XL97: Using the SheetChange Event in Microsoft Excel 97

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

Article idea submitted by: Derek Phoenix

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Excel 97, you can use the SheetChange event in Visual Basic for Applications to automatically run a macro whenever you change the contents of any worksheet in the workbook. This article explains how to use the SheetChange event and the SheetChange subroutine.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic for Applications procedures for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. The Visual Basic procedures in this article are provided 'as is' and Microsoft does not guarantee that they can be used in all situations. While Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular macro, they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality, nor will they help you construct macros to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to consult one of the Microsoft Solution Providers. Solution Providers offer a wide range of fee-based services, including creating custom macros. For more information about Microsoft Solution Providers, call Microsoft Customer Information Service at (800) 426-9400.

How to Access the SheetChange Subroutine in the Visual Basic Editor

Each workbook has a single SheetChange event. To view or edit the subroutine that uses the SheetChange event, use the following steps:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and click Visual Basic Editor.

2. If the Project window is not visible, click Project Explorer on the View menu.

   In the list of workbooks in the Project window, a list that is similar to the following appears:

         VBAProject (Book1)
            Microsoft Excel Objects
               Sheet1 (Sheet1)
               Sheet2 (Sheet2)
               Sheet3 (Sheet3)
               ThisWorkbook
   
   

3. Double-click ThisWorkbook.

4. In the Code window, click Workbook in the Object list. Then, click SheetChange in the Procedure list.

   Private Sub Workbook_SheetChange(ByVal Sh As Object, ByVal Target As _
       Excel.Range)

       '<code goes here>

   End Sub

NOTE: The first line of the subroutine (Private Sub... Excel.Range) should be entered on a single line without an underscore (_) character.

What Are "Sh" and "Target"?

The SheetChange subroutine accepts two arguments. By default, these arguments are Sh and Target.

• Sh represents the name of the worksheet that is changed. It signals the SheetChange subroutine to run. You can use this argument to determine the worksheet name, for example:

        xWorksheetName = Sh.Name
  

• Target represents the range of cells (or a single cell) that is changed. It signals the SheetChange subroutine to run. You can use this argument to determine the range of cells that changed, for example:

        xChangedRange = Target.Address
  

   Compile error:
   Event procedure does not match description of event having the same
   name

Using the SheetChange Subroutine

The SheetChange subroutine works like any other Visual Basic for Applications subroutine in Microsoft Excel. You can use the Sh and Target arguments to determine the worksheet and range of cells that changed, or to determine the value of the changed cells. You can use these values to perform other actions.

For example, the following subroutine opens a workbook when you type the name into a cell in a worksheet in the active workbook:

   Private Sub Workbook_SheetChange(ByVal Sh As Object, ByVal Target As _
       Excel.Range)

       Workbooks.Open Filename:="C:\My Documents\" & Target.Value

   End Sub

This example subroutine only accepts values that are less than or equal to 100:

   Private Sub Workbook_SheetChange(ByVal Sh As Object, ByVal Target As _
       Excel.Range)

       If Target.Value > 100 Then
           MsgBox "This value is too high! Try again."
           Target.Clear
           Target.Select
       End If

   End Sub

The following example subroutine runs another macro if you type a value in cell A1 of Sheet1:

   Private Sub Workbook_SheetChange(ByVal Sh As Object, ByVal Target As _
       Excel.Range)

       If Sh.Name = "Sheet1" And Target.Address = "$A$1" Then
           RunOtherSub    'This is the name of the macro to run.
       End If

   End Sub

   Sub RunOtherSub()
       MsgBox "You typed a value in Sheet1!$A$1."
   End Sub