Which SUB is calling this SUB

calendar_today Asked Jun 11, 2013
thumb_up 9 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

You can access the call stack during runtime under the menu View -> Call Stack Alternatively you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+L during runtime. This is an advisory response with reference links, ranked #51st of 95 by community upvote score, from 2013.


The Problem (Q-score 7, ranked #51st of 95 in the VBA Core archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2013

Does anyone out there know how to do a stack trace in . I’m trying to do something like:

Public Sub a()   
    Call c    
End Sub    

Public Sub b()    
    Call c    
End Sub

Public Sub c()    
    Debug.Print "Which sub has called me ?"    
End Sub

What I want to do in Sub c is to show if that has been called by Sub a or Sub b without passing any arguments. In I would simply show the stack but I have no idea if this is even possible in VBA – any thoughts ?

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 95 VBA Core entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds niche answer (below median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+9)

Advisory answer — community consensus with reference links

Note: the verified answer below is a reference / advisory response rather than a copy-ready snippet.

You can access the call stack during runtime under the menu View -> Call Stack

Alternatively you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+L during runtime.

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When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)

Ranked #51st in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 93% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the VBA Core archive for a higher-consensus alternative.

What changed between 2013 and 2026

The answer is 13 years old. The VBA Core object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.

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Frequently Asked Questions

This is a below-median answer — when does it still fit?
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Answer score +9 vs the VBA Core archive median ~4; this entry is niche. The score plus 7 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+7) means the asker and 8 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

This answer links out — what are the reference links worth following?
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Read the first external link for the canonical reference, then search this archive for a top-10 entry in the same category — advisory answers are best paired with a ranked code snippet to close the loop.

Published around 2013 — what’s changed since?
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Published 2013, which is 13 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The VBA Core object model has had no breaking changes in that window. Three things to re-test: (1) blocked macros on downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), (2) 64-bit API declarations (PtrSafe, LongPtr), (3) any shift toward Office Scripts for web scenarios.

Which VBA Core pattern ranks just above this one at #50?
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The pattern one rank above is “EXCEL VBA Timevalue format (hh:mm am/pm)”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 7, Answer-score 9, original post 2013, ranked #51st of 95 in the VBA Core archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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