`InputBox` Function

Displays a prompt in a dialog box, waits for the user to input text or click a button, and returns a String containing the contents of the text box.

Syntax

InputBox(prompt[, title][, default][, xpos][, ypos][, helpfile, context])

Parameters

prompt (Required): String expression displayed as the message in the dialog box. Maximum length is approximately 1024 characters, depending on width of characters used. Can include line breaks using vbCrLf, vbNewLine, or Chr(13) & Chr(10)
title (Optional): String expression displayed in the title bar of the dialog box. If omitted, the application name is displayed
default (Optional): String expression displayed in the text box as the default response if no other input is provided. If omitted, the text box is displayed empty
xpos (Optional): Numeric expression that specifies, in twips, the horizontal distance from the left edge of the screen. If omitted, the dialog box is horizontally centered
ypos (Optional): Numeric expression that specifies, in twips, the vertical distance from the top of the screen. If omitted, the dialog box is positioned vertically approximately one-third down the screen
helpfile (Optional): String expression that identifies the Help file to use. If provided, context must also be provided
context (Optional): Numeric expression that identifies the Help context number assigned to the Help topic. If provided, helpfile must also be provided

Return Value

Returns a String: - If OK is clicked or Enter is pressed: Returns the text in the text box - If Cancel is clicked: Returns an empty string ("") - If Esc is pressed: Returns an empty string ("") - If the default parameter is provided and user clicks OK without entering text: Returns the default value

Remarks

The InputBox function provides a simple way to get user input:

Displays a modal dialog box that blocks execution until user responds
The dialog always includes OK and Cancel buttons
Pressing Enter is equivalent to clicking OK
Pressing Esc is equivalent to clicking Cancel
Cannot distinguish between Cancel and an empty string entered by user
For multi-line input, use a custom form instead
Maximum prompt length is approximately 1024 characters
Position parameters (xpos, ypos) are in twips (1440 twips = 1 inch)
Help integration requires both helpfile and context parameters
The text box accepts a single line of text (no multi-line support)
Input is returned as typed (no automatic validation or conversion)
Always returns a String, even if numeric input is expected

Typical Uses

Simple User Input: Get basic text input from users
Configuration Values: Prompt for settings or preferences
Data Entry: Quick single-value data entry
File Names: Prompt for file or folder names
Search Terms: Get search queries from users
Passwords: Simple password entry (though text is visible)
Numeric Input: Get numeric values (requires validation)
Confirmation Input: Request verification text from users

Basic Usage Examples

' Example 1: Simple input
Dim userName As String
userName = InputBox("Enter your name:")
If userName <> "" Then
MsgBox "Hello, " & userName
End If

' Example 2: With title and default
Dim age As String
age = InputBox("Enter your age:", "Age Entry", "18")
If IsNumeric(age) Then
MsgBox "You are " & age & " years old"
End If

' Example 3: With position
Dim response As String
response = InputBox("Enter response:", "Input", "", 1000, 1000)

' Example 4: Multi-line prompt
Dim email As String
email = InputBox("Please enter your email address:" & vbCrLf & _
"This will be used for notifications.", _
"Email Address")

Common Patterns

' Pattern 1: Validate numeric input
Function GetNumericInput(prompt As String, Optional default As String = "0") As Double
Dim input As String
Dim result As Double

Do
input = InputBox(prompt, "Numeric Input", default)

If input = "" Then
GetNumericInput = 0
Exit Function
End If

If IsNumeric(input) Then
GetNumericInput = CDbl(input)
Exit Function
End If

MsgBox "Please enter a valid number", vbExclamation
Loop
End Function

' Pattern 2: Required input (loop until provided)
Function GetRequiredInput(prompt As String, title As String) As String
Dim input As String

Do
input = InputBox(prompt, title)

If input <> "" Then
GetRequiredInput = input
Exit Function
End If

If MsgBox("Input is required. Try again?", vbYesNo) = vbNo Then
GetRequiredInput = ""
Exit Function
End If
Loop
End Function

' Pattern 3: Input with validation
Function GetEmailAddress() As String
Dim email As String

Do
email = InputBox("Enter your email address:", "Email")

If email = "" Then
GetEmailAddress = ""
Exit Function
End If

If InStr(email, "@") > 0 And InStr(email, ".") > 0 Then
GetEmailAddress = email
Exit Function
End If

MsgBox "Please enter a valid email address", vbExclamation
Loop
End Function

' Pattern 4: Input with range validation
Function GetIntegerInRange(prompt As String, minVal As Long, maxVal As Long) As Long
Dim input As String
Dim value As Long

Do
input = InputBox(prompt & vbCrLf & _
"Range: " & minVal & " to " & maxVal, _
"Input", CStr(minVal))

