VBA Pause

What is Pause VBA Code From Running?

When working with VBA in applications like Microsoft Excel or Access, you may encounter situations where you must pause the execution of your code temporarily. There are several methods to achieve this. One such method is VBA Pause. VBA Pause allows you to control the timing and flow of your macros. It’s useful for scenarios such as waiting for user input, delaying actions, or debugging. Let us look at an example. Here, the goal is to demonstrate how to use VBA pause for user interaction.

The code begins by presenting a welcoming message through a message box that reads, “Welcome to the VBA Pause Example.” This initial message serves as an introduction.

Following this, a second message box appears, stating “Click ‘OK’ to continue,” along with the title “VBA Pause Example.” This step effectively introduces a pause in the code execution, awaiting user action. The program will proceed once the user clicks the ‘OK’ button in this message box. Once the user acknowledges by clicking ‘OK,’ a third message box displays a message that says, “Thank you for using the VBA Pause Example.”

Methods to Apply VBA Pause

There are two primary methods to pause VBA code execution.

• Wait Method: This method is used to VBA pause execution for a specified number of seconds. It’s suitable for short delays.
• Sleep Method: On the other hand, the Sleep method suspends code execution for a precise duration in milliseconds. It’s ideal for longer pauses.

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How to Pause Code using Wait Method?

The Wait method is relatively simple to use. Here are the steps to pause your VBA code using the VBA pause Wait method:

Step 1: In the Excel workbook, press ALT + F11 to open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.

Step 2: Inside the VBA editor, go to Insert > Module to insert a new module where you can write your VBA code.

Step 3: Within the VBA editor, locate the appropriate location in your code where you want to pause execution.

Application.Wait Now + TimeValue(“00:00:05”) ‘ Pauses for 5 seconds

Step 4: Insert the following code where you want to pause execution:

Replace “00:00:05” with the desired time duration in hours, minutes, and seconds.

Step 5: Continue your code after the Wait statement.

How to Pause the VBA Code using Sleep Method?

The Sleep method offers more precise control over pausing VBA code. To use it, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the VBA editor (ALT + F11) and insert the new module.

#If VBA7 Then

    Declare PtrSafe Sub Sleep Lib “kernel32” (ByVal dwMilliseconds As LongPtr)

#Else

    Declare Sub Sleep Lib “kernel32” (ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)

#End If

Step 2: In the VBA editor, insert the following code at the top of your module to declare the Sleep function:

This code ensures compatibility with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office.

Sleep 5000 ‘ Pauses for 5 seconds (5000 milliseconds)

Step 3: Now, you can pause your code by calling the Sleep function as follows:

Replace 5000 with the desired duration in milliseconds.

Step 4: Continue your code after the Sleep statement.

Note: Declaring the Sleep function is crucial in VBA because it ensures type safety, making sure that the function is used with the correct data type. Additionally, it promotes cross-system compatibility by accounting for differences in system architectures (32-bit and 64-bit). Declaring the function aids in error handling in VBA, allowing potential issues to be caught during compilation rather than runtime, simplifying debugging processes.

Examples

Let’s explore some examples of VBA Pause code using both the Wait and Sleep methods:

Example #1 – Using Wait Method

In this example, we will observe how the VBA Pause wait method is used to display a message, introduce a 3-second pause, and then display another message, illustrating code execution control.

Step 1: In the new module, start by defining a VBA subroutine named Example1.

Step 2: Display a message box with the text “This is before the pause.” This is an example action that you want to perform before the pause.

Step 3: Use the Wait method to pause the code execution. Application.Wait is a built-in function in VBA that allows you to pause execution for a specified time.

In this case, you’re pausing for 3 seconds, as indicated by Now + TimeValue(“00:00:03”).

Step 4: Display a message box with the text “This is before the pause.” It is an example action that you want to perform before the pause.

Step 5: Save the macro and click on Run. Now, when you run this code, it will first show the “This is before the pause” message.

Step 6: Once you click on Ok, the code will pause for 3 seconds and finally display the “This is after the pause” message.

Here is the full code:

Sub Example1()

    ‘ Perform some actions

    MsgBox “This is before the pause.”

    ‘ Pause for 3 seconds

    Application.Wait Now + TimeValue(“00:00:03”)

    ‘ Continue with other actions

    MsgBox “This is after the pause.”

End Sub

Example #2 – Using Sleep Method

In this example, we’ll observe the declaration of the Sleep function. Then, we’ll see how the VBA Pause Sleep method is used to display messages, introduce a 5-second pause, and finally display another message, showcasing controlled code execution.

Step 1: In the new module, firstly, we declare the Sleep function, as shown in the Sleep Method section above. This step ensures compatibility with both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

Step 2: Now, start by defining a VBA subroutine named Example2.

Step 3: Display a message box with the text “This is before the pause.” It is an action that you want to perform before the pause.

Step 4: Use the Sleep method to pause the code execution. Sleep 5000 pauses the code for 5000 milliseconds, which is equivalent to 5 seconds.

Step 5: Display a message box with the text “This is after the pause.” It is an action that you want to perform after the pause.

Step 6: Now save the macro and click on Run. When you run this code, it will first show the “This is before the pause” message.

Step 7: After clicking ‘OK,’ the code will momentarily pause for 5 seconds using the Sleep method, subsequently revealing the message “This is after the pause.”

Here is the full code:

#If VBA7 Then

    Declare PtrSafe Sub Sleep Lib “kernel32” (ByVal dwMilliseconds As LongPtr)

#Else

    Declare Sub Sleep Lib “kernel32” (ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)

#End If

Sub Example2()

    ‘ Perform some actions

    MsgBox “This is before the pause.”

    ‘ Pause for 5 seconds

    Sleep 5000 ‘ 5000 milliseconds

    ‘ Continue with other actions

    MsgBox “This is after the pause.”

End Sub

Important Things To Note

1. The Sleep method offers more precise timing than the Wait method, making it suitable for tasks requiring exact timing.
2. If you’re sharing your VBA code with others or using it on different systems, ensure compatibility by following the steps outlined in the Sleep method.
3. VBA Pause Execution will temporarily halt the code’s execution, often for debugging or timing control.
4. Pausing is helpful for debugging, but don’t forget to remove or comment out pause statements once your code is working correctly.
5. In some cases, you can use event-driven programming or userforms to handle user input or delays without the need for explicit pauses.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to VBA Pause. Here we learn How to Pause the VBA Code using Wait and Sleep Methods along with examples & download excel template. You can learn more from the following articles –

• VBA Timer
• User Defined Function in VBA
• VBA Sleep Function