Excel Form Controls

“Form Controls” is available in Excel under the “Developer” tab excel.

As we can see, we have two categories, “Form Controls” and “Active X Controls.” In this article, we are concentrating only on “Form Controls.” The below image describes all the “Form Controls”  in Excel.

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How to use Form Controls in Excel?

Now, we will see how to work with each in detail.

Form Control 1: Button

This option is to draw a button and assign any macro name to it so that the assigned macro can run when we click this button.

Form Control 2: Combo Box

The combo box is our drop-down list. It works the same as the drop-down list, but combo box excelCombo Box ExcelCombo Box in Excel is a type of data validation tool that can create a dropdown list for the user to select from the pre-determined list. It is a form control which is available in the insert tab of the developer’s tab.read more is considered an object.

We must select the “ComboBox” and draw anywhere on the worksheet area.

To insert values, we must create a day list in column A.

Now, select the “Combo Box,” right-click and choose “Format Control.”

Now in the “Format Control” window, choose “Control.” Then, in the “Input range,” choose the month names range of cells. Then, click on “OK.”

Now, we can see the selected day list in the combo box.

Form Control 3: CheckBox

The checkbox is used to display the item selection. If checked, we can link to a certain cell to show the selection as “TRUE” and “FALSE” if unchecked.

We must first draw the checkbox on the worksheet.

Then, right-click and choose the “Edit Text” option.

Change the default name from “Check Box1” to “Option.”

Again, right-click and choose “Format Control.”

Under the “Control” tab, we must choose “Unchecked” and give the “Cell link” to the D3 cell. Click “OK.”

Now, check the box to see the “TRUE” value in cell D3.

And uncheck the box to see the “FALSE” value.

Form Control 4: Spin Button

Using the “Spin Button,” we can increment and decrement the value in the linked cell. We need to draw the spin button to see options.

Then, right-click on the button and choose “Format Control.”

Under the “Control” tab, we can make all the settings. We can set a minimum value, maximum value, and current value. Also, we can configure what should be the incremental and decremented value when the spin button is clicked. Click “OK.”

Now, if we click up the arrow of the spin button in cell A2 one, we can see the incremental value.

And if we click on the down arrow of a spin button in cell A2, we can see every time it will be decreased by one.

Another thing is in the “Format Control” window, we have set 1 as the “Minimum value” and 12 as the “Maximum value.”

So, when we press the up arrow, it will increment by 1 until it reaches 12. After that, it will not increase.

Form Control 5: List Box

Using the list box in excelList Box In ExcelThe list box in Excel VBA is a list assigned to a variable with a variety of inputs to select from. It allows multiple options to be selected at the same time and can be added on a UserForm using the list box option.read more, we can create a list of items. Let’s first draw the box and then configure it.

For this list box, we will create a list of days.

Then, right-click on the “List Box” and choose “Format Control.”

Now, under the “Control” tab for “Input range,” choose the day list, and for “Cell link,” choose C10 cell. Since we have selected “Single” under the “Selection type,” we can select only one item at a time. Then, click “OK.”

Now, see the list of days in the list box.

Now select any item from the list to see what we get in linked cell C10.

As we can see above, we have 6 as the value in cell C10. From the list box, we have selected “Saturday,” which is the 6th item, so the result in cell C10 is 6.

Form Control 6: Group Box

Using the group box, we can create multiple controls. We cannot interact with this; rather, it allows us to group other controls under one roof.

We must first draw the group box on the sheet.

Then, right-click on the “Group Box” and choose “Format Control.”

Insert the radio buttonsInsert The Radio ButtonsIn Excel, radio buttons or options buttons record a user’s input. They can be found in the developer’s tab’s insert section. read more that we want to group.

Form Control 7: Label

The label does not have any interactivity with users. It will only display the value entered or cell referencedCell ReferencedCell reference in excel is referring the other cells to a cell to use its values or properties. For instance, if we have data in cell A2 and want to use that in cell A1, use =A2 in cell A1, and this will copy the A2 value in A1.read more value, i.e., Welcome.

Form Control 8: Scroll Bar

Using the Scroll Bar in ExcelScroll Bar In ExcelIn Excel, there are two scroll bars: one is a vertical scroll bar that is used to view data from up and down, and the other is a horizontal scroll bar that is used to view data from left to right.read more, can increment and decrement the linked cell value. It is similar to “Spin Button.” But in a scroll bar, we can see the scroll moving upon increasing and decreasing.

We need to draw the scroll bar first on the sheet.

Under the “Control” tab, we can make all the settings.

So, when we press the up arrow, it will increment by 1 until it reaches 12; then, it will not increase.

Things to Remember

  • This article is just an introduction to how form controls work in Excel.Using these form controls in Excel, we can create interactive charts and dashboards.Active X Controls are used primarily with VBA codingVBA CodingVBA code refers to a set of instructions written by the user in the Visual Basic Applications programming language on a Visual Basic Editor (VBE) to perform a specific task.read more.

This article is a guide to Form Controls in Excel. Here, we discuss how to use form controls in Excel using the button, combo box, spin button, list box, etc., along with examples and a downloadable Excel template. You may also look at these useful functions in Excel: –

  • VBA Combo BoxExcel Interactive ChartInsert Button in ExcelControl Excel Charts