Использование метода Application.InputBox в VBA Excel, его синтаксис и параметры. Значения, возвращаемые диалогом Application.InputBox. Примеры использования.
Метод Application.InputBox предназначен в VBA Excel для вывода диалогового окна с более расширенными возможностями, чем диалоговое окно, отображаемое функцией InputBox. Главным преимуществом метода Application.InputBox является возможность автоматической записи в поле ввода диапазона ячеек (в том числе одной ячейки) путем его выделения на рабочем листе книги Excel и возвращения различных данных, связанных с ним, а также проверка соответствия возвращаемого значения заданному типу данных.
Синтаксис метода
Application.InputBox ( Prompt , Title , Default , Left , Top , HelpFile , HelpContextID , Type )
Обязательным параметром метода Application.InputBox является Prompt, если значения остальных параметров явно не указаны, используются их значения по умолчанию.
Обратите внимание на то, что
- оператор InputBox вызывает функцию InputBox, а
- оператор Application.InputBox вызывает метод InputBox.
Чтобы не было путаницы, метод InputBox пишут как метод Application.InputBox, в том числе и в справке разработчика.
Параметры метода
| Параметр | Описание | Значение по умолчанию |
|---|---|---|
| Prompt | Обязательный параметр. Выражение типа String, отображаемое в диалоговом окне в виде сообщения, приглашающего ввести данные в поле. Разделить на строки сообщение можно с помощью константы vbNewLine. | Нет |
| Title | Необязательный параметр. Выражение типа Variant, отображаемое в заголовке диалогового окна. | Слово «Ввод» |
| Default | Необязательный параметр. Выражение типа Variant, отображаемое в поле ввода при открытии диалога. | Пустая строка |
| Left | Необязательный параметр. Выражение типа Variant, определяющее в пунктах расстояние от левого края экрана до левого края диалогового окна (координата X).* | Горизонтальное выравнивание по центру** |
| Top | Необязательный параметр. Выражение типа Variant, определяющее в пунктах расстояние от верхнего края экрана до верхнего края диалогового окна (координата Y).* | Приблизительно равно 1/3 высоты экрана*** |
| HelpFile | Необязательный параметр. Выражение типа Variant, указывающее имя файла справки для этого поля ввода. | Нет**** |
| HelpContextID | Необязательный параметр. Выражение типа Variant, указывающее идентификатор контекста в справочном разделе файла справки. | Нет**** |
| Type | Необязательный параметр. Выражение типа Variant, указывающее тип возвращаемых данных. | 2 (текст) |
* Параметры Left и Top учитываются при отображении диалогового окна методом Application.InputBox в Excel 2003, а в последующих версиях Excel 2007-2016 уже не работают.
**При первом запуске горизонтальное выравнивание устанавливается по центру, при последующих — форма отобразиться в том месте, где ее последний раз закрыли.
***При первом запуске вертикальное расположение приблизительно равно 1/3 высоты экрана, при последующих — форма отобразиться в том месте, где ее последний раз закрыли.
**** Если будут указаны параметры HelpFile и HelpContextID, в диалоговом окне появится кнопка справки.
Возвращаемые значения
Диалоговое окно, созданное методом Application.InputBox, возвращает значение типа Variant и проверяет соответствие возвращаемого значения типу данных, заданному параметром Type. Напомню, что тип значений Variant является универсальным контейнером для значений других типов, а в нашем случае для возвращаемых в зависимости от значения параметра Type.
Аргументы параметра Type и соответствующие им типы возвращаемых значений:
| Type | Возвращаемое значение |
|---|---|
| 0 | Формула |
| 1 | Число |
| 2 | Текст (string) |
| 4 | Логическое значение (True или False) |
| 8 | Ссылки на ячейки в виде объекта Range |
| 16 | Значение ошибки (например, #н/д) |
| 64 | Массив значений |
Примеры
В отличие от других встроенных диалоговых окон VBA Excel, Application.InputBox при запуске процедуры непосредственно из редактора, открывается прямо в редакторе, и, чтобы выбрать диапазон ячеек на рабочем листе, нужно по вкладке браузера перейти в книгу Excel. Поэтому для тестирования диалога Application.InputBox удобнее создать кнопку, перетащив ее на вкладке «Разработчик» из «Элементов управления формы» (не из «Элементов ActiveX») и в окошке «Назначить макрос объекту» выбрать имя тестируемой процедуры. Чтобы можно было выбрать процедуру сразу при создании кнопки, она должна быть уже вставлена в стандартный программный модуль. Можно назначить процедуру кнопке позже, кликнув по ней правой кнопкой мыши и выбрав в контекстном меню «Назначить макрос…».
Пример 1 — параметры по умолчанию
Тестируем метод Application.InputBox с необязательными параметрами по умолчанию. Аргумент параметра Type по умолчанию равен 2.
|
Sub Test1() Dim a As Variant a = Application.InputBox(«Выберите ячейку:») MsgBox a End Sub |
Скопируйте код и вставьте в стандартный модуль, для удобства создайте на рабочем листе кнопку из панели «Элементы управления формы» и назначьте ей макрос «Test1». На рабочем листе заполните некоторые ячейки разными данными, нажимайте кнопку, выбирайте ячейки и смотрите возвращаемые значения.
Клик по кнопке «OK» диалога Application.InputBox в этом примере возвращает содержимое выбранной ячейки (или левой верхней ячейки выбранного диапазона), преобразованное в текстовый формат. У дат в текстовый формат преобразуется их числовое представление.
Клик по кнопке «Отмена» или по закрывающему крестику возвращает строку «False».
Пример 2 — возвращение объекта Range
В этом примере тестируем метод Application.InputBox с обязательным параметром Prompt, разделенным на две строки, параметром Title и значением параметра Type равным 8. Так как в данном случае диалог в качестве значения возвращает объект Range, он присваивается переменной с помощью оператора Set. Для этого примера создайте новую кнопку из панели «Элементы управления формы» и назначьте ей макрос «Test2».
|
Sub Test2() Dim a As Variant Set a = Application.InputBox(«Пожалуйста,» _ & vbNewLine & «выберите диапазон:», _ «Наш диалог», , , , , , 8) MsgBox a.Cells(1) MsgBox a.Address End Sub |
В первом информационном окне MsgBox выводится значение первой ячейки выбранного диапазона, во втором — адрес диапазона.
Напомню, что обращаться к ячейке в переменной диапазона «a» можно не только по порядковому номеру (индексу) самой ячейки, но и по индексу строки и столбца, на пересечении которых она находится. Например, оба выражения
указывают на первую ячейку диапазона. А в объектной переменной «a» с присвоенным диапазоном размерностью 3х3 оба выражения
указывают на центральную ячейку диапазона.
При использовании метода Application.InputBox происходит проверка введенных данных: попробуйте понажимать кнопку «OK» с пустым полем ввода и с любым введенным текстом (кроме абсолютного адреса). Реакция в этих случаях разная, но понятная.
Есть и отрицательные моменты: при использовании в диалоге Application.InputBox параметра Type со значением равным 8, нажатие кнопок «Отмена» и закрывающего крестика вызывают ошибку Type mismatch (Несоответствие типов). Попробуйте нажать кнопку «Отмена» или закрыть форму диалога.
Решить эту проблему можно, добавив обработчик ошибок. Скопируйте в стандартный модуль код следующей процедуры, создайте еще одну кнопку и назначьте ей макрос «Test3».
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Sub Test3() Dim a As Variant ‘При возникновении ошибки ‘перейти к метке «Inform» On Error GoTo Inform Set a = Application.InputBox(«Пожалуйста,» _ & vbNewLine & «Выберите диапазон:», _ «Наш диалог», , , , , , 8) MsgBox a.Cells(1) MsgBox a.Address ‘Выйти из процедуры, ‘если не произошла ошибка Exit Sub ‘Метка Inform: ‘Вывести информационное окно с ‘сообщением об ошибке MsgBox «Диалог закрыт или нажата кнопка « _ & Chr(34) & «Отмена» & Chr(34) & «!» End Sub |
Попробуйте теперь нажать кнопку «Отмена» или закрыть форму диалога крестиком.
Пример 3 — возвращение массива
Скопируйте в стандартный модуль код процедуры ниже, создайте четвертую кнопку и назначьте ей макрос «Test4». В этой процедуре указан только аргумент параметра Type равным 64, остальные необязательные параметры оставлены по умолчанию.
