Microsoft KB Archive/141573

= How to Add Data to a Drop-Down or List Box =

Article ID: 141573

Article Last Modified on 10/11/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 5.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q141573



SUMMARY
In Microsoft Excel, there are two ways of populating a list or drop-down box: you can link worksheet data to the control, or you can run a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macro to add data to the control.



To link the list box or drop-down box to a range of cells on a worksheet

 * 1) Create a list box or drop-down on a custom dialog box.
 * 2) Select the control.
 * 3) On the Format menu, click Object, and click the Control tab.
 * 4) In the Input Range box, enter a reference to a vertical range of cells (for example, Sheet1!$A$1:$A$10).

Do not include a header row unless you want that row to be included in the list or drop-down box.

To use a Visual Basic Macro to populate the drop-down or list box
Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements. To create the dialog box:

 Insert a dialog sheet. Name this sheet Dialog1.

NOTE: To name a dialog box element, type the name in the Name box (the box at the left end of the formula bar). Create a list box control on the dialog box. Name the list box List Box 4 . Create a drop-down box on the dialog box. Name drop-down box Drop Down 5 .  In a module sheet, enter the following macro code: Sub Fill_Control Dim diag As Object Dim mylist As Object Dim mydrop As Object

Set diag = DialogSheets("Dialog1") Set mylist = diag.ListBoxes("List Box 4") Set mydrop = diag.DropDowns("Drop Down 5")

'Remove all items from drop-down and list box mylist.RemoveAllItems mydrop.RemoveAllItems

'Insert data into List Box and Drop Down myarray = Array("Tom", "Fred", "Sam", "Wilma", "Sandy")

For x = 0 To 4 mylist.AddItem myarray(x) mydrop.AddItem myarray(x) Next x

'Show Dialog Box diag.Show

End Sub   To run the macro, position the insertion point on the line that reads, Sub Fill_Control and press F5. 

Switch to the dialog sheet and click the Run Dialog button to run the dialog box. When you use each of the controls, note that they contain the data from the arrays that you created in the macro. To quit the dialog box, click Enter or Cancel.

