Opening "On-Screen Keyboard" in Windows 8 using VBA

**wscottd** · 06-11-2013, 12:55 AM

I'm trying to open the MS On-Screen keyboard from an Excel user form using a command button. This is on a Windows 8 32 bit OS using Excel 2010. The code below works in windows 7 but not in Windows 8 for some reason
code:

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but when I transfer the form to the windows 8 machine I receive an error. I have also tried several other codes but I continue to receive the error "Invalid procedure call or argument".

has anyone been able to open the windows 8 On-Screen Keyboard using vba

Thanks
Scott

**MarvinP** · 06-11-2013, 01:20 AM

Hi Scott,

After some searching and trying I get this answer.

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Look on : http://www.vbaexpress.com/forum/arch...p/t-34397.html where there are a few different attempts to make it work.

**wscottd** · 06-11-2013, 10:48 AM

Thanks for the response Marvin.

I tried the code you were kind enough to provide and receive the error "sub or function not defined"
I also tried tried the code from the linked site. Also would not work.

osk does exist in the specified location and the on-screen keyboard can be opened. Just not through vba!

I wonder what changed that it works perfectly under windows 7 but not windows 8?

I've spent hours trying to figure this out obviously without success.

**romperstomper** · 06-11-2013, 11:56 AM

It's a UAC issue - the ShellExecute code in Marvin's link should work for you.

**wscottd** · 06-11-2013, 04:29 PM

Thanks for the response RS,

I reset my user account control to the lowest setting (never notify) but it still won't function. This was not an issue with Win7 but Win8 =):

Is there another setting in the UAC other than the lowest security setting that should be used?

This shouldn't be this hard.

**romperstomper** · 06-11-2013, 04:54 PM

The ShellExecute code worked for me in Win 8 as provided in that link. I have not, as far as I recall, altered the UAC on this machine - using other methods pops up a prompt confirming whether to run the keyboard, but the ShellExecute simply works. (I am however using an admin account)

**wscottd** · 06-11-2013, 09:43 PM

I was able to get the code to work! I had to add "ActiveWorkbook" for it to work. Without it I received "Sub or Function not defined"

The code functioned both in this format

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and this also worked

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Written this way, I do receive the MS Warning that some files can contain viruses etc. Would you like to open this file? which is annoying, but it does open the keyboard!

Thank you Marvin and RS, I doubt I (ok, never) would have ever figured this out without your help.