I am new to VBA programming in Excel and I have a question about tabbing through a spreadsheet. My spreadsheet has a top portion where users will input their data and then based on calculations of that data they will get an output on the bottom of the page. I have created a Macro that is assigned to a Button that Resets the information that the users put in. Included in this Macro is a way to protect the worksheet so that the users can only change the cells where their input is necessary. This protection also enables me to set a tab order for how the users navigate the input portion of the worksheet

The issue that I am having has to do with drop down (or combo boxes). I have several of these as input areas for the users. Currently, when the user tabs through the input section of the worksheet they tab to the cell behind the combo box. For instance the tab order places the cursor in cell C9. This is the cell that the combo box is associated with, but the cursor is not in the combo box. So to get the selection that the user wants they either need to go to the mouse, or know exactly what the choice is they want to choose without seeing the options. What I would like to do is be able to tab into the combo box and have it immediately drop down so that the users can see what the selection choices are, then have it so that they can just type the first couple of letters and the choice will be pulled into the combo box, and finally be able to hit the tab key to move onto the next box in my tab order

Thanks in Advance
Ryan

Genearlly, you can't tab into a combobox - of course that just restates what
you have already said.

The best you could do would be to use a macro to activate the combobox based
on user actions.

--
Regards,
Tom Ogilvy


"Ryan" wrote in message
...
I am new to VBA programming in Excel and I have a question about tabbing
through a spreadsheet. My spreadsheet has a top portion where users will
input their data and then based on calculations of that data they will get
an output on the bottom of the page. I have created a Macro that is
assigned to a Button that Resets the information that the users put in.
Included in this Macro is a way to protect the worksheet so that the users
can only change the cells where their input is necessary. This protection
also enables me to set a tab order for how the users navigate the input
portion of the worksheet.

The issue that I am having has to do with drop down (or combo boxes). I
have several of these as input areas for the users. Currently, when the
user tabs through the input section of the worksheet they tab to the cell
behind the combo box. For instance the tab order places the cursor in cell
C9. This is the cell that the combo box is associated with, but the cursor
is not in the combo box. So to get the selection that the user wants they
either need to go to the mouse, or know exactly what the choice is they want
to choose without seeing the options. What I would like to do is be able to
tab into the combo box and have it immediately drop down so that the users
can see what the selection choices are, then have it so that they can just
type the first couple of letters and the choice will be pulled into the
combo box, and finally be able to hit the tab key to move onto the next box
in my tab order.

Thanks in Advance,
Ryan

Ryan,

Could you just use data validation in cells? Like a combobox it allows you
to use a range of cells as allowed values. You could then tab into them.
On the other hand, it won't automatically show all the choices (at least not
that I know of) and it won't try to autocomplete.

Just a thought.

Doug

"Ryan" wrote in message
...
I am new to VBA programming in Excel and I have a question about tabbing
through a spreadsheet. My spreadsheet has a top portion where users will
input their data and then based on calculations of that data they will get
an output on the bottom of the page. I have created a Macro that is
assigned to a Button that Resets the information that the users put in.
Included in this Macro is a way to protect the worksheet so that the users
can only change the cells where their input is necessary. This protection
also enables me to set a tab order for how the users navigate the input
portion of the worksheet.

The issue that I am having has to do with drop down (or combo boxes). I
have several of these as input areas for the users. Currently, when the
user tabs through the input section of the worksheet they tab to the cell
behind the combo box. For instance the tab order places the cursor in cell
C9. This is the cell that the combo box is associated with, but the cursor
is not in the combo box. So to get the selection that the user wants they
either need to go to the mouse, or know exactly what the choice is they want
to choose without seeing the options. What I would like to do is be able to
tab into the combo box and have it immediately drop down so that the users
can see what the selection choices are, then have it so that they can just
type the first couple of letters and the choice will be pulled into the
combo box, and finally be able to hit the tab key to move onto the next box
in my tab order.

Thanks in Advance,
Ryan

Tom

Thank you for helping me with all of my excel dilemas. Do you think you could provide me with an example of a Macro that would accomplish this feat

Ryan