The cancel button doesn't work for this code [duplicate] - excel

Question

I have the following piece of code:
dim selectRange as Range
Set selectRange = Application.InputBox("Select your range", "Hello", , , , , , 8)
When a user chooses Cancel the InputBox prompt, it returns error of Object not set.
I have tried to use a Variant variable type but I can't handle it. In case of cancelling, it returns False, meanwhile in case of selecting a range, it returns Range of InputBox.
How can I avoid this error?

Answer 1

This is a problem when selection a range with an inputbox. Excel returns an error before the range is returned, and it carries this error on when you press cancel.
You should therefore actively handle this error. If you don't want anything to happen when you press cancel, you can just use the code like this:
Sub SetRange()
Dim selectRange As Range
On Error Resume Next
Set selectRange = Application.InputBox("Select your range", "Hello", , , , , , 8)
Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub

Answer 2

While this question is a bit older I still want to show the proper way to do it without errors. You can do it either to it via function or with a sub.
Your main procedure is something like this:
Sub test()
Dim MyRange As Range
testSub Application.InputBox("dada", , , , , , , 8), MyRange 'doing via Sub
Set MyRange = testFunc(Application.InputBox("dada", , , , , , , 8)) ' doing via function
If MyRange Is Nothing Then
Debug.Print "The InputBox has been canceled."
Else
Debug.Print "The range " & MyRange.Address & " was selected."
End If
End Sub
the Sub-way (funny) would be:
Sub testSub(ByVal a As Variant, ByRef b As Range)
If TypeOf a Is Range Then Set b = a
End Sub
And the function would look like:
Function testFunc(ByVal a As Variant) As Range
If TypeOf a Is Range Then Set testFunc = a
End Function
Now simply use the way you like and delete the unused line.
If calling a sub or a function you do not need to Set the parameter. That said, it doesn't matter if the InputBox returns an object or not. All you need to do, is to check if the parameter is the object you want or not and then act accordingly to it.
EDIT
Another smart way is using the same behavior with a collection like this:
Sub test()
Dim MyRange As Range
Dim MyCol As New Collection
MyCol.Add Application.InputBox("dada", , , , , , , 8)
If TypeOf MyCol(1) Is Range Then Set MyRange = MyCol(1)
Set MyCol = New Collection
If MyRange Is Nothing Then
Debug.Print "The inputbox has been canceled"
Else
Debug.Print "the range " & MyRange.Address & " was selected"
End If
End Sub
If you still have any questions, just ask ;)

Answer 3

I'm late to the party here but this was the only place I could find that explained why I was having trouble just checking my variable for nothing. As explained in the accepted answer, the vbCancel on a range object isn't handled the same way as a string object. The error must be caught with an error handler.
I hate error handlers. So I segregated it to its own function
Private Function GetUserInputRange() As Range
'This is segregated because of how excel handles cancelling a range input
Dim userAnswer As Range
On Error GoTo inputerror
Set userAnswer = Application.InputBox("Please select a single column to parse", "Column Parser", Type:=8)
Set GetUserInputRange = userAnswer
Exit Function
inputerror:
Set GetUserInputRange = Nothing
End Function
Now in my main sub I can
dim someRange as range
set someRange = GetUserInputRange
if someRange is Nothing Then Exit Sub
Anyhow this is not the same as the accepted answer because it allows the user to only handle this error with a specific error handler and not need to resume next or have the rest of the procedure handled the same way. In case anyone ends up here like I did.

Answer 4

I have found that checking for the "Object required" error that you mentioned is one way of handling a cancel.
On Error Resume Next
dim selectRange as Range
' InputBox will prevent invalid ranges from being submitted when set to Type:=8.
Set selectRange = Application.InputBox("Select your range", "Hello", , , , , , 8)
' Check for cancel: "Object required".
If Err.Number = 424 Then
' Cancel.
Exit Sub
End If
On Error GoTo 0

Answer 5

I went with a cleaner solution:
Dim InputValue As Range
On Error Resume Next
Set InputValue = Application.InputBox("Select Range","Obtain Range", Type:=8)
Err.Clear
If InputValue Is Nothing Then
GoTo ExitApp:
End If
This will clear the error message and catch the "nothing" value returned to InputValue. Usefully, this doesn't interrupt a submission of no information, which Excel just loops back to requesting input automatically, but the user may need to add additional error handling for bad data entry.
Down code, add:
ExitApp:
Exit Sub
For exiting, which can be usefully shared between multiple input cancel handlers.

Answer 6

If I use Dirks second answer inside a for loop and I want to exit my sub, it is not enough to execute an Exit Sub inside his IF statement
I found that if I use Exit Sub standalone inside a for loop, I will not exit my sub in all cases, however, in most cases only exit the for loop.
Here you have Dirks code
EDIT
Another smart way is using the same behavior with a collection like
this:
Sub test()
Dim MyRange As Range
Dim MyCol As New Collection
MyCol.Add Application.InputBox("dada", , , , , , , 8)
If TypeOf MyCol(1) Is Range Then Set MyRange = MyCol(1)
Set MyCol = New Collection
If MyRange Is Nothing Then
Debug.Print "The input box has been canceled"
Else
Debug.Print "the range " & MyRange.Address & " was selected"
End If
End Sub
If you still have any questions, just ask ;)
Here is what I made to work as a example:
Sub test()
Dim i as Integer
Dim boolExit as Boolean
Dim MyRange As Range
Dim MyCol As New Collection
boolExit = False
For i = 1 To 5 Then
MyCol.Add Application.InputBox("dada", , , , , , , 8)
If TypeOf MyCol(1) Is Range Then Set MyRange = MyCol(1)
Set MyCol = New Collection
If MyRange Is Nothing Then
Debug.Print "The inputbox has been canceled"
boolExit = True
Exit Sub
Else
Debug.Print "the range " & MyRange.Address & " was selected"
End If
Next i
If boolExit = True Then Exit Sub 'Checks if Sub should be exited
Debug.Print "Program completed"
End Sub
If you press cancel at anytime in the five runs, the Sub is shutdown with the above code and you will never see Program completed printed.
However if you remove boolExit from the above, the code after the For loop is still being run if you press cancel in any of the 1+ runs and you will see Program completed even when that is not true.