XL2000: How to Determine Which Items Are Selected in a List Box

This article explains how to retrieve selected items from a list box control that allows the user to select multiple values.

In a UserForm, when you set the MultiSelect property to 1 -fmMultiSelectMulti for a list box control, the user can select any number of items from a list. For example, if a list contains Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie, the user can select any, none, or all of the items.

To determine which items are selected, use the Selected property of the list box. The Selected property of a list box is an array of values in which each value is either True (if the item is selected) or False (if the item is not selected). For example, if the list contains 1, 2, 3, and 4, and 2 and 3 are selected, the Selected property is the following array: This is true because the first item (1) is not selected, the second and third items (2 and 3) are selected, and the fourth item (4) is not selected.

Sample Visual Basic Procedure

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1. Close and save any open workbooks, and then open a new workbook.
2. On Sheet1, type the following values:
   A1: Alpha
   A2: Bravo
   A3: Charlie
   A4: Delta
   A5: Echo
   A6: Foxtrot
   A7: Golf
   A8: Hotel
3. Start the Visual Basic Editor (ALT+F11).
4. If the Properties window is not visible, click Properties on the View menu (or press F4).
5. If the Project Explorer window is not visible, click Project Explorer on the View menu.
6. On the Insert menu, click UserForm.
7. Place a list box control on the UserForm.
8. Open the Properties window (press F4).
9. Change the MultiSelect property to the following value
   1 - fmMultiSelectMulti
   by selecting it from the list.
10. Click the RowSource property and type sheet1!A1:A8.
11. Place a command button control on the UserForm.
12. Double-click the command button to display the Code window for the UserForm.
13. In the module, type the following code for the CommandButton1 Click event:

    Sub CommandButton1_Click ()
    
       ' Loop through the items in the ListBox control.
       For x = 0 to ListBox1.ListCount - 1
    
          ' If the item is selected...
          If ListBox1.Selected(x) = True Then
    
             '...display the Selected item.
             MsgBox ListBox1.List(x)
    
         End If
    
      Next x
    
      ' Close the UserForm.
      Unload Me
    
    End Sub
    					

14. Run the UserForm.
15. Select one or more items in the list.
16. Click command button.

After you click CommandButton1, each item you selected in the list box is displayed in a separate message box. After all the selected items are displayed by a message box, the UserForm is automatically dismissed.

For more information about list boxes, in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type listbox in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

For more information about the Selection property, in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type selection property in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.