If input = "" Then
GetIntegerInRange = minVal
Exit Function
End If

If IsNumeric(input) Then
value = CLng(input)
If value >= minVal And value <= maxVal Then
GetIntegerInRange = value
Exit Function
End If
End If

MsgBox "Please enter a value between " & minVal & " and " & maxVal, vbExclamation
Loop
End Function

' Pattern 5: File name input with validation
Function GetFileName(prompt As String, Optional extension As String = "") As String
Dim fileName As String

Do
fileName = InputBox(prompt, "File Name")

If fileName = "" Then
GetFileName = ""
Exit Function
End If

' Check for invalid characters
If InStr(fileName, "\") > 0 Or InStr(fileName, "/") > 0 Or _
InStr(fileName, ":") > 0 Or InStr(fileName, "*") > 0 Or _
InStr(fileName, "?") > 0 Or InStr(fileName, """") > 0 Or _
InStr(fileName, "<") > 0 Or InStr(fileName, ">") > 0 Or _
InStr(fileName, "|") > 0 Then
MsgBox "File name contains invalid characters", vbExclamation
Else
If extension <> "" And Right$(fileName, Len(extension)) <> extension Then
fileName = fileName & extension
End If
GetFileName = fileName
Exit Function
End If
Loop
End Function

' Pattern 6: Password input (simple - visible text)
Function GetPassword(prompt As String) As String
Dim password As String
Dim confirm As String

password = InputBox(prompt, "Password")

If password = "" Then
GetPassword = ""
Exit Function
End If

confirm = InputBox("Confirm password:", "Confirm Password")

If password = confirm Then
GetPassword = password
Else
MsgBox "Passwords do not match", vbExclamation
GetPassword = ""
End If
End Function

' Pattern 7: Multiple inputs in sequence
Sub GetUserInfo()
Dim firstName As String
Dim lastName As String
Dim email As String

firstName = InputBox("Enter first name:", "User Information")
If firstName = "" Then Exit Sub

lastName = InputBox("Enter last name:", "User Information")
If lastName = "" Then Exit Sub

email = InputBox("Enter email:", "User Information")
If email = "" Then Exit Sub

MsgBox "User: " & firstName & " " & lastName & vbCrLf & _
"Email: " & email
End Sub

' Pattern 8: Input with list of options in prompt
Function GetOption() As String
Dim choice As String
Dim prompt As String

prompt = "Select an option:" & vbCrLf & _
"1 - Create new file" & vbCrLf & _
"2 - Open existing file" & vbCrLf & _
"3 - Exit" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
"Enter choice (1-3):"

choice = InputBox(prompt, "Main Menu", "1")

Select Case choice
Case "1", "2", "3"
GetOption = choice
Case Else
GetOption = ""
End Select
End Function

' Pattern 9: Trim and clean input
Function GetCleanInput(prompt As String, title As String) As String
Dim input As String

input = InputBox(prompt, title)

' Trim whitespace
input = Trim$(input)

' Remove multiple spaces
Do While InStr(input, "  ") > 0
input = Replace(input, "  ", " ")
Loop

GetCleanInput = input
End Function

' Pattern 10: Cancel detection with default
Function GetInputWithCancelDetection(prompt As String, defaultValue As String) As Variant
Dim input As String

input = InputBox(prompt, "Input", defaultValue)

If input = "" And defaultValue <> "" Then
' User likely clicked Cancel
GetInputWithCancelDetection = Null
Else
GetInputWithCancelDetection = input
End If
End Function

Advanced Usage Examples

' Example 1: Configuration manager with InputBox
Public Class ConfigManager
Private m_settings As Collection

Private Sub Class_Initialize()
Set m_settings = New Collection
End Sub

Public Function GetSetting(key As String, prompt As String, _
Optional defaultValue As String = "") As String
On Error Resume Next
GetSetting = m_settings(key)

If Err.Number <> 0 Or GetSetting = "" Then
Err.Clear
GetSetting = InputBox(prompt, "Configuration: " & key, defaultValue)

If GetSetting <> "" Then
m_settings.Add GetSetting, key
End If
End If
On Error GoTo 0
End Function

Public Sub ClearSettings()
Set m_settings = New Collection
End Sub
End Class

' Example 2: Data validation wrapper
Public Class InputValidator
Public Enum ValidationType
vtText = 0
vtInteger = 1
vtDecimal = 2
vtEmail = 3
vtDate = 4
End Enum

Public Function GetValidatedInput(prompt As String, _
validationType As ValidationType, _
Optional title As String = "Input", _
Optional defaultValue As String = "") As Variant
Dim input As String
Dim isValid As Boolean

Do
input = InputBox(prompt, title, defaultValue)

If input = "" Then
GetValidatedInput = Null
Exit Function
End If

isValid = ValidateInput(input, validationType)

