It's not so simple a question - and the answer works around several frustrating gaps in VBA.
The VBA.InputBox function creates a 'Modal Dialog' which leaves your application's VBA code in a waiting state at the exact moment you needed VBA to grab the Window Handle and call some or other API function.
By the time the 'modal' state is released, allowing VBA to run commands and API functions again, the InputBox has gone away.
Fortunately, a workaround was discovered in October 2003 by 'manish1239', who posted an ingenious hack on Xtreme Visual Basic Talk: he put the code you need to run in a VBA function that runs around that waiting state, using a delayed callback from an API Timer.
I used his code to set 'PasswordChars' in a VBA InputBox: it's an API call that needs the InputBox window handle, and you can adapt the code for your needs
Public Function InputBoxPassword(Prompt As String, _ Optional Default As String = vbNullString, _ Optional XPos, Optional YPos, _ Optional HelpFile, Optional HelpContext _ ) As String On Error Resume Next ' Replicates the functionality of a VBA InputBox function, with the user's ' typed input displayed as asterisks. The 'Title' parameter for the dialog ' caption is hardcoded as "Password Required" in this implementation.
' REQUIRED function: TimerProcInputBox ' REQUIRED API declarations: FindWindow, FindWindowEx, SetTimer, KillTimer
' Nigel Heffernan, January 2015,
' **** **** **** *** THIS CODE IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN **** **** **** ****
' Based on code posted by user 'manish1239' in Xtreme Visual Basic Talk in ' October 2003 http://www.xtremevbtalk.com/archive/index.php/t-112708.html
' Coding notes: we send the 'Set PasswordChar' message to the textbox edit ' window in the VBA 'InputBox' dialog. This isn't a straightforward task: ' InputBox is synchronous, a 'Modal Dialog' which leaves our application's ' VBA code in a waiting state at the exact moment we need to call the Send ' Message API function. So it runs by a delayed callback from an API Timer
' Warning: many of the 64-bit API declarations posted online are incorrect ' and none of them are correct for the pointer-safe Timer API Functions.
On Error Resume Next
SetTimer 0&, 0&, 10&, AddressOf TimerProcInputBox
InputBoxPassword = InputBox(Prompt, _ PASSBOX_INPUT_CAPTION, _ Default, _ XPos, YPos, _ HelpFile, HelpContext)
End Function
#If VBA7 And Win64 Then ' 64 bit Excel under 64-bit windows ' Use LongLong and LongPtr ' Note that wMsg is always the WM_TIMER message, which fits in a Long Public Sub TimerProcInputBox(ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal wMsg As Long, _ ByVal idEvent As LongPtr, _ ByVal dwTime As LongLong) On Error Resume Next
' REQUIRED for Function InputBoxPassword ' https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/windows/desktop/ms644907(v=vs.85).aspx KillTimer hWndIbox, idEvent Dim hWndIbox As LongPtr ' Handle to VBA InputBox hWndIbox = FindWindowEx(FindWindow("#32770", PASSBOX_INPUT_CAPTION), 0, "Edit", "") If hWndIbox <> 0 Then SendMessage hWndIbox, EM_SETPASSWORDCHAR, Asc("*"), 0& End If End Sub
#ElseIf VBA7 Then ' VBA7 in 32-Bit Office ' Use LongPtr only
Public Sub TimerProcInputBox(ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal wMsg As Long, _ ByVal idEvent As LongPtr, _ ByVal dwTime As Long) On Error Resume Next ' REQUIRED for Function InputBoxPassword ' https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/windows/desktop/ms644907(v=vs.85).aspx Dim hWndIbox As LongPtr ' Handle to VBA InputBox KillTimer hwnd, idEvent hWndIbox = FindWindowEx(FindWindow("#32770", PASSBOX_INPUT_CAPTION), 0, "Edit", "") If hWndIbox <> 0 Then SendMessage hWndIbox, EM_SETPASSWORDCHAR, Asc("*"), 0& End If End Sub