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Sub Test4() Dim a As Variant a = Application.InputBox(«Выберите диапазон:», , , , , , , 64) MsgBox a(3, 3) End Sub |
Откройте диалоговую форму, нажав четвертую кнопку, и выберите диапазон размерностью не менее 3х3. Нажмите «OK»: информационное сообщение выведет значение соответствующего элемента массива «a», в нашем случае — «a(3, 3)». Если вы выберите диапазон по одному из измерений меньше 3, тогда строка «MsgBox a(3, 3)» вызовет ошибку, так как указанный элемент выходит за границы массива. Эта же строка по этой же причине вызовет ошибку при нажатии кнопки «Отмена» и при закрытии диалога крестиком. Если закомментировать строку «MsgBox a(3, 3)», то закрываться диалог будет без ошибок и при нажатии кнопки «Отмена», и при закрытии диалога крестиком.
Чтобы не попасть за границу массива используйте функцию UBound для определения наибольшего доступного индекса по каждому из двух измерений, например, вот так:
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Sub Test5() Dim a As Variant a = Application.InputBox(«Выберите диапазон:», , , , , , , 64) MsgBox «Максимальный индекс 1 измерения = « & UBound(a, 1) & _ vbNewLine & «Максимальный индекс 2 измерения = « & UBound(a, 2) End Sub |
только присваивайте значения выражений «UBound(a, 1)» и «UBound(a, 2)» числовым переменным. А этот код используйте для ознакомления с работой функции UBound и ее тестирования.
В этой процедуре ошибка выдается при выборе одной ячейки или диапазона в одной строке, очевидно, Excel воспринимает его как одномерный массив. Хотя при выборе диапазона в одном столбце, по крайней мере в Excel 2016, все проходит гладко и вторая строка информационного сообщения отображается как «Максимальный индекс 2 измерения = 1».
Ошибка выдается и при нажатии кнопки «Отмена», и при закрытии диалога крестиком, так как переменная «а» в этом случае еще не является массивом, а мы пытаемся использовать ее как аргумент для функции массива, что и вызывает ошибку.
Пример 4 — возвращение формулы
Возвращение формулы рассмотрим на следующем примере:
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Sub Test6() Dim a As Variant a = Application.InputBox(«Создайте формулу:», , , , , , , 0) Cells(1, 1) = a End Sub |
На активном листе Excel заполните некоторые ячейки числами и запустите процедуру на выполнение. После отображения диалога Application.InputBox выбирайте по одной ячейке с числами, вставляя между ними математические операторы. После нажатия на кнопку «OK» формула запишется в первую ячейку активного рабочего листа «Cells(1, 1)» (в текст формулы ее не выбирайте, чтобы не возникла циклическая ссылка). При нажатии на кнопку «Отмена» и при закрытии диалога крестиком в эту ячейку запишется слово «Ложь».
Можно записывать не только математические формулы, но и объединять содержимое ячеек с помощью оператора «&» и многое другое. Только не понятно, для чего это вообще нужно, как, впрочем, и возврат логических, числовых значений и значений ошибки. Вы можете протестировать их возврат с помощью процедуры «Test6», заменив в ней параметр Type метода Application.InputBox соответствующим для возвращения логических, числовых значений и значений ошибки.
In this VBA Tutorial, you learn how to create input boxes with both the InputBox function and the Application.InputBox method. This includes:
- How to create an InputBox.
- How to create an InputBox with multiple lines.
- How to create an InputBox that works with a specific type of data.
- How to handle the cases where the user clicks the Cancel button of the InputBox.
This VBA InputBox Tutorial is accompanied by an Excel workbook containing the macros I use in the examples below. You can get immediate access to this example workbook by clicking the button below.
Related VBA and Macro Tutorials
The following VBA and Macro Tutorials may help you better understand and implement the contents below:
- General VBA constructs and structures:
- Read a Macro Tutorial for beginners here.
- Learn the definitions of several basic and important VBA terms here.
- Learn how to specify macro security settings here.
- Learn how to work with the Visual Basic Editor here.
- Learn about the Excel VBA Object Model here.
- Learn how to refer to cell ranges here.
- Learn how to create Sub procedures here.
- Learn how to work with object properties here.
- Learn how to work with object methods here.
- Learn how to declare and work with variables here.
- Learn how to work with data types here.
- Learn how to work with functions here.
- Learn how to work with loops here.
- Learn how to work with arrays here.
- Practical VBA applications and macro examples:
- Learn how to work with worksheets here.
- Learn how to convert strings to numbers here.
- Learn how to create message boxes here.
- Learn how to create UserForms here.
You can find additional VBA and Macro Tutorials in the Archives.
#1: Create InputBox with InputBox function
VBA code to create InputBox with InputBox function
To create a basic InputBox with the VBA InputBox function, use a statement with the following structure:
InputBoxVariable = InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString, Title:=TitleString, Default:=DefaultInputString)
Process to create InputBox with InputBox function
To create a basic InputBox with the VBA InputBox function, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the InputBox function (InputBox(…)).
- Assign the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (InputBoxVariable = InputBox(…)).
VBA statement explanation
Item: InputBoxVariable
InputBoxVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the InputBox function.
The InputBox function returns a String.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: InputBox(…)
The InputBox function:
- Displays an input box;
- Waits for the user to either (i) input text and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns a string with the contents of the text box in the input box (when the user clicks OK or presses Enter).
If you want to handle the cases where the user clicks on the Cancel button or presses Esc, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Item: Prompt:=PromptString
The Prompt argument of the InputBox function is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required argument.
You generally specify PromptString as a string expression.
The maximum length of PromptString is roughly 1024 characters. However, this maximum length may vary slightly depending on the width of the characters within PromptString.
PromptString can be composed of multiple lines. To create an input box with multiple lines, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Item: Title:=TitleString
The Title argument of the InputBox function is a string expression displayed as the title in the title bar of the input box.
Title is an optional argument. If you omit the Title argument, the title of the input box is “Microsoft Excel”.
You generally specify TitleString as a string expression.
Item: Default:=DefaultInputString
The Default argument of the InputBox function is a string expression displayed inside the text box of the input box. DefaultInputString is, therefore, the default response.
Default is an optional argument. If you omit the Default argument, the text box is empty.
Macro example to create InputBox with InputBox function
The following macro example:
- Creates a basic input box with the InputBox function.
- Assigns the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (myInputBoxVariable = inputBox(…)).
- Displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
Sub CreateInputBoxFunction()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'creates an input box with the InputBox function
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxVariable As String
'(1) create InputBox, and (2) assign value returned by InputBox function to variable
myInputBoxVariable = inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox", Title:="This is an Excel VBA InputBox", Default:="Enter VBA InputBox value here")
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxVariable
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox with InputBox function
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected, Excel displays a basic input box using the InputBox function.
#2: Create InputBox with Application.InputBox method
VBA code to create InputBox with Application.InputBox method
To create a basic InputBox with the VBA Application.InputBox method, use a statement with the following structure:
InputBoxVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString, Title:=TitleString, Default:=DefaultInput)
Process to create InputBox with Application.InputBox method
To create a basic InputBox with the VBA Application.InputBox method, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the Application.InputBox method (Application.InputBox(…)).
- Assign the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (InputBoxVariable = Application.InputBox(…)).
VBA statement explanation
Item: InputBoxVariable
InputBoxVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the Application.InputBox method.
The Application.InputBox method returns a Variant.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: Application.InputBox(…)
The Application.InputBox method:
- Displays an input box’
- Waits for the user to either (i) input information and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns the information entered in the dialog box (if the user clicks OK or presses Enter) or the False Boolean value (if the user clicks Cancel).
Item: Prompt:=PromptString
The Prompt parameter of the Application.InputBox method is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required parameter.
You generally specify PromptString as a string expression.
You can also specify PromptString as a number, a date or a Boolean. In such cases, Excel coerces the number, date or Boolean to a string.
PromptString can be composed of multiple lines. To create an input box with multiple lines, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Item: Title:=TitleString
The Title parameter of the Application.InputBox method is the title displayed in the title bar of the input box.
Title is an optional parameter. If you omit the Title parameter, the title of the input box is “Input”.
The Title parameter is of the Variant data type.
Item: Default:=DefaultInput
The Default parameter of the Application.InputBox method is the value displayed inside the text box of the input box. DefaultInput is, therefore, the default response.
Default is an optional parameter. If you omit the Default parameter, the text box is empty.
The Default parameter is of the Variant data type.
