Aligning Shape Objects With VBA Code
What This VBA Does
I could not find any way to call the Excel-based alignment actions with VBA, so I set out to create some mathematical equations to get your shapes perfectly aligned. The below code shows how you can use VBA to align two specific shapes in 6 different ways.
Sub AlignTwoShapes()
'PURPOSE: Align Two Shapes on the Active Spreadsheet
'SOURCE: www.TheSpreadsheetGuru.com/the-code-vault
Dim Shp1 As Shape
Dim Shp2 As Shape
'Shape To Align with (Stays put)
Set Shp1 = ActiveSheet.Shapes("Shape 1")
'Shape That Gets Aligned (moves)
Set Shp2 = ActiveSheet.Shapes("Shape 2")
'Align Left
Shp2.Left = Shp1.Left
'Align Right
Shp2.Left = Shp1.Left + (Shp1.Width - Shp2.Width)
'Align Top
Shp2.Top = Shp1.Top
'Align Bottom
Shp2.Top = Shp1.Top + (Shp1.Height - Shp2.Height)
'Align Middle (Horizontal Center)
Shp2.Top = Shp1.Top + ((Shp1.Height - Shp2.Height) / 2)
'Align Center (Vertical Center)
Shp2.Left = Shp1.Left + ((Shp1.Width - Shp2.Width) / 2)
End SubAligning Based Off Of A User Selection
I wanted to take this concept a step further and run an alignment action affecting only the shapes that are selected. The below macro code aligns all the other shapes in the selection with the first shape that was selected by the user. Again you can pick which alignment or alignment combination you want by deleting (or commenting out) the unwanted actions in the code.
Sub AlignMultipleShapes()
'PURPOSE: Align each shape in user's selection (first shape selected stays put)
'SOURCE: www.TheSpreadsheetGuru.com/the-code-vault
Dim Shp1 As Shape
Dim Shp2 As Shape
Dim x As Integer
Dim y As Integer
'Count How Many Shapes Are Selected
x = Windows(1).Selection.ShapeRange.Count
'Loop Through each selected Shape (align with first selected)
For y = 1 To x
If Shp1 Is Nothing Then
Set Shp1 = Windows(1).Selection.ShapeRange(y)
Else
Set Shp2 = Windows(1).Selection.ShapeRange(y)
'Align Left
Shp2.Left = Shp1.Left
'Align Right
Shp2.Left = Shp1.Left + (Shp1.Width - Shp2.Width)
'Align Top
Shp2.Top = Shp1.Top
'Align Bottom
Shp2.Top = Shp1.Top + (Shp1.Height - Shp2.Height)
'Align Middle (Horizontal Center)
Shp2.Top = Shp1.Top + ((Shp1.Height - Shp2.Height) / 2)
'Align Center (Vertical Center)
Shp2.Left = Shp1.Left + ((Shp1.Width - Shp2.Width) / 2)
End If
Next y
End SubUsing VBA Code Found On The Internet
Now that you’ve found some VBA code that could potentially solve your Excel automation problem, what do you do with it? If you don’t necessarily want to learn how to code VBA and are just looking for the fastest way to implement this code into your spreadsheet, I wrote an article (with video) that explains how to get the VBA code you’ve found running on your spreadsheet.
Getting Started Automating Excel
Are you new to VBA and not sure where to begin? Check out my quickstart guide to learning VBA. This article won’t overwhelm you with fancy coding jargon, as it provides you with a simplistic and straightforward approach to the basic things I wish I knew when trying to teach myself how to automate tasks in Excel with VBA Macros.
Also, if you haven’t checked out Excel’s latest automation feature called Power Query, I have put together a beginner’s guide for automating with Excel’s Power Query feature as well! This little-known built-in Excel feature allows you to merge and clean data automatically with little to no coding!
How Do I Modify This To Fit My Specific Needs?
Chances are this post did not give you the exact answer you were looking for. We all have different situations and it’s impossible to account for every particular need one might have. That’s why I want to share with you: My Guide to Getting the Solution to your Problems FAST! In this article, I explain the best strategies I have come up with over the years to get quick answers to complex problems in Excel, PowerPoint, VBA, you name it!
I highly recommend that you check this guide out before asking me or anyone else in the comments section to solve your specific problem. I can guarantee that 9 times out of 10, one of my strategies will get you the answer(s) you are needing faster than it will take me to get back to you with a possible solution. I try my best to help everyone out, but sometimes I don’t have time to fit everyone’s questions in (there never seem to be quite enough hours in the day!).
I wish you the best of luck and I hope this tutorial gets you heading in the right direction!
After 10+ years of creating macros and developing add-ins, I've compiled all the hacks I wish I had known years ago!
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Chris Newman
Chris is a finance professional and Excel MVP recognized by Microsoft since 2016. With his expertise, he founded TheSpreadsheetGuru blog to help fellow Excel users, where he shares his vast creative solutions & expertise. In addition, he has developed over 7 widely-used Excel Add-ins that have been embraced by individuals and companies worldwide.