Combobox User Form - Select 1 of Excels 56 Colours - Build Array from Colour Index

[ecade]

Hi,
First Post for me.

Thanks to all of you folks who check these forms and help out. I'm a student learning VBA and programming for the first time, the hair pulling and stress becomes quite fun after a few weeks, but if it wasn't for these forums it wouldn't, it would suck, a lot.

I am stuck, not looking for the answer just the direction.

Everyone know the game DOTS? I am building this in VBA, one of my userforms has a combo box where players can select the board colours for the game.

I want to populate this list with the 56 colours of the excel colour index. How does excel store the values in the colour index, is it as an array, is the array two dimensional or how does excel convert the Names of the colour index to numbers (like black = 1, the colorindex = 1 and somehwere excel has it written that 1 is black...where is this rainbow?)

I thought maybe I'd be lucky and the code would something like:
' In Module build array:
' option base 1 is on

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and then in the userform
userform_initialize()

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Logically, I can see several flaws (like what would the combobox be populated with, number 1 to 56, names etc...)

I've searched many forums and many posts about the colorIndex but they are too basic for even this basic question.

Thanks for reading, feedback, hints, etc... are welcome, please do not post the solution code though, I can't learn from copying as well as I can learn from problem solving...just looking for a hint or well to know if my plan is even possible.

[Arkadi]

hi ecade welcome to the forum
Firstly, in the first code, you have a for loop. In it you assign the colorindex(i) to an array but not sure it is necessary since you could, in the initialize form just loop through colorindex instead of the array you build? If you do want to populate the array, then ColorIndex probably should not have a "." in front, since the . would mean the colorindex of something (and I don't see a "with", not just the colorindex(i). I'm also not sure it is possible at all since colorindex is a property, not a "value" as such.

[mikerickson]

I would use a different approach.
Rather than the user picking a ColorIndex, I would assign each game element its own color index and let the user change the color that that index represents.

Note that Workbook.Colors(i) returns the RGB value of ColorIndex i.
The value of Colors(i) can be changed either with hard-coded values or with the Application.Dialog(xlDialogEditColors)

In the attached user form, Label1 is always ColorIndex 51 (although the user can change what color 51 represents). Label2 is ColorIndex 52. The Firmset Color button sets those indexes to predetermined colors (in this case red and blue).

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[ecade]

Thanks Arkadi for the reply, I have played around for a bit and I think you are right and won't work in this way. Its ok, luckily the wheel has been designed I just need to understand how to refit it my tires.