Macro example to create InputBox with Application.InputBox method
The following macro example:
- Creates a basic input box with the Application.InputBox method.
- Assigns the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (myInputBoxVariable = Application.inputBox(…)).
- Displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
Sub CreateInputBoxMethod()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'creates an input box with the Application.InputBox method
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxVariable As Variant
'(1) create InputBox, and (2) assign value returned by Application.InputBox method to variable
myInputBoxVariable = Application.inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox", Title:="This is an Excel VBA InputBox", Default:="Enter VBA InputBox value here")
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxVariable
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox with Application.InputBox method
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected, Excel displays a basic input box using the Application.InputBox method.
#3: Create InputBox with multiple lines using InputBox function
VBA code to create InputBox with multiple lines using InputBox function
To create an InputBox containing multiple lines with the VBA InputBox function, use a statement with the following structure:
InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = inputBox(Prompt:=PromptString1 & NewLineCharacter & PromptString2 & ... & NewLineCharacter & PromptString#)
Process to create InputBox with multiple lines using InputBox function
To create an InputBox containing multiple lines with the VBA InputBox function, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the InputBox function (InputBox(…)).
- Specify the message displayed in the message box (Prompt:=PromptString1 & NewLineCharacter & PromptString2 & … & NewLineCharacter & PromptString#) as an appropriately concatenated (with the & character) combination of:
- Strings (PromptString1, PromptString2, …, PromptString#); and
- Characters that create a new line or line break (NewLineCharacter).
- Assign the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = InputBox(…)).
VBA statement explanation
Item: InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable
InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the InputBox function.
The InputBox function returns a String.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: inputBox(…)
The InputBox function:
- Displays an input box;
- Waits for the user to either (i) input text and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns a string with the contents of the text box in the input box (when the user clicks OK or presses Enter).
If you want to handle the cases where the user clicks on the Cancel button or presses Esc, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Item: Prompt:=PromptString1 & NewLineCharacter & PromptString2 & … & NewLineCharacter & PromptString#
The Prompt argument of the InputBox function is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required argument.
You generally specify Prompt as a string expression.
The maximum length of Prompt is roughly 1024 characters. However, this maximum length may vary slightly depending on the width of the characters you work with.
To create an input box with multiple lines, you build the string expression assigned to Prompt by concatenating as many strings (PromptString1, PromptString2, …, PromptString#) and new line characters (NewLineCharacter) as required. For these purposes:
- PromptString1, PromptString2, …, PromptString# are the strings (excluding the new line characters) that determine the message in the input box.
- The & operator carries out string concatenation. Therefore, & concatenates the different strings and new line characters.
- NewLineCharacter is a character or character combination returning 1 of the following:
- Carriage return.
- Linefeed.
- Carriage return linefeed combination.
- New line (which is platform specific).
Specify NewLineCharacter using any of the constants or character codes (with the Chr function) listed below:
| Constant | Equivalent Chr function | General description |
| vbLf | Chr(10) | Linefeed |
| vbCr | Chr(13) | Carriage return |
| vbCrLf | Chr(13) & Chr(10) | Carriage return linefeed combination |
| vbNewLine | Chr(13) & Chr(10) in Excel for Windows or Chr(13) in Excel for Mac | New line character, which is platform specific |
Macro example to create InputBox with multiple lines using InputBox function
The following macro example:
- Creates an input box containing multiple lines (Create Excel VBA InputBox” & vbNewLine & “with multiple lines) with the InputBox function.
- Assigns the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = inputBox(…)).
- Displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
Sub CreateInputBoxFunctionMultipleLines()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'creates an input box with multiple lines using the InputBox function
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable As String
'(1) create InputBox with multiple lines, and (2) assign value returned by InputBox function to variable
myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox" & vbNewLine & "with multiple lines")
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox with multiple lines using InputBox function
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected, Excel displays an input box containing multiple lines using the InputBox function.
#4: Create InputBox with multiple lines using Application.InputBox method
VBA code to create InputBox with multiple lines using Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox containing multiple lines with the VBA Application.InputBox method, use a statement with the following structure:
InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString1 & NewLineCharacter & PromptString2 & ... & NewLineCharacter & PromptString#)
Process to create InputBox with multiple lines using Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox containing multiple lines with the VBA Application.InputBox method, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the Application.InputBox method (Application.InputBox(…)).
- Specify the message displayed in the message box (Prompt:=PromptString1 & NewLineCharacter & PromptString2 & … & NewLineCharacter & PromptString#) as an appropriately concatenated (with the & character) combination of:
- Strings (PromptString1, PromptString2, …, PromptString#); and
- Characters that create a new line or line break (NewLineCharacter).
- Assign the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = Application.InputBox(…)).
VBA statement explanation
Item: InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable
InputBoxMultipleLinesVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the Application.InputBox method.
The Application.InputBox method returns a Variant.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: Application.InputBox(…)
The Application.InputBox method:
- Displays an input box’
- Waits for the user to either (i) input information and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns the information entered in the dialog box (if the user clicks OK or presses Enter) or the False Boolean value (if the user clicks Cancel).
Item: Prompt:=PromptString1 & NewLineCharacter & PromptString2 & … & NewLineCharacter & PromptString#
The Prompt parameter of the Application.InputBox method is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required parameter.
You generally specify Prompt as a string expression. You can also specify Prompt as a number, a date or a Boolean. In such cases, Excel coerces the number, date or Boolean to a string.
To create an input box with multiple lines, you build the expression assigned to Prompt by concatenating as many strings (PromptString1, PromptString2, …, PromptString#) and new line characters (NewLineCharacter) as required. For these purposes:
- PromptString1, PromptString2, …, PromptString# are the strings (excluding the new line characters) that determine the message in the input box.
- The & operator carries out string concatenation. Therefore, & concatenates the different strings and new line characters.
- NewLineCharacter is a character or character combination returning 1 of the following:
- Carriage return.
- Linefeed.
- Carriage return linefeed combination.
- New line (which is platform specific).
Specify NewLineCharacter using any of the constants or character codes (with the Chr function) listed below:
| Constant | Equivalent Chr function | General description |
| vbLf | Chr(10) | Linefeed |
| vbCr | Chr(13) | Carriage return |
| vbCrLf | Chr(13) & Chr(10) | Carriage return linefeed combination |
| vbNewLine | Chr(13) & Chr(10) in Excel for Windows or Chr(13) in Excel for Mac | New line character, which is platform specific |
Macro example to create InputBox with multiple lines using Application.InputBox method
The following macro example:
- Creates an input box containing multiple lines (Create Excel VBA InputBox” & vbNewLine & “with multiple lines) with the Application.InputBox method.
- Assigns the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = Application.inputBox(…)).
- Displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
Sub CreateInputBoxMethodMultipleLines()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'creates an input box with multiple lines using the Application.InputBox method
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable As Variant
'(1) create InputBox with multiple lines, and (2) assign value returned by Application.InputBox method to variable
myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable = Application.inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox" & vbNewLine & "with multiple lines")
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxMultipleLinesVariable
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox with multiple lines using Application.InputBox method
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected, Excel displays an input box containing multiple lines using the Application.InputBox method.
#5: Create InputBox that works with a specific data type using InputBox function
VBA code to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using InputBox function
To create an InputBox that works with a specific data type with the VBA InputBox function, use a macro with the following statement structure:
InputBoxTypeVariable = InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString)
If IsFunction(InputBoxTypeVariable) Then
StatementsIfInputIsType
Else
StatementsIfInputIsNotType
End If
Process to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using InputBox function
To create an InputBox that works with a specific data type with the VBA InputBox function, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the InputBox function (InputBox(…)).
- Assign the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (InputBoxTypeVariable = InputBox(…)).
- Use an If… Then… Else statement for the following:
- Testing whether the type of data held by the variable is the one you want to work with (IsFunction(InputBoxTypeVariable)).
- Executing the appropriate group of statements depending on whether the type of data held by the variable is the one you want to work with (StatementsIfInputIsType) or not (StatementsIfInputIsNotType).
VBA statement explanation
Line #1: InputBoxTypeVariable = InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString)
Item: InputBoxTypeVariable
InputBoxTypeVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the InputBox function.
The InputBox function returns a String.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: InputBox(…)
The InputBox function:
- Displays an input box;
- Waits for the user to either (i) input text and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns a string with the contents of the text box in the input box (when the user clicks OK or presses Enter).
If you want to handle the cases where the user clicks on the Cancel button or presses Esc, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Item: Prompt:=PromptString
The Prompt argument of the InputBox function is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required argument.
You generally specify PromptString as a string expression.
The maximum length of PromptString is roughly 1024 characters. However, this maximum length may vary slightly depending on the width of the characters within PromptString.
PromptString can be composed of multiple lines. To create an input box with multiple lines, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Lines #2, #4 and #6: If IsFunction(InputBoxTypeVariable) Then | Else | End If
Item: If… Then… Else… End If
The If… Then… Else statement conditionally executes a group of statements (StatementsIfInputIsType or StatementsIfInputIsNotType) depending on the value of an expression (Isfunction(InputBoxTypeVariable)).
Item: IsFunction(InputBoxTypeVariable)
The condition of the If… Then… Else statement is an expression returning True or False.
When you work with an input box and a specific data type using this macro structure, you can check the type of data held by InputBoxTypeVariable by working with certain VBA built-in functions (an IsFunction), as appropriate. These include the following functions:
| Function | Returns True if InputBoxTypeVariable… | Returns False if InputBoxTypeVariable… |
| IsDate | Is a date or recognizable as a valid date | Isn’t date or isn’t recognizable as a valid date |
| IsError | Is an error value | Isn’t an error value |
| IsNumeric | Can be evaluated/recognized as a number | Can’t be evaluated/recognized as a number |
Line #3: StatementsIfInputIsType
Statements executed if the tested condition (IsFunction(InputBoxTypeVariable)) returns True. In other words, these statements are executed if the input entered by the user in the input box is of the appropriate type.
Line #5: StatementsIfInputIsNotType
Statements executed if the tested condition (IsFunction(InputBoxTypeVariable)) returns False. In other words, these statements are executed if the input entered by the user in the input box isn’t of the appropriate type.
Macro example to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using InputBox function
The following macro example:
- Creates an input box with the InputBox function.
- Assigns the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (myInputBoxTypeVariable = inputBox(…)).
- Checks whether the value held by the variable is numeric (IsNumeric(myInputBoxTypeVariable)).
- If the value is numeric, displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
- If the value isn’t numeric, displays a message box asking the user to try again and enter a number.
Sub CreateInputBoxFunctionDataType()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'creates an input box that works with a number using the InputBox function
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxTypeVariable As String
'(1) create InputBox that works with a number, and (2) assign value returned by InputBox function to variable
myInputBoxTypeVariable = inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox that works with a number")
'check if user entered a number and, if appropriate, execute statements
If IsNumeric(myInputBoxTypeVariable) Then
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxTypeVariable
'if user didn't enter a number, execute statements
Else
'display message box confirming that user didn't enter a number
MsgBox "Please try again and enter a number"
End If
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using InputBox function
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected:
- Excel identifies whether the input box created with the InputBox function contains a number; and
- Displays the appropriate message box.
#6: Create InputBox that works with a specific data type using Application.InputBox method
VBA code to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox that works with a specific data type with the VBA Application.InputBox method, use a statement with the following structure:
InputBoxTypeVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString, Type:=TypeValue)
Process to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox that works with a specific data type with the VBA Application.InputBox method, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the Application.InputBox method (Application.InputBox(…)).
- Specify the data type you want to work with by working with the Type parameter of the Application.InputBox method (Type:=TypeValue).
- Assign the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (InputBoxTypeVariable = Application.InputBox(…)).
VBA statement explanation
Item: InputBoxTypeVariable
InputBoxTypeVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the Application.InputBox method.
The Application.InputBox method returns a Variant.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: Application.InputBox(…)
The Application.InputBox method:
- Displays an input box’
- Waits for the user to either (i) input information and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns the information entered in the dialog box (if the user clicks OK or presses Enter) or the False Boolean value (if the user clicks Cancel).
Item: Prompt:=PromptString
The Prompt parameter of the Application.InputBox method is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required parameter.
You generally specify PromptString as a string expression.
You can also specify PromptString as a number, a date or a Boolean. In such cases, Excel coerces the number, date or Boolean to a string.
PromptString can be composed of multiple lines. To create an input box with multiple lines, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Item: Type:=TypeValue
The Type parameter of the Application.InputBox method specifies the data type returned.
Set the Type parameter using the values listed below. If required, you can set the Type parameter to be a sum of several of these values.
| Value | Basic description | Additional comments |
| 0 | Formula | Application.InputBox returns the formula in the form of text. Cell references inside the formula are returned as A1-style references. |
| 1 | Number | |
| 2 | Text | |
| 4 | Boolean | |
| 8 | Range object | Use the Set statement to assign the Range object returned by Application.InputBox to an object variable. |
| 16 | Error | |
| 64 | Array of values |
Type is an optional parameter. If you omit the Type parameter, the Application.InputBox method returns text.
Macro example to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using Application.InputBox method
The following macro example:
- Creates an input box that returns a number (Type:=1) with the Application.InputBox method.
- Assigns the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (myInputBoxTypeVariable = Application.inputBox(…)).
- Displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
Sub CreateInputBoxMethodDataType()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'creates an input box that works with a number using the Application.InputBox method
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxTypeVariable As Variant
'(1) create InputBox that works with a number, and (2) assign value returned by Application.InputBox method to variable
myInputBoxTypeVariable = Application.inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox that works with a number", Type:=1)
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxTypeVariable
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox that works with a specific data type using Application.InputBox method
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected:
- Excel identifies whether the input box created with the Application.InputBox method contains a number; and
- If the entered input isn’t a number, displays a warning.
#7: Create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with InputBox function
VBA code to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with InputBox function
To create an InputBox with the VBA InputBox function and check if the user clicks Cancel, use a macro with the following statement structure:
InputBoxCancelVariable = InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString)
If StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0 Then
StatementsIfCancel
ElseIf InputBoxCancelVariable = "" Then
StatementsIfNoInput
Else
StatementsIfInputAndOK
End If
Process to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with InputBox function
To create an InputBox that works with a specific data type with the VBA InputBox function, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the InputBox function (InputBox(…)).
- Assign the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (InputBoxCancelVariable = InputBox(…)).
- Use an If… Then… Else statement for the following:
- Testing whether the user clicked Cancel (StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0) or entered no input prior to clicking OK (InputBoxCancelVariable = “”).
- Executing the appropriate group of statements depending on whether the user clicked Cancel (StatementsIfCancel), entered no input prior to clicking OK (StatementsIfNoInput) or entered input and clicked OK (StatementsIfInputAndOK).
VBA statement explanation
Line #1: InputBoxCancelVariable = InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString)
Item: InputBoxCancelVariable
InputBoxCancelVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the InputBox function.
The InputBox function returns a String.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: InputBox(…)
The InputBox function:
- Displays an input box;
- Waits for the user to either (i) input text and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns a string with the contents of the text box in the input box (when the user clicks OK or presses Enter).
According to the Microsoft Developer Network, the InputBox function returns a zero-length string (“”) when the user clicks Cancel (or presses Esc). When checking if the user clicks Cancel using this macro structure, you rely on a quirk of the InputBox function which allows you to work with StrPtr.
Item: Prompt:=PromptString
The Prompt argument of the InputBox function is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required argument.
You generally specify PromptString as a string expression.
The maximum length of PromptString is roughly 1024 characters. However, this maximum length may vary slightly depending on the width of the characters within PromptString.
PromptString can be composed of multiple lines. To create an input box with multiple lines, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Lines #2, #6 and #8: If StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0 Then | Else | End If
Item: If… Then… Else… End If
The If… Then… Else statement conditionally executes a group of statements (StatementsIfCancel, StatementsIfNoInput or StatementsIfInputAndOK) depending on the value of an expression (StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0 or InputBoxCancelVariable = “”).
Item: StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0
The condition of the If… Then… Else statement is an expression returning True or False.
When you check if the user clicks the Cancel button using this macro structure, you can work with the StrPtr function. StrPtr is an undocumented function. You can usually work with the StrPtr function to obtain the address of a variable.
When the user clicks Cancel, no string is assigned to InputBoxCancelVariable. Therefore, if the user clicks Cancel, StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0 returns True.
Line #3: StatementsIfCancel
Statements executed if the tested condition (StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0) returns True. In other words, these statements are executed if the user clicks Cancel.
Line #4: ElseIf InputBoxCancelVariable = “” Then
Item: ElseIf… Then
The If… Then… Else statement conditionally executes a group of statements (StatementsIfCancel, StatementsIfNoInput or StatementsIfInputAndOK) depending on the value of an expression (StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0 or InputBoxCancelVariable = “”).
