (или байту) файла соответствует номер 1, второй (или второму) 2 и т.п. Если аргумент номерЗаписи опущен, читается запись (или байт), на которую был установлен указатель после выполнения последней инструкции Get или Put (или переведен при последнем вызове функции Seek). Наличие запятых-разделителей является обязательным, например:

Get #4,,FileBuffer

Для файлов, открытых в режиме Random, применимы следующие правила:

· Даже если длина данных, подлежащих чтению, меньше длины записи, указанной в предложении Len инструкции Open, инструкция Get начинает чтение каждой следующей записи с начала этой записи. Пространство между концом одной записи и началом следующей записи заполняется текущим содержимым буфера файла. Поскольку объем данных, используемых для заполнения, не может быть определен с достаточной степенью уверенности, рекомендуется, чтобы длина записи совпадала с длиной читаемых данных.

· Если данные считываются в строку переменной длины, инструкция Get сначала считывает 2-байтовый дескриптор, содержащий длину строки, а затем данные, которые следует поместить в эту переменную. Таким образом, длина записи, указанная в предложении Len инструкции Open, должна быть по крайней мере на 2 байта больше, чем фактическая длина этой строки.
· Если данные считываются в переменную Variant числового типа, инструкция Get сначала считывает 2 байта, указывающие подтип (VarType) этой переменной, а затем данные, которые следует поместить в эту переменную. Например, при чтении переменной Variant подтипа VarType 3 инструкция Get считывает 6 байт: 2 байта, указывающие подтип переменной Variant как VarType 3 (Long), и 4 байта, содержащие значение типа Long. Длина записи, указанная в предложении Len инструкции Open, должна по крайней мере на 2 байта превышать фактический размер, необходимый для размещения этой переменной.

Примечание. С помощью инструкции Get можно считать массив типа Variant с диска, однако нельзя прочитать скаляр типа Variant, содержащий массив. Кроме того, инструкцию Get нельзя использовать для чтения объектов с диска.

· Если данные считываются в переменную типа Variant подтипа VarType 8 (String), инструкция Get сначала считывает 2 байта, указывающие VarType, потом 2 байта, указывающие длину строки, а затем содержимое строки. Длина записи, указанная в предложении Len инструкции Open, должна быть по крайней мере на 4 байта больше, чем фактическая длина этой строки.
· Если данные считываются в динамический массив, инструкция Get сначала считывает дескриптор, длина которого равняется (2 + 8 * числоРазмерностей) байт. Длина записи, указанная в предложении Len инструкции Open , должна быть больше либо равна сумме всех байтов, необходимых для размещения массива данных и дескриптора массива. Например, для размещения описанного ниже массива требуется 118 байт

Dim MyArray(1 To 5,1 To 10) As Integer

118 байт распределяются следующим образом: 18 для дескриптора (2 + 8 * 2) и 100 байт для данных (5 * 10 * 2).

· Если данные считываются в массив фиксированного размера, инструкция Get считывает только данные. Дескриптор не считывается.
· Если данные считываются в переменную любого другого типа (кроме строки переменной длины и переменной типа Variant), инструкция Get считывает только данные. Длина записи, указанная в предложении Len инструкции Open, должна быть больше либо равна длине данных, подлежащих считыванию.
· Инструкция Get считывает элементы определяемых пользователем типов так, будто это отдельные переменные, за исключением того, что пространство между элементами не заполняется текущим содержимым буфера файла. На диске динамический массив типа, определенного пользователем (записанный с помощью инструкции Put) предваряется дескриптором, длина которого равняется (2 + 8 * числоРазмерностей) байт. Длина записи, указанная в предложении Len инструкции Open, должна быть больше либо равна сумме всех байтов, необходимых для размещения отдельных элементов, в том числе, массивов и их дескрипторов.

Для файлов, открытых в режиме Binary, применимы все перечисленные выше правила, за исключением следующих:

· Предложение Len инструкции Open игнорируется. Инструкция Get считывает все переменные с диска непрерывно, т.е. без заполнения пространства между записями текущим содержимым буфера файла.
· При чтении любых массивов, кроме являющихся элементами типов, определяемых пользователем, инструкция Get считывает только данные. Дескриптор не считывается.
· При считывании строк переменной длины, не являющихся элементами типов, определяемых пользователем, 2-байтовый дескриптор не считывается. Число считываемых байт равняется числу символов, уже содержащихся в строке. Например, следующие инструкции считают 10 байт из файла, которому соответствует номер 1:

VarString = String(10,» «)
Get #1,,VarString

Описывает имя, аргументы и текст программы, составляющий тело процедуры Property, которая задает ссылку на объект.

