Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Offering Options in a Macro.

Offering Options in a Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 17, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365


If you are just starting out developing macros, you may be looking for a simple way to offer a set of choices to a user, and then take an action based on the user's response. This is a relatively simple task, if you use the InputBox function along with a Select Case structure.

The first task is to set up your InputBox so it displays the information to the user. For example, let's say you have five options and you want the user to select one option from those five. You can use the following code to put together five options, each on their own line:

Prompt = "1. This is your first choice" & vbCrLf
Prompt = Prompt & "2. This is your second choice" & vbCrLf
Prompt = Prompt & "3. This is your third choice" & vbCrLf
Prompt = Prompt & "4. This is your fourth choice" & vbCrLf
Prompt = Prompt & "5. This is your fifth choice"

You can now use the Prompt string when you invoke the InputBox function in your macro. You then translate what the user responds with into a number that represents their choice from your five options. The code to do this is as follows:

UserResp = InputBox(Prompt, "The Big Question")
UR = Val(UserResp)

In this example, the response from the InputBox function is assigned to the UserResp variable, which should be a string. The UR variable, which is a numeric, is then set based on the value of the string. (The Val function returns the value in a string.)

The only thing left to do is to take an action based on which number was chosen, 1 through 5. You can use the Select Case structure to do this. The full subroutine could appear as follows:

Sub Macro1()
    Dim Prompt As String
    Dim UserResp As String
    Dim UR As Single

    Prompt = "1. This is your first choice" & vbCrLf
    Prompt = Prompt & "2. This is your second choice" & vbCrLf
    Prompt = Prompt & "3. This is your third choice" & vbCrLf
    Prompt = Prompt & "4. This is your fourth choice" & vbCrLf
    Prompt = Prompt & "5. This is your fifth choice"
    UR = 0
    Do While UR < 1 Or UR > 5
        UserResp = InputBox(Prompt, "The Big Question")
        UR = Val(UserResp)
    Loop
    Select Case UR
        Case 1
            'Do stuff for choice 1 here
        Case 2
            'Do stuff for choice 2 here
        Case 3
            'Do stuff for choice 3 here
        Case 4
            'Do stuff for choice 4 here
        Case 5
            'Do stuff for choice 5 here
    End Select
End Sub

Notice that this example uses a Do ... Loop around the InputBox function. This is done to make sure that the user enters a number between 1 and 5. If the value entered is outside that range, then the user is simply asked again.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11059) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Offering Options in a Macro.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Alphabetizing By Last Name

Sorting lists of names by last name is easy if they are listed in a LAST, FIRST order. But what if the names are in FIRST ...

Discover More

Tables within Tables

Inserting a table in a document is easy. Did you know that you can also insert a table within another table? Word allows ...

Discover More

Highlighting Values that are 10x a Baseline Value

Sometimes the hardest part of getting your conditional formatting rules to work properly is figuring out the proper way ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Macros Run Slower in Newer Excel?

If you run a macro you used in an older version of Excel on a newer system, it may seem like the macro runs slower. Here ...

Discover More

Copying Pictures with a Macro

Copying information using a macro is rather simple, although there are multiple ways you can do the copying. The most ...

Discover More

Self-Aware Macros

Sometimes it may be helpful for a macro to know exactly where it is being executed. This tip provides a way that you can ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 0 + 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.