Item: InputBoxCancelVariable = “”
The condition-n of the If… Then… Else statement is an expression returning True or False.
You can check if the user didn’t enter any input prior to clicking OK by testing whether InputBoxCancelVariable holds a zero-length string (“”). In other words, if the user doesn’t enter any input and clicks the OK button, InputBoxCancelVariable = 0 returns True.
Line #5: StatementsIfNoInput
Statements executed if the tested condition (InputBoxCancelVariable = “”) returns True. In other words, these statements are executed if the user doesn’t enter any input and clicks the OK button.
Line #7: StatementsIfInputAndOK
Statements executed if none of the tested conditions (StrPtr(InputBoxCancelVariable) = 0 or InputBoxCancelVariable = “”) return True. In other words, these statements are executed if the user enters an input and clicks the OK button.
Macro example to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with InputBox function
The following macro example:
- Creates an input box with the InputBox function.
- Assigns the value returned by the InputBox function to a variable (myInputBoxCancelVariable = inputBox(…)).
- Checks whether user clicked Cancel (StrPtr(myInputBoxCancelVariable) = 0). If the user clicked Cancel, displays a message box confirming this.
- If the user didn’t click Cancel, checks whether the user entered no input prior to clicking OK (myInputBoxCancelVariable = “”). If the user entered no input prior to clicking OK, displays a message box confirming this.
- If the user entered input and clicked OK, displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
Sub CreateInputBoxFunctionCancel()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'(1) creates an input box with the InputBox function, and (2) handles case where user clicks Cancel button
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxCancelVariable As String
'(1) create InputBox, and (2) assign value returned by InputBox function to variable
myInputBoxCancelVariable = inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox and work with Cancel button")
'check if user clicked Cancel button and, if appropriate, execute statements
If StrPtr(myInputBoxCancelVariable) = 0 Then
'display message box confirming that user clicked Cancel button
MsgBox "You clicked the Cancel button"
'check if user entered no input and, if appropriate, execute statements
ElseIf myInputBoxCancelVariable = "" Then
'display message box confirming that user entered no input
MsgBox "You didn't enter an input"
'if user didn't click Cancel button and entered input, execute statements
Else
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxCancelVariable
End If
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with InputBox function
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected:
- Excel displays an input box created with the InputBox function.
- The macro identifies whether the user:
- Clicks the Cancel button;
- Enters no input prior to clicking OK; or
- Enters input and clicks OK.
- Excel displays the appropriate message box depending on the actions taken by the user.
#8: Create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with Application.InputBox method
VBA code to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox with the VBA Application.InputBox method and check if the user clicks Cancel, use a macro with the following statement structure:
InputBoxCancelVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString)
If (TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = "Boolean") And (InputBoxCancelVariable = "False") Then
StatementsIfCancel
ElseIf InputBoxCancelVariable = "" Then
StatementsIfNoInput
Else
StatementsIfInputAndOK
End If
Process to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox with the VBA Application.InputBox method and check if the user clicks Cancel, follow these steps:
- Create an input box with the Application.InputBox method (Application.InputBox(…)).
- Assign the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (InputBoxCancelVariable = Application.InputBox(…)).
- Use an If… Then… Else statement for the following:
- Testing whether the user clicked Cancel ((TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) And (InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”)) or entered no input prior to clicking OK (InputBoxCancelVariable = “”).
- Executing the appropriate group of statements depending on whether the user clicked Cancel (StatementsIfCancel), entered no input prior to clicking OK (StatementsIfNoInput) or entered input and clicked OK (StatementsIfInputAndOK).
VBA statement explanation
Line #1: InputBoxCancelVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString)
Item: InputBoxCancelVariable
InputBoxCancelVariable is the variable you want to hold the value returned by the Application.InputBox method.
The Application.InputBox method returns a Variant.
Item: =
The = operator assigns a value to a variable or property.
Use the = operator to assign the value returned by the InputBox function (InputBox(…)) to InputBoxVariable.
Item: Application.InputBox(…)
The Application.InputBox method:
- Displays an input box’
- Waits for the user to either (i) input information and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns the information entered in the dialog box (if the user clicks OK or presses Enter) or the False Boolean value (if the user clicks Cancel).
Item: Prompt:=PromptString
The Prompt parameter of the Application.InputBox method is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required parameter.
You generally specify PromptString as a string expression.
You can also specify PromptString as a number, a date or a Boolean. In such cases, Excel coerces the number, date or Boolean to a string.
PromptString can be composed of multiple lines. To create an input box with multiple lines, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Lines #2, #6 and #8: If (TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) And (InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”) Then | Else | End If
Item: If… Then… Else… End If
The If… Then… Else statement conditionally executes a group of statements (StatementsIfCancel, StatementsIfNoInput or StatementsIfInputAndOK) depending on the value of an expression (((TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) And (InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”)) or InputBoxCancelVariable = “”).
Item: TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean” And InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”
The condition of the If… Then… Else statement is an expression returning True or False.
The Application.InputBox method returns the False Boolean value when the user clicks Cancel. Therefore, when you check if the user clicks the Cancel button using this macro structure, you test whether 2 conditions are met.
Condition #1: TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”
TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean” checks whether InputBoxCancelVariable is a Boolean value.
For these purposes, work with the TypeName function, which returns a string with information about the variable passed as argument (InputBoxCancelVariable). Therefore, TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”:
- Returns True if InputBoxCancelVariable is a Boolean. This occurs, among others, when the user clicks Cancel.
- Returns False if InputBoxCancelVariable isn’t a Boolean.
Condition #2: InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”
InputBoxCancelVariable = “False” checks whether InputBoxCancelVariable holds the string “False”. Therefore, InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”:
- Returns True if InputBoxCancelVariable holds “False”. This occurs, among others, when the user clicks Cancel.
- Returns False if InputBoxCancelVariable doesn’t hold “False”.
Condition #1 And Condition #2
When you check if the user clicks the Cancel button using this macro structure, both conditions #1 (TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) and #2 (InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”) must be met.
The And operator performs a logical conjunction. Therefore, the condition of the If… Then… else statement returns True if the user clicks Cancel.
Line #3: StatementsIfCancel
Statements executed if the tested condition ((TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) And (InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”)) returns True. In other words, these statements are executed if the user clicks Cancel.
Line #4: ElseIf InputBoxCancelVariable = “” Then
Item: ElseIf… Then
The If… Then… Else statement conditionally executes a group of statements (StatementsIfCancel, StatementsIfNoInput or StatementsIfInputAndOK) depending on the value of an expression (((TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) And (InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”)) or InputBoxCancelVariable = “”).
Item: InputBoxCancelVariable = “”
The condition-n of the If… Then… Else statement is an expression returning True or False.
You can check if the user didn’t enter any input prior to clicking OK by testing whether InputBoxCancelVariable holds a zero-length string (“”). In other words, if the user doesn’t enter any input and clicks the OK button, InputBoxCancelVariable = 0 returns True.
Line #5: StatementsIfNoInput
Statements executed if the tested condition (InputBoxCancelVariable = “”) returns True. In other words, these statements are executed if the user doesn’t enter any input and clicks the OK button.
Line #7: StatementsIfInputAndOK
Statements executed if none of the tested conditions (((TypeName(InputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) And (InputBoxCancelVariable = “False”)) or InputBoxCancelVariable = “”) return True. In other words, these statements are executed if the user enters an input and clicks the OK button.
Macro example to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with Application.InputBox method
The following macro example:
- Creates an input box with the Application.InputBox method.
- Assigns the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to a variable (myInputBoxCancelVariable = Application.inputBox(…)).
- Checks whether user clicked Cancel ((TypeName(myInputBoxCancelVariable) = “Boolean”) And (myInputBoxCancelVariable = “False”)). If the user clicked Cancel, displays a message box confirming this.
- If the user didn’t click Cancel, checks whether the user entered no input prior to clicking OK (myInputBoxCancelVariable = “”). If the user entered no input prior to clicking OK, displays a message box confirming this.
- If the user entered input and clicked OK, displays a message box with the value held by the variable.
