Empty textbox needs text

[dpaton05]

I have a regular textbox (Shape, not an active x textbox) that needs to have the text "Please type notes here" if it doesn't have anything in it. I also need the text to disappear when you click in it so it is ready to type into. Could someone help me with the vba code please?

 

[Michael M]

Did you change the name of the textbox in Kenneth code to your textbox name

 

[Yongle]

As Ken has already said the flexibility to manipulate a simple textbox is limited
- the only event available "out of the box" is the click event
- which is OK if only want one event

But you need 2 events
- EVENT1 remove DefaultText & allow the UserText entry - Ken's click event code achieves that
- EVENT2 reinstate DefautText if box is empty when user is finished - this event cannot be easily captured

To "force" EVENT2 another trigger is required
- Ken's SelectionChange event code is triggered if any cell in the worksheet is clicked on
- if it does not work it is because you have made a mistake somewhere (eg code not in sheet module, incorrect textbox name etc ) or there is something else in your code causing the problem

SelectionChange is not triggered unless a cell is clicked on

Alternative
- consider using an active-x textbox because several triggers are available "out of the box"

Test in a NEW workbook by inserting an active-x textbox on sheet1 and putting this code in the SHEET module

Private Sub TextBox1_GotFocus()
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    TextBox1.Text = ""
End Sub

Private Sub TextBox1_LostFocus()
    If TextBox1.Text = "" Then TextBox1.Text = "Please type notes here"
End Sub

 

[dpaton05]

Thanks for your responses guys. I first used an active x text box but I was having all kinds of problems with it, such as the speed of data entry was very slow, like having to wait at least a second until what you typed on the keyboard appeared, whenever I deleted all the contents, sometimes these grey boxes appeared inside the ends of the text boxes and if you clicked in the text box, they would disappear, only to reappear when I finished typing and when I did, you couldn't read what was behind them.

I think it was going really slow due to the code I already had that inserted please type notes here, when the box was empty and removed, in the change event for the box. This meant that every time a letter was typed, it would need to evaluate the code but I couldn't just have it in the got and lost focus events as I also needed the width of the box to stay at a fixed length.

I thought I would try a regular text box to see if I could avoid the problems, but it looks like the functionality of a regular box is not enough.

 

[dpaton05]

Did you change the name of the textbox in Kenneth code to your textbox name

I did Michael.

 

[Yongle]

I first used an active x text box but I was having all kinds of problems with it

That didn't seem to work

I am trying another way

When I click on the box in your file I get the error Invalid procedure call or argument

Perhaps the problem is in your current workbook (minor corruption ? memory issue ? problem in your existing code ?)

Ken's suggestions work perfectly well and you should be able to get them to work
- create a new workbook, try those suggestions and tell us how you got on

You did not answer Ken's question - which version of Excel are you using? which operating system ?

 

[dpaton05]

You did not answer Ken's question - which version of Excel are you using? which operating system ?

I forgot to, sorry. I am using win 10 and microsoft office professional plus 2016.

 

[Yongle]

Ken's suggestions work with your set-up
Try them in a new workbook

 

[Kenneth Hobson]

As commented earlier, don't forget to change the shape name, Rectangle 1, to your shape's name if that was not used.