Searchable employee directory with data grid, department filtering, and tab-based navigation.
The Challenge
Finding information about colleagues — their department, title, email, phone number — should not require scrolling through a massive spreadsheet. This employee directory form provides a searchable, filterable interface that makes looking up employee information fast and intuitive.
What This Tool Does
The top of the form features a horizontal tab bar with four sections: Directory, Departments, Reports, and Settings. Each tab includes a Unicode icon for visual clarity. The active tab (Directory) is highlighted with a teal bottom accent bar, following the same design convention used in web browser tabs.
Below the tabs, a search bar and department filter dropdown let users narrow results instantly. A record count (“Showing 12 of 48 employees”) updates dynamically as filters are applied, providing immediate feedback. The search functionality works across all visible columns, so users can search by name, department, title, email, or phone number.
The main data grid displays employee records in a table format with alternating row colors for readability. Column headers (Name, Department, Title, Email, Phone) are displayed on a gray background, and the selected row is highlighted in light blue. Names are bold and emails appear in blue, mimicking the look of a professional web-based directory.
Technical Details
A status bar at the bottom shows the total displayed count and last update timestamp on the left, with the currently selected employee’s name and department on the right. View and Save buttons on the left and Close on the right complete the interface.
This form demonstrates that label-based data grids in VBA can look as clean as any web application table. The technique of using individual labels for each cell (rather than a ListBox) provides complete control over formatting, colors, and font styles per cell.
Technologies Used
Excel VBA · UserForm Design · Data Grid Layout · Search and Filter · Tab Navigation
Need a Searchable Data Browser?
Employee directories, product catalogs, inventory lookups — if your team needs to search and browse data, we can build a clean interface for it. → Start a Project