Initializing Control Properties (Word) — Word VBA Reference (2026)

Reference

You can initialize ActiveX controls at run time by using Visual Basic code in a macro. For example, you could fill a list box, set text values, or set option buttons.

The following example uses the Visual Basic AddItem method to add data to a list box named lstRegions. Then it sets the value of a text box and displays the form.

Private Sub GetUserName() 
 With UserForm1 
 .lstRegions.AddItem "North" 
 .lstRegions.AddItem "South" 
 .lstRegions.AddItem "East" 
 .lstRegions.AddItem "West" 
 .txtSalesPersonID.Text = "00000" 
 .Show 
 ' ... 
 End With 
End Sub

You can also use code in the Visual Basic Initialize event of a form to set initial values for controls on the form. An advantage to setting initial control values in the Initialize event is that the initialization code stays with the form. You can copy the form to another project, and when you run the Show method to display the dialog box, the controls will be initialized.

Private Sub UserForm_Initialize() 
 With UserForm1 
 With .lstRegions 
 .AddItem "North" 
 .AddItem "South" 
 .AddItem "East" 
 .AddItem "West" 
 End With 
 .txtSalesPersonID.Text = "00000" 
 End With 
End Sub

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