Returns the names of the specified open Microsoft Excel windows, including hidden windows. Use WINDOWS to get a list of active windows for use by other macro functions that return information about or manipulate windows, such as GET.WINDOW and ACTIVATE. The names are returned as a horizontal array of text values, in order of their appearance on your screen. The first name is the active window, the next name is the window directly under the active window, and so on.
Syntax
WINDOWS(type_num, match_text)
Type_num is a number that specifies which types of workbooks are returned by WINDOWS, according to the following table.
| Type_num | Returns window names from these types of documents |
| 1 or omitted | All windows except those belonging to add-in workbooks |
| 2 | Add-in workbooks only |
| 3 | All types of workbooks |
Match_text specifies the windows whose names you want returned and can include wildcard characters. If match_text is omitted, WINDOWS returns the names of all open windows.
Tips
You can change the output of a horizontal array to vertical with the TRANSPOSE function.
You can use WINDOWS with the INDEX function to select individual window names from the array for use in other functions that take window names as arguments.
You can use the COLUMNS functions to count the number of entries in the array, which is the number of windows.
Examples
If the active window, named BOOK1, is on top of a window named MACROS:2, which is on top of a window named MACROS:1, then:
WINDOWS() equals {"BOOK1", "MACROS:2", "MACROS:1"}
Related Functions
ACTIVATE Switches to a window
DOCUMENTS Returns the names of the specified open workbooks
GET.WINDOW Returns information about a window
NEW.WINDOW Creates a new window for an existing sheet or macro sheet
ON.WINDOW Runs a macro when you switch to a window
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