Making a UserForm Semitransparent

Normally, a UserForm is opaque — it completely hides whatever is underneath it. However, you can make a UserForm semitransparent, such that the user can see the worksheet under the UserForm.

Creating a semitransparent UserForm requires a number of Windows API functions. You can set the transparency level using values that range from 0 (UserForm is invisible) to 255 (UserForm is completely opaque, as usual). Values in between 0 and 255 specify a level of semitransparency.

Figure 15-26 shows an example of a UserForm with a transparency level of 128.

This workbook is available on the companion CD-ROM. The filename is semi-transparent userform.xlsm.

What good is a semitransparent UserForm? After giving this question some thought, I came up with a potential use for this technique: creating a