[Public | Private] [Static] Property Set имя [(списокАргументов)]
	[инструкции]
	[Exit Property] 
	[инструкции]
End Property

Параметры
Optional
Необязательный. Указывает, что при вызове процедуры аргумент может задаваться или не задаваться.
Public
Необязательный. Указывает, что процедура Property Set доступна для всех других процедур во всех модулях. При использовании в личном модуле (модуле, который содержит инструкцию Option Private) такая процедура является недоступной вне проекта.
Private
Необязательный. Указывает, что процедура Property Set доступна для других процедур только того модуля, в котором она описана.
Static
Необязательный. Указывает, что локальные переменные процедуры Property Set сохраняются в промежутках времени между вызовами этой процедуры. Атрибут Static не действует на переменные, описанные вне процедуры Property Set, даже если они используются в этой процедуре.
имя
Обязательный. Имя процедуры Property Set, удовлетворяющее стандартным правилам именования переменных, за исключением того, что это имя может совпадать с именем процедуры Property Get или Property Let из этого же модуля.
списокАргументов
Обязательный. Список переменных, представляющий аргументы, которые передаются в процедуру Property Set при ее вызове. Несколько имен переменных разделяются запятыми. Последний аргумент представляет собой ссылку на объект, используемую с правой стороны присвоения.

• Optional — Необязательный. Указывает, что этот аргумент необязателен. При использовании этого элемента все последующие аргументы, которые содержит списокАргументов, также должны быть необязательными и быть описаны с помощью ключевого слова Optional. Отметим, что правая часть выражения Property Set не может иметь тип Optional.
• ByVal — Необязательный. Указывает, что этот аргумент передается по значению.
• ByRef — Необязательный. Указывает, что этот аргумент передается по ссылке. Описание ByRef используется в Visual Basic по умолчанию.
• имяПеременной — Обязательный. Имя переменной, удовлетворяющее стандартным правилам именования переменных.
• тип — Необязательный. Тип данных аргумента, передаваемого в процедуру; поддерживаются типы Byte, Boolean, Integer, Long, Currency, Single, Double, Decimal (в настоящее время не поддерживается), Date, String (только строки переменной длины), Object, Variant. Если отсутствует ключевое слово Optional, могут быть также указаны определяемый пользователем тип или объектный тип.
• поУмолчанию — Необязательный. Любая константа или выражение, дающее константу. Используется только вместе с параметром Optional. Если указан тип Object, единственным значением по умолчанию может быть значение Nothing.

инструкции

Необязательный. Любая группа инструкций, выполняемых внутри тела процедуры Property.

Каждая инструкция Property Set должна определять по крайней мере один аргумент определяемой процедуры. Этот аргумент (или последний аргумент, если имеется более одного аргумента) содержит реальную ссылку на объект, которая будет присвоена свойству при вызове процедуры, определенной с помощью инструкции Property Set. Не допускается описание этого аргумента с типом Optional.

Замечания
Процедуры Property, тип которых не указан явно с помощью слов Public или Private, являются общими по умолчанию. Если не используется слово Static, значения локальных переменных не сохраняются между вызовами процедур.
Все выполняемые команды должны находиться в процедурах. Не допускается определение процедуры Property Set внутри другой процедуры Property, Sub или Function.
Инструкция Exit Property вызывает немедленный выход из процедуры Property Set. Выполнение программы продолжается с инструкции, следующей за инструкцией вызова процедуры Property Set. В любом месте процедуры Property Set допускается любое число инструкций Exit Property.
Подобно процедурам Function и Property Get, процедура Property Set является самостоятельной процедурой, которая может получать аргументы, выполнять последовательность инструкций и изменять значения своих аргументов. Однако в отличие от процедур Function и Property Get, которые возвращают значения, процедуру Property Set можно использовать только в левой части присвоения ссылки на объект (в инструкции Set).

Пример
В данном примере инструкция Property Set используется для описания процедуры, которая задает ссылку на объект.

' Свойству Pen могут быть присвоены значения свойства Pen разных объектов.
Property Set Pen(P As Object)
	Set CurrentPen = P	' Присваивает свойство Pen объекту.
End Property

I have a class module, named Normal, in VBA with the following code:

Private mLine As LineElement

Public Property Get Line() As LineElement
    Line = mLine
End Property

Public Property Set Line(ByRef vLine As LineElement)
    mLine = vLine
End Property

This class is used by the following code:

Sub Run
    Dim Line As LineElement
    Set Line = New LineElement

    Dim Norm As Normal
    Set Norm = New Normal
    Set Norm.Line = Line 'FAILS here with "Object Variable or With Block Variable not set"'
End Sub

Also, if I change the code in the Normal class module to:

Private mLine As LineElement

Public Property Get Line() As LineElement
    Line = mLine
End Property

Public Sub SetLine(ByRef vLine As LineElement) 'changed from property to sub'
    mLine = vLine
End Property

and the failing line to

Norm.SetLine( Line )

I get an «Object does not support this property or method» error. What exactly am I doing wrong in both of these cases?