Sub CreateInputBoxMethodCancel()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'(1) creates an input box with the Application.InputBox method, and (2) handles case where user clicks Cancel button
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare variable to hold value returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxCancelVariable As Variant
'(1) create InputBox, and (2) assign value returned by Application.InputBox method to variable
myInputBoxCancelVariable = Application.inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox and work with Cancel button")
'check if user clicked Cancel button and, if appropriate, execute statements
If (TypeName(myInputBoxCancelVariable) = "Boolean") And (myInputBoxCancelVariable = "False") Then
'display message box confirming that user clicked Cancel button
MsgBox "You clicked the Cancel button"
'check if user entered no input and, if appropriate, execute statements
ElseIf myInputBoxCancelVariable = "" Then
'display message box confirming that user entered no input
MsgBox "You didn't enter an input"
'if user didn't click Cancel button and entered input, execute statements
Else
'display message box with value held by variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxCancelVariable
End If
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button with Application.InputBox method
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected:
- Excel displays an input box created with the Application.InputBox function.
- The macro identifies whether the user:
- Clicks the Cancel button;
- Enters no input prior to clicking OK; or
- Enters input and clicks OK.
- Excel displays the appropriate message box depending on the actions taken by the user.
#9: Create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button when working with cell range and Application.InputBox method
VBA code to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button when working with cell range and Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox that works with a cell range using the VBA Application.InputBox method and check if the user clicks Cancel, use a macro with the following statement structure:
Dim InputBoxRangeCancelVariable As Range
On Error Resume Next
Set InputBoxRangeCancelVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString, Type:=8)
On Error GoTo 0
If InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing Then
StatementsIfCancel
Else
StatementsIfRangeInput
End If
Process to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button when working with cell range and Application.InputBox method
To create an InputBox that works with a cell range using the VBA Application.InputBox method and check if the user clicks Cancel, follow these steps:
- Explicitly declare an object variable to hold a reference to the Range object representing the cell range (Dim InputBoxRangeCancelVariable As Range).
- Enable error-handling with the On Error Resume Next statement.
- Create an input box with the Application.InputBox method (Application.InputBox(…)).
- Set the Type parameter of the Application.InputBox method to 8 (Type:=8), which results in Application.InputBox returning a Range object.
- Assign the value returned by the Application.InputBox method to the object variable (InputBoxRangeCancelVariable = Application.InputBox(…)).
- Disable error-handling withe the On Error GoTo 0 statement.
- Use an If… Then… Else statement for the following:
- Testing whether the user clicked Cancel (InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing).
- Executing the appropriate group of statements depending on whether the user clicked Cancel (StatementsIfCancel) or not (StatementsIfRangeInput).
VBA statement explanation
Line #1: Dim InputBoxRangeCancelVariable As Range
The Dim statement declares the InputBoxRangeCancelVariable object variable as of the Range object data type and allocates storage space.
When you check if the user clicks the Cancel button while working with a cell range using this macro structure, you explicitly declare the object variable that holds the reference to the cell range returned by the Application.InputBox method.
Line #2: On Error Resume Next
The On Error Resume Next statement enables an error-handling routine and specifies that, when a run-time error occurs, control goes to the statement following that where the error occurred.
When you check if the user clicks the Cancel button while working with a cell range using this macro structure, On Error Resume Next handles the error caused by line #3 (Set InputBoxRangeCancelVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString, Type:=8)) if the user clicks Cancel. This error is usually run-time error 424 (object required).
If you don’t declare the InputBoxRangeCancelVariable object variable explicitly, the behavior of the macro and the error caused when the user clicks Cancel usually differs from what I describe in this VBA Tutorial.
Line #3: Set InputBoxRangeCancelVariable = Application.InputBox(Prompt:=PromptString, Type:=8)
Item: Set… =…
The Set statement assigns the object reference returned by the Application.InputBox method (Application.InputBox(…)) to InputBoxRangeCancelVariable.
Item: InputBoxRangeCancelVariable
InputBoxRangeCancelVariable is the object variable you want to hold the Range object returned by the Application.InputBox method.
When working with a cell range and the Application.InputBox method, Application.InputBox usually returns a Range object, unless the user clicks on the Cancel button. The cases where the user clicks on the Cancel button are handled by the On Error Resume Next statement.
Therefore, if you explicitly declare InputBoxRangeCancelVariable when working with this macro structure, you can usually declare it as of the Range object data type.
Item: Application.InputBox(…)
The Application.InputBox method:
- Displays an input box;
- Waits for the user to either (i) input information and click the OK button (or press the Enter key), or (ii) click the Cancel button (or press the Esc key); and
- Returns the information entered in the dialog box (if the user clicks OK or presses Enter).
Item: Prompt:=PromptString
The Prompt parameter of the Application.InputBox method is a string displayed as the message in the input box. Prompt is a required parameter.
You generally specify PromptString as a string expression.
You can also specify PromptString as a number, a date or a Boolean. In such cases, Excel coerces the number, date or Boolean to a string.
PromptString can be composed of multiple lines. To create an input box with multiple lines, please refer to the appropriate section of this Tutorial.
Item: Type:=8
The Type parameter of the Application.InputBox method specifies the data type returned.
When working with a cell range, set Type to 8. In such case, Application.InputBox returns a Range object.
Line #4: On Error GoTo 0
The On Error GoTo 0 statement disables the error-handler enabled in line #2.
Lines #5, #7 and #9: If InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing Then | Else | End If
Item: If… Then… Else… End If
The If… Then… Else statement conditionally executes a group of statements (StatementsIfCancel or StatementsIfRangeInput) depending on the value of an expression (InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing).
Item: InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing
The condition of the If… Then… Else statement is an expression returning True or False.
The Is operator compares InputBoxRangeCancelVariable and Nothing. This expression returns True if both refer to the same.
Nothing is the default value for an object variable. Therefore, if the user clicks Cancel, InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing returns True.
Line #6: StatementsIfCancel
Statements executed if the tested condition (InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing) returns True. In other words, these statements are executed if the user clicks Cancel.
Line #8: StatementsIfRangeInput
Statements executed if the tested condition (InputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing) returns False. In other words, these statements are executed if the user enters/selects a cell range as input.
Macro example to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button when working with cell range and Application.InputBox method
The following macro example:
- Enables error-handling (On Error Resume Next).
- Creates an input box that returns a Range object (Type:=8) with the Application.InputBox method.
- Assigns the object reference returned by the Application.InputBox method to an object variable (Set myInputBoxRangeCancelVariable = Application.inputBox(…)).
- Disables error-handling (On Error GoTo 0).
- Checks whether user clicked Cancel (myInputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing).
- If the user clicked Cancel, displays a message box confirming this.
- If the user didn’t click Cancel, displays a message box with the range reference of the cell range represented by the variable (myInputBoxRangeCancelVariable.Address).
Sub CreateInputBoxMethodCellRangeCancel()
'source: https://powerspreadsheets.com/
'(1) creates an input box that works with cell ranges using the Application.InputBox method, and (2) handles case where user clicks Cancel button
'for further information: https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-inputbox/
'declare object variable to hold reference to Range object (cell range) returned by InputBox
Dim myInputBoxRangeCancelVariable As Range
'enable error-handling
On Error Resume Next
'(1) create InputBox that works with cell range, and (2) assign value returned by Application.InputBox method to variable
Set myInputBoxRangeCancelVariable = Application.inputBox(Prompt:="Create Excel VBA InputBox that works with cell range and handles Cancel button", Type:=8)
'disable error-handling
On Error GoTo 0
'check if user clicked Cancel button and, if appropriate, execute statements
If myInputBoxRangeCancelVariable Is Nothing Then
'display message box confirming that user clicked Cancel button
MsgBox "You clicked the Cancel button"
'if user didn't click Cancel button, execute statements
Else
'display message box with address of cell range represented by object variable
MsgBox "Your input was: " & myInputBoxRangeCancelVariable.Address
End If
End Sub
Effects of executing macro example to create InputBox and check if user clicks Cancel button when working with cell range and Application.InputBox method
The following GIF illustrates the results of executing the macro example. As expected:
- Excel displays an input box created with the Application.InputBox function. The InputBox allows the user to select a cell range.
- The macro identifies whether the user:
- Clicks the Cancel button; or
- Selects or otherwise enters an appropriate cell range.
- Excel displays the appropriate message box depending on the actions taken by the user.
| title | keywords | f1_keywords | ms.prod | api_name | ms.assetid | ms.date | ms.localizationpriority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Application.InputBox method (Excel) |
vbaxl10.chm133149 |
vbaxl10.chm133149 |
excel |
Excel.Application.InputBox |
d3bd2f3a-7fed-20fa-918d-a71e2a2a1d49 |
04/05/2019 |
high |
Application.InputBox method (Excel)
Displays a dialog box for user input. Returns the information entered in the dialog box.
