Working with Window Properties in Excel 2010

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Handy Programming Tips for Microsoft Excel 2010: Learn how to change the window properties in Microsoft Excel 2010.

Applies to: Excel 2010 | Office 2010 | VBA

In this article
Add the Code to the Visual Basic Editor
Test the Solution
Next Steps

Published:   June 2011

Provided by:    Frank Rice, Microsoft Corporation

By configuring various properties of the window user interface in Microsoft Excel 2010, you can take advantage of the helpful visual aspects of the worksheet. For example, by displaying horizontal and vertical rulers in the Page Layout view; or displaying and hiding the worksheet gridlines. In this topic, you programmatically change some of the various properties on the worksheet window. To complete this task, you must do the following:

  • Add the Code to the Visual Basic Editor

  • Test the Solution

Add the Code to the Visual Basic Editor

In this task, you add programming code that manipulates the window properties in Excel.

To add code to the Visual Basic Editor

  1. Start Excel 2010.

  2. On the Developer tab, click Visual Basic to open the Visual Basic Editor.

    Note

    If you do not see the Developer tab in Excel 2010, click the File tab, and then click Options. In the categories pane, click Custom Ribbon, select Developer, and then click OK.

  3. In the Projects pane, click Sheet1.

  4. Paste or type the following Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code into the module window.

    Sub WindowPropertiesDemo()
    Range("A1", "F10").Formula = "=RANDBETWEEN(1, 100)"
    Range("G1", "G10").Value = 0

    Dim wnd As Window
    Set wnd = ActiveWindow

    ' Retrieve a reference to the active sheet view:
    Dim view As WorksheetView
    Set view = wnd.ActiveSheetView

    Dim doDisplayFormulas As Boolean
    Dim doDisplayGridLines As Boolean
    Dim doDisplayHeadings As Boolean
    Dim doDisplayZeros As Boolean

    ' Store away the original values.
    doDisplayFormulas = view.DisplayFormulas
    doDisplayGridLines = view.DisplayGridlines
    doDisplayHeadings = view.DisplayHeadings
    doDisplayZeros = view.DisplayZeros

    ' Change the settings for the active sheet view:
    view.DisplayFormulas = Not view.DisplayFormulas
    view.DisplayGridlines = Not view.DisplayGridlines
    view.DisplayHeadings = Not view.DisplayHeadings
    view.DisplayZeros = Not view.DisplayZeros

    ' Put things back the way they were originally.
    view.DisplayFormulas = doDisplayFormulas
    view.DisplayGridlines = doDisplayGridLines
    view.DisplayHeadings = doDisplayHeadings
    view.DisplayZeros = doDisplayZeros

    ' The DisplayRuler and DisplayWhiteSpace properties
    ' only have an effect in Page Layout view.

    ' Store away the current view.
    Dim currentView As XlWindowView
    currentView = wnd.view

    ' Make sure the current window is in Page Layout view.
    wnd.view = xlPageLayoutView

    ' Store away the current values:
    Dim currentDisplayRuler As Boolean
    Dim currentDisplayWhiteSpace As Boolean

    currentDisplayRuler = wnd.DisplayRuler
    currentDisplayWhiteSpace = wnd.DisplayWhitespace

    ' Set the properties to the opposite of their current state:
    wnd.DisplayRuler = Not wnd.DisplayRuler
    wnd.DisplayWhitespace = Not wnd.DisplayWhitespace

    ' Put things back:
    wnd.DisplayRuler = currentDisplayRuler
    wnd.DisplayWhitespace = currentDisplayWhiteSpace
    wnd.view = currentView
End Sub

Test the Solution

In this task, you step through the VBA code that modifies the window properties of the worksheet.

To step through the code

  1. Drag the Visual Basic Editor window to the right side of your monitor.

  2. Drag the Excel window to the left side of your monitor and adjust the windows until you can see them both.

  3. Now, press F8 to step through the code line-by-line and watch the code behavior.

Next Steps