Set Visual Basic environment options

You can set the behavior and look of the Visual Basic development environment by using the Options dialog box. Use the:

  • Editor tab to specify Code window and Project window settings.
  • Editor Format tab to specify the appearance of your code.
  • General tab to specify form, error handling, and compile settings for your project.
  • Docking tab to specify whether a window is attached or "anchored" to one edge of other dockable or application windows.

To set environment options, on the Tools menu of the Visual Basic editor, choose Options. Each option is described in the following sections.

Editor

Option Description
Auto Syntax Check Visual Basic automatically verifies correct syntax after you enter a line of code.
Require Variable Declaration Explicit variable declarations are required in modules.
Auto Indent After tabbing the first line of code, all subsequent lines start at that tab location.
Tab Width The tab width, which can range from 1–32 spaces. (Default is 4 spaces.)
Default to Full Module View Procedures for new modules are displayed in the Code window as a single, scrollable list or one procedure at a time.
Procedure Separator Display separator bars at the end of each procedure in the Code window.
Auto List Members At the insertion point, Visual Basic displays information that logically completes a statement.
Auto Quick Info Information about functions and their arguments is displayed as you type.
Auto Data Tips Automatically display the value of any variable on which you place the mouse pointer. Available only in break mode.
Drag-Drop in Text Editing Code elements can be dragged from the Code window into the Immediate or Watch windows.

Editor Format

Option Description
Foreground, Background, and Indicator The color of different categories of text listed in the Code Colors list.
Font The font used for displaying code.
Size The size of the font used for code.
Margin Indicator Bar Display the Margin Indicator Bar.

General

Option Description
Show Grid Display a grid on a form.
Grid Units Lists the unit of measurement for units in the grid.
Width The width of the grid cells on a form.
Height The height of the grid cells on a form.
Align Controls to Grid Automatically position the outer edge of controls on the closest grid lines.
Show ToolTips Display ToolTips for toolbar buttons.
Collapse Proj. Hides Windows Automatically close the project, UserForm, object, or module windows when a project is collapsed in the Project Explorer.
Notify Before State Loss Display a message that a requested action will cause all module-level variables to be reset for a running project.
Break on All Errors Any error causes the project to enter break mode, whether or not an error handler is active, and whether or not the code is in a class module.
Break in Class Module Any unhandled error produced in a class module causes the project to enter break mode at the line of code which produced the error.
Break on Unhandled Errors Any other unhandled error causes the project to enter break mode.
Compile On Demand A project is fully compiled before it starts, or code is compiled as needed.
Background Compile Use idle time during run time to finish compiling the project in the background (available only if Compile On Demand is set).

Docking

Option Description
The check box for the appropriate window A window can be anchored to an adjacent dockable window or the Visual Basic Editor window.

See also

Support and feedback

Have questions or feedback about Office VBA or this documentation? Please see Office VBA support and feedback for guidance about the ways you can receive support and provide feedback.