How to Create Next and Previous Buttons in a Custom Dialog Box

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 5.0

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Excel, you can create buttons with the text "Previous" and "Next" that allow you to move between custom dialog boxes.

MORE INFORMATION

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1. Enter the following into a Visual Basic module sheet:

         Public x As Integer
   

         Sub ShowDialog()
            ' Start with Dialog two.
            x = 2
            Do
               ' Show the Dialog; if Cancel is pressed, exit the Do Loop.
               If DialogSheets(x).Show = False Then Exit Do
            Loop
         End Sub
   
         Sub PreviousDialog()
            'Hide the current dialog
            DialogSheets(x).Hide
            ' Sets the index to one previous.
            x = x - 1
            ' Test if we are going to show the first dialog box.
            If x = 1 Then
               ' If it is the first dialog box, then disable the Previous 
               ' button.
               DialogSheets(x).Buttons("Previous").Enabled = False
            End If
         End Sub
   
         Sub NextDialog()
            ' Hide the current dialog box.
            DialogSheets(x).Hide
            ' Sets the index to one next.
            x = x + 1
            ' Test if we are going to show the last dialog box.
            If x = DialogSheets.Count Then
               ' If it is the first dialog box, then disable the Next button.
               DialogSheets(x).Buttons("Next").Enabled = False
            End If
         End Sub
   
   

2. Add a new dialog sheet.

3. Delete the OK button.

4. Add two new buttons. Change the caption and name of one to "Previous" and the other to "Next."

5. Assign the "PreviousDialog" macro to the "Previous" button, and assign the "NextDialog" macro to the "Next" button.

6. Copy the dialog box to create three more dialog boxes (total of four for the example).

   NOTE: A quick way to do this is to click Move Or Copy Sheet on the Edit menu and make copies of the entire dialog sheet.

7. Starting from the dialog sheet farthest to the left, change the dialog boxes caption to "One," "Two," "Three," and "Four" (so you can tell when the dialog boxes change).

8. Run the "ShowDialog" macro, click the Previous and Next buttons to move between the dialog boxes. The Cancel button will stop the macro.