#Else ' 32 bit Excel
Public Sub TimerProcInputBox(ByVal hwnd As Long, _ ByVal wMsg As Long, _ ByVal idEvent As Long, _ ByVal dwTime As Long) On Error Resume Next ' REQUIRED for Function InputBoxPassword ' https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/windows/desktop/ms644907(v=vs.85).aspx Dim hWndIbox As Long ' Handle to VBA InputBox KillTimer hwnd, idEvent hWndIbox = FindWindowEx(FindWindow("#32770", PASSBOX_INPUT_CAPTION), 0&, "Edit", "") If hWndIbox <> 0 Then SendMessage hWndIbox, EM_SETPASSWORDCHAR, Asc("*"), 0& End If End Sub
#End If
You'll need the following declarations:
Option Explicit Option Private Module #If VBA7 And Win64 Then ' 64 bit Excel under 64-bit windows ' Use LongLong and LongPtr
Private Declare PtrSafe Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _ (ByVal hWnd1 As LongPtr, _ ByVal hWnd2 As LongPtr, _ ByVal lpsz1 As String, _ ByVal lpsz2 As String _ ) As LongPtr Private Declare PtrSafe Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" _ (ByVal lpClassName As String, _ ByVal lpWindowName As String) As LongPtr Private Declare PtrSafe Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _ (ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal wMsg As Long, _ ByVal wParam As Long, _ ByRef lParam As Any _ ) As LongPtr Private Declare PtrSafe Function SetTimer Lib "user32" _ (ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal nIDEvent As LongPtr, _ ByVal uElapse As Long, _ ByVal lpTimerFunc As LongPtr _ ) As Long Public Declare PtrSafe Function KillTimer Lib "user32" _ (ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal nIDEvent As LongPtr _ ) As Long
#ElseIf VBA7 Then ' VBA7 in 32-Bit Office ' Use LongPtr only, LongLong is not available
Private Declare PtrSafe Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _ (ByVal hWnd1 As LongPtr, _ ByVal hWnd2 As LongPtr, _ ByVal lpsz1 As String, _ ByVal lpsz2 As String _ ) As LongPtr Private Declare PtrSafe Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" _ (ByVal lpClassName As String, _ ByVal lpWindowName As String) As LongPtr Private Declare PtrSafe Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _ (ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal wMsg As Long, _ ByVal wParam As Long, _ ByRef lParam As Any _ ) As LongPtr Private Declare PtrSafe Function SetTimer Lib "user32" _ (ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal nIDEvent As Long, _ ByVal uElapse As Long, _ ByVal lpTimerFunc As LongPtr) As LongPtr Private Declare PtrSafe Function KillTimer Lib "user32" _ (ByVal hwnd As LongPtr, _ ByVal nIDEvent As Long) As Long
#Else ' 32 bit Excel
Private Declare Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _ (ByVal hWnd1 As Long, _ ByVal hWnd2 As Long, _ ByVal lpsz1 As String, _ ByVal lpsz2 As String _ ) As Long Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" _ (ByVal lpClassName As String, _ ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _ (ByVal hwnd As Long, _ ByVal wMsg As Long, _ ByVal wParam As Long, _ ByRef lParam As Any _ ) As Long Private Declare Function SetTimer Lib "user32" _ (ByVal hwnd As Long, _ ByVal nIDEvent As Long, _ ByVal uElapse As Long, _ ByVal lpTimerFunc As Long) As Long Public Declare Function KillTimer Lib "user32" _ (ByVal hwnd As Long, _ ByVal nIDEvent As Long) As Long
#End If
Private Const PASSBOX_INPUT_CAPTION As String = "Password Required" Private Const EM_SETPASSWORDCHAR As Long = &HCC Private Const NV_INPUTBOX As Long = &H5000&
I posted this up on my blog, Excellerando, under the heading:
.
As always,watch out for unwanted line breaks in the code.