Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 2, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365
Dennis wants to fill three cells (A1:A3) with RGB values and have another cell (C1) show the color based on those values. He wonders if there is an easy way to do this.
The easiest way to do this is to use a macro that grabs the values in A1:A3 and then modifies the color of cell C1 based on those values. Ideally, the macro should check to make sure that the values in the source cells are in the range of 0 through 255. The following macro works great for this purpose:
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range) If Not Intersect(Target, Range("A1:A3")) Is Nothing Then lRed = Abs(Range("A1").Value) Mod 256 lGreen = Abs(Range("A2").Value) Mod 256 lBlue = Abs(Range("A3").Value) Mod 256 Range("C1").Interior.Color = RGB(lRed, lGreen, lBlue) End If End Sub
Note that this macro should be added to the code for the worksheet on which the cells exist. (Just right-click the sheet tab and choose View Code, then add the macro there.) It is an event handler that is automatically run every time there is a change in cell A1, A2, or A3. The values in those cells are ensured to be between 0 and 255 by taking the absolute value of the cell contents and using the remainder (modulo) of dividing it by 256.
The macro only works when you manually change a value in the range of A1:A3 (your RGB values). If the values in that range are the result of formulas, then it won't work properly because you aren't manually changing the cells. In that case, you should use this simpler modification of the macro:
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range) lRed = Abs(Range("A1").Value) Mod 256 lGreen = Abs(Range("A2").Value) Mod 256 lBlue = Abs(Range("A3").Value) Mod 256 Range("C1").Interior.Color = RGB(lRed, lGreen, lBlue) End Sub
This version updates the color anytime something is changed in the worksheet, regardless of where the change occurs.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9092) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Showing RGB Colors in a Cell.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
When developing macros, you can create subroutines. This is a great way to reuse common code and make your programming ...
Discover MoreOpen up a workbook, and Excel normally runs the macros associated with that workbook. You can disable the automatic ...
Discover MoreWhen writing macros, you may want to position a message box at a specific location on the screen. This can't be done in ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2020-10-27 10:34:07
Stephan
Hi, thanks for the code for the coloring of cells acording to rgb values. Is there also a way you can put that in a for loop to fill multiple rows at once. Counting the rows always +1 after each loop. Thank you in advance.
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2023 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments