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Show Method

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Displays and carries out actions initiated in the specified built-in Word dialog box. Returns a Long that indicates which button was clicked to close the dialog box.

Return value Description
-2 The Close button.
-1 The OK button.
0 (zero) The Cancel button.
> 0 (zero) A command button: 1 is the first button, 2 is the second button, and so on.

expression**.Show(TimeOut)**

expression Required. An expression that returns a Dialog object.

TimeOut    Optional Variant. The amount of time that Word will wait before closing the dialog box automatically. One unit is approximately 0.001 second. Concurrent system activity may increase the effective time value. If this argument is omitted, the dialog box is closed when the user dismisses it.

Comparing the Show and Display Methods

The Show method shows the specified built-in Word dialog box, then (if the user clicks the OK button) carries out the actions specified by the user in the dialog box. The Display method, on the other hand, displays the specified built-in Word dialog box, but takes no action after the user closes the dialog box. Therefore, you should choose the method to use as follows:

  • Use the Display method if the actions the user will take in the dialog box are completed before the user closes the dialog box - for example, when the user customizes a menu or toolbar by using the Customize dialog (wdDialogToolsCustomize). You can also use the Display method if you want to ignore the actions requested by the user, if those actions are normally completed after the user closes the dialog box.
  • Use the Show method if the actions the user will take in the dialog box are normally completed after the user closes the dialog box - for example, when the user selects a file to open by using the Open dialog (wdDialogFileOpen).

Example

This example displays the Find and Replace dialog box with the word "Blue" preset in the Find what text box.

With  Dialogs(wdDialogEditFind)
    .Find = "Blue"
    .Show
End With

This example displays and carries out any action initiated in the Open dialog box. The file name is set to *.* so that all file names are displayed.

With Dialogs(wdDialogFileOpen)
    .Name = "*.*"
    .Show
End With

This example displays and carries out any action initiated in the Zoom dialog box. If there are no actions initiated for approximately 9 seconds, the dialog box is closed.

Dialogs(wdDialogViewZoom).Show TimeOut:=9000

Applies to | Dialog Object

See Also | DefaultTab Property | Dialogs Collection Object | Dialogs Property | Displaying Built-in Word Dialog Boxes | FileDialog Property