Syntax
expression.InputBox (Prompt, Title, Default, Left, Top, HelpFile, HelpContextID, Type)
expression A variable that represents an Application object.
Parameters
| Name | Required/Optional | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt | Required | String | The message to be displayed in the dialog box. This can be a string, a number, a date, or a Boolean value (Microsoft Excel automatically coerces the value to a String before it is displayed). Maximum length is 255 characters, otherwise there is no prompt, and Application’s method immediately returns Error 2015. |
| Title | Optional | Variant | The title for the input box. If this argument is omitted, the default title is Input. |
| Default | Optional | Variant | Specifies a value that will appear in the text box when the dialog box is initially displayed. If this argument is omitted, the text box is left empty. This value can be a Range object. |
| Left | Optional | Variant | Specifies an x position for the dialog box in relation to the upper-left corner of the screen, in points. |
| Top | Optional | Variant | Specifies a y position for the dialog box in relation to the upper-left corner of the screen, in points. |
| HelpFile | Optional | Variant | The name of the Help file for this input box. If the HelpFile and HelpContextID arguments are present, a Help button will appear in the dialog box. |
| HelpContextID | Optional | Variant | The context ID number of the Help topic in HelpFile. |
| Type | Optional | Variant | Specifies the return data type. If this argument is omitted, the dialog box returns text. |
Return value
Variant
Remarks
The following table lists the values that can be passed in the Type argument. Can be one or a sum of the values. For example, for an input box that can accept both text and numbers, set Type to 1 + 2.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | A formula |
| 1 | A number |
| 2 | Text (a string) |
| 4 | A logical value (True or False) |
| 8 | A cell reference, as a Range object |
| 16 | An error value, such as #N/A |
| 64 | An array of values |
Use InputBox to display a simple dialog box so that you can enter information to be used in a macro. The dialog box has an OK button and a Cancel button. If you select the OK button, InputBox returns the value entered in the dialog box. If you select the Cancel button, InputBox returns False.
If Type is 0, InputBox returns the formula in the form of text; for example, =2*PI()/360. If there are any references in the formula, they are returned as A1-style references. (Use ConvertFormula to convert between reference styles.)
If Type is 8, InputBox returns a Range object. You must use the Set statement to assign the result to a Range object, as shown in the following example.
Set myRange = Application.InputBox(prompt := "Sample", type := 8)
If you don’t use the Set statement, the variable is set to the value in the range, rather than the Range object itself.
If you use the InputBox method to ask the user for a formula, you must use the FormulaLocal property to assign the formula to a Range object. The input formula will be in the user’s language.
The InputBox method differs from the InputBox function in that it allows selective validation of the user’s input, and it can be used with Excel objects, error values, and formulas. Notice that Application.InputBox calls the InputBox method; InputBox with no object qualifier calls the InputBox function.
Example
This example prompts the user for a number.
myNum = Application.InputBox("Enter a number")
This example prompts the user to select a cell on Sheet1. The example uses the Type argument to ensure that the return value is a valid cell reference (a Range object).
Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate Set myCell = Application.InputBox( _ prompt:="Select a cell", Type:=8)
This example uses an InputBox for the user to select a range to pass to the user-defined function MyFunction, which multiplies three values in a range together and returns the result.
Sub Cbm_Value_Select() 'Set up the variables. Dim rng As Range 'Use the InputBox dialog to set the range for MyFunction, with some simple error handling. Set rng = Application.InputBox("Range:", Type:=8) If rng.Cells.Count <> 3 Then MsgBox "Length, width and height are needed -" & _ vbLf & "please select three cells!" Exit Sub End If 'Call MyFunction by value using the active cell. ActiveCell.Value = MyFunction(rng) End Sub Function MyFunction(rng As Range) As Double MyFunction = rng(1) * rng(2) * rng(3) End Function
[!includeSupport and feedback]
The VBA Application.InputBox provides a dialog for you to get a response from the user.
You can specify the response type from the user. These include numbers, string, date and a range.
If you want to get a single piece of text or value from the user you can use the InputBox. The following code asks the user for a name and writes the user’s response to the Immediate Window(Ctrl + G to view)
' https://excelmacromastery.com/ Sub GetValue() Dim name As String name = Application.InputBox("Please enter your name") Debug.Print name End Sub
Important
Confusingly there are two InputBoxes in Excel VBA.
- Application.InputBox
- InputBox(also calledVBA.InputBox)
They are almost the same except that:
- Application.InputBox allows you to specify the variable type of result e.g. String, integer, date, range.
- The Application.InputBox parameters Left and Top are not used by VBA.
In, the example below, the Application.InputBox allows you to specify the type but the VBA.InputBox doesn’t:
number = VBA.InputBox("Enter Number") number = Application.InputBox("Enter number", Type:=1) ' The type is number
In this article, we will be dealing primarily with the Application.InputBox.
InputBox Syntax
InputBox Prompt, Title, default , Left, Top, Helpfile, Helpfilecontextid, Type
Note that Prompt is the only parameter that is required. The others are optional. See the next section for more info.
InputBox Parameters
Prompt – this is the text displayed by the InputBox e.g. “Please enter a number between one and ten”, “Please select a range”.
Title[optional] – this is the text that is displayed in the title bar of the InputBox.
Default[optional]– this will be the response if no response is entered by the user.
Left[optional] – not used. If you need to position the InputBox you need to use the VBA.InputBox.
Top[optional] – not used. If you need to position the InputBox you need to use the VBA.InputBox.
Helpfile[optional] – specifies a related help file if your application has one(hint: it probably doesn’t unless it is a legacy application.)
Helpfilecontextidl[optional] – specifies a position in the help file.
Type[optional] – specifies the type of value that will be returned. If this parameter is not used then the return type is text. See below for a list of options for this parameter.
What makes using the InputBox simple is that you really only need to use 4 of these parameters, namely prompt, title, default and type.
VBA Optional Parameters
As, we saw in the above section, VBA has a lot of optional parameters. Sometimes we want to use an optional parameter but don’t need the optional parameters before it. We can deal with this in two ways:
- Leave the other optional parameters blank.
- Use the name of the parameter.
Here are examples of each method:
' Method 1: Using blank parameters Number = Application.InputBox("Enter number", , 99) Number = Application.InputBox("Enter number", , 99, , , , , 1) ' Method 2: Naming the parameters Number = Application.InputBox("Enter number", Default:=99) Number = Application.InputBox("Enter number", Default:=99, Type:=Number)
You can see that naming the parameters is a better idea as it makes the code much more readable and understandable.
InputBox Title Parameter
The Title parameter simply allows you to see the Title of the InputBox dialog. The following examples shows this:
Dim year As Long year = Application.InputBox("Enter the Year", Title:="Customer Report")
InputBox Default Parameter
The default value is simply the value that will be returned if the user does not enter a value. This value is displayed in the InputBox when it appears.
When the following code runs, the value Apple is displayed in the InputBox when it appears:
Dim fruit As Long fruit = Application.InputBox("Please enter fruit", Default:="Apple")
InputBox Type Parameter Options
| Value | Type |
|---|---|
| 0 | Formula |
| 1 | Number |
| 2 | String |
| 4 | Boolean — True or False |
| 8 | Range |
| 16 | An error value like #N/A |
| 64 | Array of values |
You can create your own constants for the Type parameter if you want your code to be more readable:
Public Enum appInputBox IBFormula = 0 IBNumber = 1 IBString = 2 IBBoolean = 4 IBRange = 8 IBError = 16 IBArray = 64 End Enum
You can then use them like this:
year = Application.InputBox("Enter the Year", Type:=IBNumber) year = Application.InputBox("Enter your name", Type:=IBString)
Getting the Range
To get a range from the user we set Type to 8.
If we set the return variable to be a range we must use the Set keyword like in this example:
Dim rg As Range Set rg = Application.InputBox("Enter the Year", Type:=8)
If you leave out the Set keyword you will get the runtime error 91: “object variable or with block not set”.
In VBA we can declare the variable as a variant in VBA. This means that VBA will set the type at runtime:
' In both cases the variable will be a variant Dim rg1 As Variant Dim rg2
If we replace the Set keyword with a variant then the InputBox will return an array of values instead of the range object:
Dim rg As Variant ' Returns an array of values rg = Application.InputBox("Enter the Year", Type:=8) ' Returns the range object Set rg = Application.InputBox("Enter the Year", Type:=8)
Cancelling the Range
One problem with selecting the range is that if the user clicks cancel then VBA gives an error.
