How To Determine Hex Color Codes For VBA Userforms
What This VBA Code Does
If you have ever formatted VBA userforms, you’ve most likely noticed that the color codes use a weird syntax. An example might look like this: &H8000000F&. So how are we supposed to interpret this?
Looking at the above breakdown of the syntax we can more clearly understand how to construct a color code to bring custom colors into our userform. One thing that trips up most people is the typical RGB colors are used in reverse (ie BGR).
One thing I will explain in a little more detail is the third part of the syntax where you need to either use “80” or “00”. The 80 will indicate predetermined constant colors within Visual Basic. These colors are all named and are the ones you can select from in the drop-downs within the Properties Pane (ie Scrollbars, Desktop, Windows Background, etc…). If you are wanting to use a custom color code, you will want to replace the 80 with a 00.
VBA Code:
Since I am such a nice guy, I’ve gone ahead and put together some VBA code that you can use to figure out the color code to use by reading any selected cell’s fill color. Simply select some cells filled with your desired colors and run the below code. The color code for each cell will be displayed next to each cell you had selected.
Sub DetermineVisualBasicHexColor()
'PURPOSE: Display Visual Basic HEX Color Code next to each cell's Fill Color
Dim cell As Range
Dim FillHexColor As String
'Ensure a cell range is selected
If TypeName(Selection) <> "Range" Then Exit Sub
'Loop through each cell in selection
For Each cell In Selection.Cells
'Ensure cell has a fill color
If cell.Interior.ColorIndex <> xlNone Then
'Get Hex values (values come through in reverse of what we need)
FillHexColor = Right("000000" & Hex(cell.Interior.Color), 6)
'Convert to the Visual Basic Userform Color Code Format
cell.Offset(0, 1).Value = "&H00" & FillHexColor & "&"
End If
Next cell
'Select just the ActiveCell
ActiveCell.Select
End SubExample:
The below image shows how the above VBA macro places the HEX color code beside each colored cell. You can then proceed to copy the desired color code and paste it into the applicable userform property field within the Visual Basic Editor.
Alternative Method
There was also another method proposed in the comments section of this article to determine the HEX color code using the RGB function. Here are the steps:
- Open the Immediate Window (ctrl + g) inside the Visual Basic Editor
Type “?” and the RGB function with the RGB color you would like to convert.
- Example: ?RGB(237,125,39)
- Hit your Enter key
- Copy the numerical code that appears after you hit the Enter key
- Paste that code as the color code for your desired userform color and hit your Enter key again
After following those steps, you should see the proper HEX code appear and your desired color show up on your userform.
Further Resources:
Using 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!
Keep Learning
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.