If isValid Then
GetValidatedInput = ConvertInput(input, validationType)
Exit Function
Else
MsgBox "Invalid input. Please try again.", vbExclamation
End If
Loop
End Function

Private Function ValidateInput(input As String, vType As ValidationType) As Boolean
Select Case vType
Case vtText
ValidateInput = Len(input) > 0
Case vtInteger
ValidateInput = IsNumeric(input) And InStr(input, ".") = 0
Case vtDecimal
ValidateInput = IsNumeric(input)
Case vtEmail
ValidateInput = InStr(input, "@") > 0 And InStr(input, ".") > 0
Case vtDate
ValidateInput = IsDate(input)
Case Else
ValidateInput = False
End Select
End Function

Private Function ConvertInput(input As String, vType As ValidationType) As Variant
Select Case vType
Case vtInteger
ConvertInput = CLng(input)
Case vtDecimal
ConvertInput = CDbl(input)
Case vtDate
ConvertInput = CDate(input)
Case Else
ConvertInput = input
End Select
End Function
End Class

' Example 3: Wizard-style input sequence
Function RunWizard() As Boolean
Dim step1 As String, step2 As String, step3 As String
Dim prompt As String

' Step 1
prompt = "Step 1 of 3:" & vbCrLf & _
"Enter project name:"
step1 = InputBox(prompt, "Project Wizard")
If step1 = "" Then
RunWizard = False
Exit Function
End If

' Step 2
prompt = "Step 2 of 3:" & vbCrLf & _
"Enter project location:"
step2 = InputBox(prompt, "Project Wizard", "C:\Projects")
If step2 = "" Then
RunWizard = False
Exit Function
End If

' Step 3
prompt = "Step 3 of 3:" & vbCrLf & _
"Enter description:"
step3 = InputBox(prompt, "Project Wizard")
If step3 = "" Then step3 = "(No description)"

' Create project
MsgBox "Creating project:" & vbCrLf & _
"Name: " & step1 & vbCrLf & _
"Location: " & step2 & vbCrLf & _
"Description: " & step3

RunWizard = True
End Function

' Example 4: Search query builder
Function BuildSearchQuery() As String
Dim searchTerm As String
Dim filters As String
Dim query As String

searchTerm = InputBox("Enter search term:", "Search")
If searchTerm = "" Then
BuildSearchQuery = ""
Exit Function
End If

filters = InputBox("Enter filters (optional):" & vbCrLf & _
"Examples: category:books, year:2020", _
"Search Filters")

query = "search=" & searchTerm
If filters <> "" Then
query = query & "&filters=" & filters
End If

BuildSearchQuery = query
End Function

Error Handling

The InputBox function rarely raises errors, but should be used with error handling:

On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
Dim userInput As String

userInput = InputBox("Enter value:", "Input")

If userInput = "" Then
MsgBox "No input provided", vbInformation
Else
ProcessInput userInput
End If
Exit Sub

ErrorHandler:
MsgBox "Error getting input: " & Err.Description, vbCritical

Performance Considerations

Modal Dialog: Blocks execution until user responds
User Interaction: Performance depends entirely on user response time
String Returns: Always returns a String regardless of expected data type
No Timeout: Dialog waits indefinitely for user action
Lightweight: Minimal overhead for displaying dialog

Best Practices

Clear Prompts: Write clear, concise prompts that explain what input is needed
Validate Input: Always validate and convert input as needed (InputBox returns String)
Handle Cancel: Check for empty string return value (could be Cancel or empty input)
Provide Defaults: Use default parameter for common or suggested values
Error Handling: Wrap InputBox calls in error handling
Alternative UI: For complex input, use custom forms instead of InputBox
Accessibility: Consider users who need keyboard navigation
Multi-line Prompts: Use vbCrLf to create multi-line prompts for clarity

Comparison with Other Functions

Function	Purpose	Return Type
`InputBox`	Get user text input	`String`
`MsgBox`	Display message, get button click	`VbMsgBoxResult`
Custom Form	Complex input with multiple fields	Varies
`FileDialog`	Get file/folder selection	`String`

Platform and Version Notes

Available in all VB6 versions
Dialog appearance follows Windows theme
Maximum prompt length is approximately 1024 characters
Position parameters use twips (1440 twips = 1 inch)
No built-in password masking (text is visible)
Help integration requires compiled help files (.hlp or .chm)

Limitations

Single-line text input only (no multi-line support)
Cannot distinguish between Cancel and empty input
No input masking for passwords
No built-in validation
Modal dialog blocks all application interaction
No timeout option (waits indefinitely)
Limited formatting options for prompt text
Cannot customize button labels (always OK/Cancel)
No progress indication for long operations

MsgBox: Display messages and get button responses
Input: Read from files (different from InputBox)
Custom Forms: For complex input scenarios
Shell: Execute external programs for advanced input

InputBox Function