Visual Basic Code to Activate a Text Box for Editing

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To activate a text box for editing, enter the following code into a Visual Basic module:

    Sub ActivateTextBox()

       'Dimension variables.
       Dim xString As String

       'In this example, the name of the text box is "Text Box 1". You
       'can change this as required.
       ActiveSheet.TextBoxes("Text Box 1").Select

       'Store the contents of the text box in the variable xString.
       If Len(Selection.Text) > 0 Then
           xString = Selection.Text
       Else
           xString = ""
       End If

       'Use SendKeys to activate the text box, restore the original text,
       'and move to the beginning of the text box.
       Application.SendKeys (xString & "^{HOME}")

    End Sub
				

When you run this macro, "Text Box 1" will be activated for editing. The contents of the text box will not be removed, but they will be re-entered by the macro, so you may see the contents briefly disappear and then reappear. If the text box contains a large amount of text, it may take several seconds or more for the text to reappear.

You can use this technique in any Visual Basic macro. However, the SendKeys command must be the last line in the macro, or the text box may not be activated correctly.