Understanding `MsgBox` in Visual Basic

The MsgBox function in Visual Basic and VB6 is used to display a message dialog box to the user. It can show text, icons, and buttons, and can return a value indicating which button the user clicked.

In VB.NET, MsgBox still exists for compatibility, but the recommended function is MessageBox.Show from the .NET Framework.

Basic VB6 Example


Private Sub Command1_Click()
    MsgBox "Hello, World"
End Sub

This displays a simple message box with an OK button.

VB6 Example With Buttons


Dim response As Integer
response = MsgBox("Do you want to continue?", vbYesNo + vbQuestion)

If response = vbYes Then
    MsgBox "Continuing..."
Else
    MsgBox "Cancelled."
End If

VB.NET Equivalent

In VB.NET, you can still use MsgBox, but MessageBox.Show is preferred:


MessageBox.Show("Hello, World")

Common `MsgBox` Button Options

Constant	Description
`vbOKOnly`	Displays an OK button
`vbOKCancel`	OK and Cancel buttons
`vbYesNo`	Yes and No buttons
`vbYesNoCancel`	Yes, No, and Cancel buttons
`vbRetryCancel`	Retry and Cancel buttons

Common `MsgBox` Icon Options

Constant	Icon
`vbInformation`	Information icon
`vbExclamation`	Warning icon
`vbCritical`	Error icon
`vbQuestion`	Question mark icon

Return Values

MsgBox returns an integer representing the user's choice:

Constant	Value	User Clicked
`vbOK`	1	OK
`vbCancel`	2	Cancel
`vbYes`	6	Yes
`vbNo`	7	No

When to Use `MsgBox`

To display simple alerts or messages
To ask the user a Yes/No/Cancel question
To show warnings or error messages
To handle quick user decisions without creating custom UI

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Understanding MsgBox in Visual Basic