Application.OnKey method (Excel)
Runs a specified procedure when a particular key or key combination is pressed.
Syntax
expression.OnKey (Key, Procedure)
expression A variable that represents an Application object.
Parameters
| Name | Required/Optional | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key | Required | String | A string indicating the key to be pressed. |
| Procedure | Optional | Variant | A string indicating the name of the procedure to be run. If Procedure is "" (empty text), nothing happens when Key is pressed. This form of OnKey changes the normal result of keystrokes in Microsoft Excel. If Procedure is omitted, Key reverts to its normal result in Microsoft Excel, and any special key assignments made with previous OnKey methods are cleared. |
Remarks
The Key argument can specify any single key combined with Alt, Ctrl, or Shift, or any combination of these keys. Each key is represented by one or more characters, such as a for the character a, or {ENTER} for the Enter key.
To specify characters that aren't displayed when you press the corresponding key (for example: Enter or Tab), use the codes listed in the following table. Each code in the table represents one key on the keyboard.
| Key | Code |
|---|---|
| BACKSPACE | {BACKSPACE} or {BS} |
| BREAK | {BREAK} |
| CAPS LOCK | {CAPSLOCK} |
| CLEAR | {CLEAR} |
| DELETE or DEL | {DELETE} or {DEL} |
| DOWN ARROW | {DOWN} |
| END | {END} |
| ENTER (numeric keypad) | {ENTER} |
| ENTER | ~ (tilde) |
| ESC | { ESCAPE} or {ESC} |
| HELP | {HELP} |
| HOME | {HOME} |
| INS | {INSERT} |
| LEFT ARROW | {LEFT} |
| NUM LOCK | {NUMLOCK} |
| PAGE DOWN | {PGDN} |
| PAGE UP | {PGUP} |
| RETURN | {RETURN} |
| RIGHT ARROW | {RIGHT} |
| SCROLL LOCK | {SCROLLLOCK} |
| TAB | {TAB} |
| UP ARROW | {UP} |
| F1 through F15 | {F1} through {F15} |
You can also specify keys combined with Shift and/or Ctrl and/or Alt and/or Command. To specify a key combined with another key or keys, use the following table.
| To combine keys with | Precede the key code by |
|---|---|
| Shift | + (plus sign) |
| Ctrl | ^ (caret) |
| Alt | % (percent sign) |
| Command | * (asterisk) Only applies to Mac; may only work on Excel 2011 for Mac and not later versions. |
To assign a procedure to one of the special characters (+, ^, %, and so on), enclose the character in braces. For details, see the example.
Note
There is no way to currently detect the Command key in recent versions of Office VBA. Microsoft is aware of this and is looking into it.
Example
This example assigns InsertProc to the key sequence Ctrl+Plus Sign, and assigns SpecialPrintProc to the key sequence Shift+Ctrl+Right Arrow.
Application.OnKey "^{+}", "InsertProc"
Application.OnKey "+^{RIGHT}", "SpecialPrintProc"
This example returns Shift+Ctrl+Right Arrow to its normal meaning.
Application.OnKey "+^{RIGHT}"
This example disables the Shift+Ctrl+Right Arrow key sequence.
Application.OnKey "+^{RIGHT}", ""
Support and feedback
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