XL97: Printing Formatted Text from a RichTextBox Control

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You can print formatted text from a RichTextBox control, but because of limitations in Microsoft Excel, you must use Automation to print with Microsoft Word. In Microsoft Excel, you can create a Rich Text Format (RTF) file from the text in a RichTextBox control but you cannot print an RTF format file.

Example

To print formatted text from a RichTextBox control in Microsoft Excel 97, follow these steps:

1. In Microsoft Excel 97, press ALT+F11 to start the Visual Basic Editor.
2. On the Insert menu, click UserForm.
3. Draw a Command button and a RichTextBox control on UserForm1.

   NOTE: If the RichTextBox control is not available on the Toolbox commandbar, click Additional Controls on the Tools menu. Under Available Controls, click Microsoft RichText Control, version 5.0. If it is not listed, you must install the ActiveX controls from either Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 or from the Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition.

4. Double-click the command button to activate the module code for the button.
5. Type the following code into the module sheet:

      Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
             Dim RTFString as Object
   
            ' Creates a file to receive the RTF information from the control.
            Open "RTFText.rtf" for Output As 1
   
            ' Places the RTF information from the control into the file and
            ' closes the file.
            Print #1, RichTextBox1.TextRTF
            Close 1
   
            ' Opens the new file in Microsoft Word and prints it.
            Set RTFString = GetObject("RTFText.rtf")
            RTFString.Activate
            RTFString.PrintOut Background:= False
            Set RTFString = Nothing
            Unload Me
      End Sub
   						

6. Run the macro by clicking Run Sub/UserForm on the command bar. Type text in the RichTextBox control and click the command button.
   
   You cannot format text in the RichText box control but you can paste formatted text into the control. Note that the text you place in the control is printed.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: