Part VI: Automating Excel
Button What It Does
Option Button Inserts an OptionButton control (to allow a user to select from multiple
options).
Label Inserts a Label control (to display text).
Image Inserts an Image control (to display an image).
Toggle Button Inserts a ToggleButton control (to control Boolean options).
More Controls Displays a list of other ActiveX controls that are installed on your system.
Not all of these controls work with Excel.
Using Controls
Adding ActiveX controls in a worksheet is easy, but you need to learn a few basic facts
about how to use them.
Adding a control
To add a control to a worksheet, choose Developer ➪ Controls ➪ Insert. From the Insert
drop-down list, click the control you want to use and then drag it into the worksheet to
create the control. You don’t need to be too concerned about the exact size or position of
the control because you can modify those properties at any time.
Make sure that you select a control from the ActiveX controls, not from the Forms controls. If you insert a Forms
control, the instructions in this chapter will not apply. When you choose Developer ➪ Controls ➪ Insert, the ActiveX
controls appear in the lower half of the list.
Learning about Design mode
When you add a control to a worksheet, Excel goes into Design mode. In this mode, you can
adjust the properties of any controls on your worksheet, add or edit macros for the control,
or change the control’s size or position.
When Excel is in Design mode, the Design Mode button in the Developer ➪ Controls group appears highlighted. You
can click this button to toggle Design mode on and off.
When Excel is in Design mode, the controls aren’t enabled. To test the controls, you must
exit Design mode by clicking the Design Mode button. When you’re working with controls,
you’ll probably need to switch in and out of Design mode frequently.
TA B L E 4 5.1 (continued)
