VBA Input Pop up Boxes: Application.InputBox Method versus VBA.InputBox Function

[DocAElstein]

New Post 14 When I copied full page 2 to a full page 3, it appeared and it is #post24894
It came from New post #12, 31 Oct 2024, (was copied from Original post #11, when the original posts 11 12 1nd 13 were copied on 31 Oct 2024 so it got edited to change it to have contents of original post # 12),
#post24886

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Code 'comment breakdown

Pop Up User pseudo InputBox with range selection alternative with API User 32 dll Programs.

This is a summary final working codes solution to allow a user to use a simple Pop up ( non UserForm ) to make an Excel range object selection.
This solution allows you to make a spreadsheet selection whilst the Pop Up is up.
The Standard stuff currently available
The VBA Message Box and VBA Input Box Functions are Modal, in other words you cannot do anything to the spreadsheet when they are up.
The Application Input Box Method should allow you to do this when you choose the last option as , Type:=8. It does allow you to do this, but a couple of things are broken:
_ The ability to position the Pop up ( appears to be broken since Excel 2007 )
_ The Microsoft help function does not appear to me to work in Excel 2003 2007 2010. I do not know if it ever worked for the Application Input Box Method
My Solution
This solution overcomes these problems, which is the main reason I did it, especially because of the first problem. It also has a few extra things that might be useful
_ You can choose the size of the Pop up ( width , height )
_ You can adjust the “z” things… I am not too clear on these options but in simple terms it means that you arrange how it appears in terms of the order of what windows you see, how and in which priority you see it, what windows are “under” or “above” it to see etc..
_ A simple change of the ByRef to ByVal in the signature line of a Called routine ( Sub HangAHookToCatchAPIssinUserDLL_MsgBoxThenBringThat MsgBoxUp(By___ ) allows you to change the value of a range object to that of the selection, but the original range object will not change, that is to say its address remains as before the selection. That could give you an extra option in how you select and move around in a spreadsheet.

Here we go then

The Top Declare/Dim section
Rem 1 Pseudo Non Modal MsgBox, MessageBoxA API Standard Non Standard Stuff, More Fundamentally complicated UnWRap it and.. "Pseudo Non Modal MsgBox" --- A valid handle, hWnd, other than the Excel spreadsheet window ( Private Declare Function FindWndNumber Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (Optional ByVal lpClassName As String, Optional ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long --- hWndParent = FindWndNumber(lpClassName:="XLMAIN", lpWindowName:=vbNullString) ), or even no ( Null ) hWnd results in a pseudo Non Modal MsgBox http://www.excelfox.com/forum/showth...0476#post10470 http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=4699 https://eileenslounge.com/viewtopic....321874#p321874

Private Declare Function APIssinUserDLL_MsgBox Lib "user32" Alias "MessageBoxA" (Optional ByVal hWnd As Long, Optional ByVal Prompt As String, Optional ByVal Title As String, Optional ByVal Buts As Long) As Long  '
.

'_- ==== The above is all I need to do so that writing APIssinUserDLL_MsgBox in any code in this code module will do something very similar to the VBA MsgBox. The main difference is that when it is up, I can still scroll up and down in my Excel Spreadsheet and also select a range



Rem 2_b)(ii) == To set/change The positional arguments "Sub Classing a "Window"" As is generally the case with “Window” Functions, A window belongs to a class. The Dynamic Linked Libraries concept allow the small programs in the with windows shipped typically in the User32 Folder programs to be called up / used at runtime, rather than a fixed set of instructions copied or and/ or used as such at some point. This allows for a modification of the class, known as Sub classing. This means that it is possible to modify / add to the “Window” Function and so pseudo create a customised ddl. It does not necessarily mean that a “Window” Function or a used User32 Folder program is directly Sub classes , but it just happens to be in our case as we are intending to mess about with the MessageBoxA ( or MessageBoxTimeoutA ) You can arrange that a used “Window” Function is modified as it is used.
' The next four line will tie something on my chain for when you pull it. Similar in the way that a Worksheet_change code is triggered as something happens, you must arrange that a VBA Function is triggered when a Windows “event” occurs. At this point the concept gets a bit vague and I doubt many people really understand anymore how it really works. A good name for the VBA Function might be Function WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd. This VBA Function will itself be a pseudo “Window” Function and “hung” or hooked on a chain of events. Because of the dynamic / volatile nature of the stuff, things will have a habit of going on forever if they not “unhooked” such that a procedure will have to be designed to unhook itself.

