VBA Padlock 2026.1: Enums, GoTo, Unicode, and More

VBA Padlock 2026.1 is here. This release focuses on one goal: making it easier to compile real-world VBA projects with minimal or no modifications. We’ve added support for enumerations, full error-handling flow control, array operations, pattern matching, Unicode identifiers, and much more.

Check for Updates

VBA Padlock now includes a built-in Check for Updates feature. You’ll be notified when a new version is available and can download it directly from within the IDE — no need to visit the website manually. Stay up to date effortlessly.

Enumerations

You can now define your own Enum types with public or private visibility, explicit values, hexadecimal values, and auto-increment — just like in the VBA Editor:

Public Enum FileStatus
    fsNone = 0
    fsOpen = 1
    fsReadOnly = 2
    fsLocked = &HFF
End Enum

Private Enum Priority
    Low
    Medium
    High
End Enum

Error Handling: GoTo, Resume, Resume Next

Full error-handling flow control is now supported. Use On Error GoTo, Resume, Resume Next, and Resume <label> exactly as you would in VBA:

Function SafeDivide(a As Double, b As Double) As Variant
    On Error GoTo Handler
    SafeDivide = a / b
    Exit Function
Handler:
    SafeDivide = "Error: " & Err.Description
    Resume Next
End Function

Select Case Ranges

Case X To Y range expressions are now fully supported:

Select Case score
    Case 90 To 100
        grade = "A"
    Case 80 To 89
        grade = "B"
    Case 70 To 79
        grade = "C"
    Case Else
        grade = "F"
End Select

Array Operations

ReDim, ReDim Preserve, and Erase let you manage arrays dynamically at runtime:

Dim items() As String
ReDim items(5)
items(0) = "First"
ReDim Preserve items(10)  ' Keeps existing data
Erase items               ' Clears the array

Pattern Matching and String Operations

The Like operator brings native VBA pattern matching with *, ?, #, and [charlist] wildcards:

If fileName Like "*.xls?" Then
    ' Matches .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, etc.
End If

Also new: $-suffixed string functions (Chr$, Left$, Mid$, Right$, Trim$, Format$, and more), &H hexadecimal literals, and the integer division operator (\).

Unicode Identifiers

Use Chinese, Japanese, Cyrillic, and other Unicode characters in your variable and routine names:

Dim 日付 As String
日付 = Format$(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd")

This makes VBA Padlock accessible to a wider international audience.

MSForms Constants

Over 140 constants from the Microsoft Forms 2.0 Object Library are now available in your compiled code — fmMousePointerDefault, fmBorderStyleSingle, fmTextAlignLeft, and many more. Access them through the Templates button in VBA Padlock Studio.

Other Improvements

Debug.Print — Output debug messages during development and testing
Me keyword — Reference the current object instance from within class modules
Option Explicit handling — Correctly defaults to off (standard VBA behavior); only enforced when explicitly present in your code

Get Started

Download VBA Padlock 2026.1 and start compiling your VBA projects today. If you’re new, watch our video tutorial or follow the Quick Start Guide.

Already a registered user? Use the new Check for Updates feature in the Help menu to update directly from within VBA Padlock.