There is no nice way around this. We have to turn off errors and then check the return value. We can do it like this:
' https://excelmacromastery.com/ Sub UseInputBox() Dim rg As Range ' Turn off errors On Error Resume Next Set rg = Application.InputBox("Please enter Range", Type:=8) ' Turn on errors On Error Goto 0 ' Display the result If rg Is Nothing Then MsgBox "The range was cancelled" Else MsgBox "The selected range is " & rg.Address End If End Sub
Related Reading
VBA Message Box
VBA UserForm – A Guide for Everyone
VBA UserForm Controls – A Guide for Everyone
What’s Next?
Free VBA Tutorial If you are new to VBA or you want to sharpen your existing VBA skills then why not try out The Ultimate VBA Tutorial.
Related Training: Get full access to the Excel VBA training webinars.
(NOTE: Planning to build or manage a VBA Application? Learn how to build 10 Excel VBA applications from scratch.)
Input Box is one of the most frequently used functions in VBA Macro. The dialogue box that appeared asks for input from the user and returns a constant/code/number/text. For example, if you want to create a log-in form in VBA, you will require an input box function. Let’s learn how to create an input box in VBA.
InputBox
Input Box is a dialogue box that helps users to take value, and do later computations according to the entered value. The input box is similar to the message box, but the message box is used to display the data while the input box is used to enter the data. By default, a message box shows only the Ok button in its dialogue box but the input box shows both the Ok and Cancel buttons in its dialogue box. You can choose the return type of the data to be entered. The automated data analysis includes entering and displaying the data, which can be achieved if we are using the input box and message box simultaneously.
Syntax: InputBox(arguments)
Temporary and permanent arguments in Input Box
Arguments of the Input box, help customize your input box by changing the title, fixing the position, adding help buttons, etc. In total, eight(8) arguments can be passed in the input box. Out of which one(1) is the permanent argument, and leftover seven(7) are the temporary arguments. Here is present a list of all arguments used by the Input box.
| Temporary Argument | Permanent Argument |
|---|---|
| Prompt | Title |
| Default | |
| X-Position | |
| Y-Position | |
| Helper | |
| Context ID | |
| Data Type |
VBA is smart enough to give you a list of temporary and permanent arguments. Following are the steps:
Step 1: Open your VBA editor. Create a procedure named geeks(). Use InputBox, function, as soon as you start the parenthesis for the function, a list automatically appears on your screen.
Step 2: The list tells the order of arguments. The argument written in bold and without a square[ ] parenthesis are permanent arguments, while the arguments written without a square[ ] parenthesis are temporary arguments.
Arguments in Input Box
Now, we are going to understand every argument in detail, with examples.
Argument 1: Prompt
Prompt is the definition for the input box, according to which understanding the user enters the data. Prompt is a required argument. If this argument is not provided, then the VBA might show an error. The prompt returns a string. For example, display the “Enter Your Name” prompt in the input box.
Following are the steps
Step 1: Declare a variable to store the input data in the input box. For example, name. Use the InputBox function. Write InputBox(“Enter Your Name”) and store this in the variable name.
Step 2: Run your macro. You can see the input box appears on the screen, with the prompt “Enter Your Name”.
Argument 2: Title
The second argument provided to the input box is the title. The title is the heading of an input box. It is a temporary argument. The default data type of a title is variant. If a custom title is not mentioned, then the default title is “Microsoft Excel”. For example, display “geeks for geeks” as the title of your input box.
Following are the steps
Step 1: Open your VBA editor. Create a sub-procedure called geeks(). Use the InputBox function. The argument 1 of the input box function is the prompt text; it is the same as done in previous examples. The second argument is the title of your input box i.e. “geeks for geeks”. Store the input box function in the variable Name.
Step 2: Run your macro. An input box is shown on the screen. You can see the title of the input box is “geeks for geeks”.
Argument 3: Default
The third argument provided to the input box is the “default”. The “default” is the initial text box value. There can be situations when a user might not enter any data. At that time, the variable used to store the data remains empty. This may cause errors in the code, to remove this breakpoint we can add a default value in the custom text box. It is a temporary argument. The default data type of “default:” is variant. If a custom “default” is not mentioned, then the text box has no value. For example, display “geeks” as the default value of your text box.
Following are the steps
Step 1: Open your VBA editor. Create a sub-procedure name geeks(). The first two arguments of the input box are the same as the above example. The third argument is the custom text box value i.e., “geeks”. Store the input box function in the variable Name.
Step 2: Run your macro. An input box is shown on the screen. You can see the default value of the text box is “geeks”.
Argument 4 and Argument 5: XPos and YPos
The fourth argument is X- Position(Xpos) and the fifth argument is Y-Position(YPos). Both are the positional arguments provided to set the location of your input box with respect to the home screen of excel. They are temporary arguments. The default data type is variant. For example, XPos as 2000 and YPos as 10000 in the input box.
Following are the steps
Step 1: Open your VBA editor. Create a sub-procedure name geeks(). The first three arguments of the input box are the same as the above example. The fourth argument is a numeric value of 2000, and the fifth argument is 10000. Store the input box function in the variable Name.
Step 2: Run your macro. You can analyze the position of the input box, it has gone to the end of the worksheet. The X and Y positions can be changed accordingly.
Argument 6 and Argument 76: HelpFile and HelpContext
A HelpFile is provided by the author for resolving errors or to guide how to fill the input box. A HelpFile is called when a user clicks on the help button in the input box. Whenever you are providing a HelpFile, you also need to mention the context ID, which specifies the number of the help topic in the HelpFile. If no HelpFile is specified, then a visual basic file is displayed. You will rarely use, HelpFile and HelpContextId in the input box. Both HelpFile and Context are optional arguments and have data types as variants. The file used by Context is the .hlp file. You might not get a suitable example on the help file and context as they are generally provided by the author or by the VBA community itself.
Argument 8: Data type
The eighth argument of the input box function is a data type. It is a temporary argument and is not present in the default input box function. Yes, here is the catch, the VBA input box function does not provide a type argument, but an excel specific souped-up provides Application.InputBox function, which has an eighth(8th) data type called type. The type argument is very useful to limit the user’s access to the data. The data type is mentioned in the form of a number. For example, if you want to enter your age in the input box, you will never require text, so this could be limited by type argument.
Here is the list provided by Microsoft to refer to the data type numeric value:
| datatype Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Formula |
| 1 | Number |
| 2 | Text |
| 4 | Boolean |
| 8 | Range Object |
| 16 | error(#N/A) |
| 64 | Array |
Following are the steps
Step 1: Open your VBA editor. Create a sub-procedure name geeks(). Use Application.InputBox() function to access the type argument. Store the result in the variable age. Print the age variable in the immediate window. As you have passed data type as 1, you can only enter numbers in the input box. Run your Macro.
Step 2: Now, if you try to enter a text in the input box, then it will show an error.
Step 3: A new dialogue box appears, named Microsoft Excel, which specifies you cannot enter a text in the input box.
Step 4: Now, if you enter a number, for example, 19, click Ok. It won’t show any error.
Step 5: The number 19 is printed in the immediate window.
Skipping the Arguments
There can be a probability that you don’t want all the arguments to be added to your input box function. For example, you generally do not require help files and help context arguments, but you want to add a data type argument in the input box. This issue can be solved by skipping the arguments. There are two most used ways to skip arguments in a function.
Method 1: Use (comma) to skip Arguments
The comma (,) is used to skip the arguments in the function. For example, you want to add the prompt “Enter your name” and default value “Arushi”, but want to skip the temporary argument title.
Following are the steps
Step 1: Open your VBA editor. Write Application.InputBox(“Enter your name”, , “Arushi”), an empty comma(,) will skip the second argument title.
Step 2: Run your macro. You can see that the default title appears in the input box i.e., “Input”. You have successfully skipped the title argument.
Method 2: Specifying the argument name
You can mention the name-specific arguments. For example, you want to add the prompt “Enter your name” and default value “Arushi”, but want to skip the temporary argument title.
Following are the steps
Step 1: Open your VBA editor. Write Application.InputBox(Prompt := “Enter your name”, Default := “Arushi”), using argument_name := specifies the argument to be added in the input box.
Step 2: Run your macro. The prompt “Enter your name”, with the default “Arushi”, is displayed in the input box.