Private Declare Function SetWindowsHooksExample Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowsHookExA" (ByVal Hooktype As Long, ByVal lokprocedureAddress As Long, Optional ByVal hmod As Long, Optional ByVal DaFredId As Long) As Long 
'   The effect of this will be: In some predetermined set of instructions or planned chain of events
, a “hook” or “marker” or “clap trap” or “page marker” or “trip trap” was made. This was given an identifying number which was returned by 
that “API Function” and it was chosen to be placed in the main code in a globial variable hHookTrapCrapNumber.
 I do not think that this number identifies the “page in the book” where the bookmarker is. 
I think it just is listed somewhere in a list of any active / set up book marks. I guess there might be / could be a few, so you need to distinguish them.
Private hHookTrapCrapNumber As Long ' "BookmarkClassNumber --- This makes pseudo
  Declare Sub() SetWindowsHooksExample Lib "user32" AliAs "SetWindowsHookExA" (ByVal hHookTrapCrapNumber As Long, ByVal Hooktype As Long, ByVal MyloksPROCedureFukAddress As Long, Optional ByVal RadioButton2Out As Long, Optional ByVal duhFredId As Long) As Long 
    It was also disgussed that possibly the number refers to set instances of a Bookmark class: there may be a few ,
 but they are all effectively connected / activated by the number hHookTrapCrapNumber existing in some register. 
The bookmarker has a particular type, ( 5 ). The type will be responsible for catching the Message box code line to call the MessageBoxA,
 (like  APIssinUserDLL_MsgBox &H0, "Select Range", "working ApplicationPromptToRangeInputBox", vbYesNoCancel ). 
That fires my hook PROCedure Function, WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd. 
Other things may also fire my hook PROCedure Function. They may or may not be also related to the Popping up of my Box.
'               Dim BookMarkClassTeachMeWind As Long: Let BookMarkClassTeachMeWind = 5 ' 5 is Hooktype that I will be using. Using a variable for two reasons: '1_- general point in computing that you might get problems when a number is used to refer to something that might take or give a number at some point. But you might need to do that, so having an intermediate word is a workaround for that so that the number is set to a word which is then related to a word that might be being referred to or returning a number. Function = Word --- Word = 873248   '2_- Just to avoid confusion Later as in this particular case later another option number happens to be 5
Private Declare Function  GetDaFredId Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetCurrentThreadId" () As Long '   The Thread is what is going on,
 I expect that means in this case my VBA. My computer might do something else with or without me knowing. Most things going on will have a Thread number.
 When used in my code, Function GetDaFredId will return an identifying number referring to the Excel instance that that code line is in.     
It is actually needed in the setting of the Windows hook code line only ( that which is last argument in   SetWindowsHookEx(  ,   ,   , DaFredId As Long) ... 
..set a hook, confined to the current thread (so it doesn't get triggered by other things going on) and give it the address of the function that you want to call in response to the hook being triggered. In this I will use 5 CBT hook which is triggered generally by Window messages (activating, creating, destroying, minimizing, maximizing, moving, or sizing a window)

' This below takes it off the chain. Or wipe the chain clean.  Or remove it from something.   Or cancel it. Or Kill it.   Or whatever. 
 In any case it needs the identifying number of the "hook",  then a simple code line as shown in comment below will do this "Killing"   
 Without doing this the thing seems to go on indefinitely (with or without any recursion. (A recursion is another issue which seems to happen as an additional issue - that occurs when the final API code below (over next line) does its job - that seems to fire  my Hook PROCedure function WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd 
Private Declare Function  UnHookWindowsHookCodEx Lib "user32" Alias "UnhookWindowsHookEx" (ByVal hHookTrapCrapNumber As Long) As Long '               'Release the Hook           This is used in code in a simple code line like:-      Call UnHookWindowsHookCodEx(hHookTrapCrapNumber)

'_- === All of the above in section Rem 2 is required so that I am able to organise that when I use APIssinUserDLL_MsgBox another program (my windows hookProcedure program WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd) is triggered. (It has a habit of being triggered indefinitely so the API program Decared in the last line above will be used to stop that happening)

'2(d)=== The Final API program below we need to actually do what we want. (WindowIdentifyinghandle, zorder , x , y , width , height , zFurtherInfo ) '_- Most is obvious, except the z stuff - WindowIdentifyinghandle/wParam is one the parameters passed in some secret process to my Function WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd( , wParam , ) and will be the windows identifying number for my Message box that is popping up. ( ,10 ,50 ,400 ,150 , ) These four numbers are the horizontal and vertical size and positions. ( 0, , , , ,40 ) The two numbers 0 and 40 are chosen after a bit of intuitive guessing based on Microsoft references like https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...(v=vs.85).aspx The end effect is to have the window seen as dominantly as wanted. They are likely to be based to some extent on experimenting in a particular requirement.

Private Declare Function  SetWindowPosition Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowPos" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal zNumber As Long, ByVal CoedX As Long, ByVal CoedY As Long, ByVal xPiXel As Long, ByVal yPiYel As Long, ByVal wFlags As Long) As Long
 '    This API prog will be called in my hook PROCedure function. 
 So.. Rem 2a)-c) sets "Bookmark"/ series of "Bookmarks"/ Microsoft Windows cyber Robot monitering events (of "type 5", i.e. my Pop up coming up is one such. 
When such a event occurs my function is triggered by Windows software monitering Robot, he knows where/which my function WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd is from the  AddressOf  in a "hook setting code line" like  
(5 ,AddressOf WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd , 0, ThreadID) 
The monitering Robot program thing passes somehow  (a number from a list of event types to tell me more precisely what event it noticed, wParam-identifying number of the Window doing that event, possibly some other mouse thing info thing am not bothered about)
 

Dim Booloks As Boolean ' I use this in the code line  Booloks = SetWindowPosition(WindowIdentifyinghandle, zorder,x, y, width, height ,zFurtherInfo)  
 I don't seem to need this, but as a function, the SetWindowPos is designed to return a value. In this usage I have not experienced problems using it as a Sub routine Call like    Call SetWindowPosition( , , , , , , )    but to be on the safe side I have used it as a Function returning its return in a Boolean variable, Booloks
Dim GlobinalCntChopsLog As Long ' I use this to keep track of the copy number of my Hook PROCedure function WinSubWinCls_JerkBackOffHooKterd, that is to say check for when that  = 2. If that is the case I do the "unhooking" and Exit the Function
'  ========================