Need help reading IE textarea using Excel 2010 VBA

Hello,

I am trying to read the value of a IE8 textarea using Excel 2010 VBA 7. The error I get is: "Object doesn't support this property or method" in relation to this line of code:
OldNotes = OldNotes.Value

I have also tried .innerText instead of .Value and get the same error.

Here is the website source that relates to the textarea:

<textarea name="ctl00$ContentPlaceHolder1$txtOldNotesIssue" rows="2" cols="20" readonly="readonly" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_txtOldNotesIssue" style="height:150px;width:98%;">Text goes here
</textarea>

Here is the VBA code I am using to try and read the text area:

'Microsoft Internet Controls Reference is needed
'Microsoft HTML Object Library Reference is needed

Public Sub ReadNotes()

    Dim objShellWins As SHDocVw.ShellWindows
    Dim objIE As SHDocVw.InternetExplorer
    Dim objDoc As Object
    Dim WebCheck As String
    Dim SuccessCheck As Integer

    WebCheck = "CATS"
    SuccessCheck = 0

    Set objShellWins = New SHDocVw.ShellWindows
    For Each objIE In objShellWins
        With objIE
            If (InStr(1, .LocationName, WebCheck, vbTextCompare)) Then
                Set objDoc = .document
                If (TypeOf objDoc Is HTMLDocument) Then
                    SuccessCheck = 1
                    objIE.Visible = True

'-----------This is the section of code I am having problems with--------------------------------------------------
    
                    Set OldNotes = objIE.document.getElementsByName("ctl00$ContentPlaceHolder1$txtOldNotesIssue")
                    OldNotes = OldNotes.Value
                    MsgBox OldNotes
                    
'------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                End If
            End If
        End With
    Next
        
    'If the CATS webpage is not found, displays an error message and stops the program
    If SuccessCheck = 0 Then
        MsgBox ("CATS webpage not found." & vbCrLf & vbCrLf _
        & "Navigate to the CATS search page and try again."), vbCritical
        End
    End If
    
End Sub

Thanks in advance,
Matt

Thanks for your suggestions, but I get the same error: "Object doesn't support this property or method".

A textarea can be defined as an Object, and .Vaule and .innerText are valid properties, correct?

I've also tried defining it as an HTMLTextArea and HTMLTextAreaElement. If I don't use "Set Oldnotes" I get an Object variable not set error, if I do use "Set Oldnotes", I get a Type mismatch error.

The script worked when the data was just in a table, but now that it's in a textarea, it doesn't. I've been trying to solve this for several days with no luck, it’s very frustrating.

Maybe this will help someone figure it out. I've attached a workbook with an example. Just click the "Read Textarea" button and it will open a webpage that has a textarea in it. It will then attempt to read the textarea and display it in a message box, but it will give the error I'm getting. For some reason I am unable to get the Value or innerText of a textarea.

If you would prefer to create a new workbook, here is the code. Just make sure you add the Microsoft Internet Controls Reference and the Microsoft HTML Object Library Reference in the visual basic editor (Tools->References) or it won't run:

'Microsoft Internet Controls Reference is needed
'Microsoft HTML Object Library Reference is needed

Public Sub ReadNotes()

    Dim objShellWins As SHDocVw.ShellWindows
    Dim objIE As SHDocVw.InternetExplorer
    Dim objDoc As Object
    Dim WebCheck As String
    Dim SuccessCheck As Integer
    Dim URL1 As String
    Dim strNotes As Object
    
    'Textarea Demonstration Webpage URL and checks to make sure webpage is open
    URL1 = "http://blogs.sitepointstatic.com/examples/tech/textarea-expander/index.html"
    WebCheck = "textarea demonstration"
    SuccessCheck = 0
    
    'Open new webpage and navigate to the "textarea demonstration" webpage
    Set objIE = New SHDocVw.InternetExplorer
    objIE.navigate URL1
    
    'Wait until internet explorer is done loading before proceeding
    Call ExplorerStatusCheck(objIE)
    
    'Check each open tab for the "textarea demonstration" webpage
    Set objShellWins = New SHDocVw.ShellWindows
    For Each objIE In objShellWins
        With objIE
            If (InStr(1, .LocationName, WebCheck, vbTextCompare)) Then
                Set objDoc = .document
                If (TypeOf objDoc Is HTMLDocument) Then
                    SuccessCheck = 1
                    objIE.Visible = True

'-----------This is the section of code I am having problems with--------------------------------------------------
                    
                    Set strNotes = objIE.document.getElementsByName("textarea1")
                    strNotes = strNotes.Value
                    MsgBox strNotes

'------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                End If
            End If
        End With
    Next
        
    'If the Textarea Demonstration webpage is not found, displays an error message and stops the program
    If SuccessCheck = 0 Then
        MsgBox ("Textarea Demonstration webpage not found." & vbCrLf & vbCrLf _
        & "Please try again."), vbCritical
        End
    End If
    
End Sub

'Wait until internet explorer is done loading before proceeding
Public Sub ExplorerStatusCheck(objIE As SHDocVw.InternetExplorer)

    With objIE
        Do While .Busy: DoEvents: Loop
        Do While .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
        Do Until .Busy = False
        Loop
        While objIE.readyState <> READYSTATE_COMPLETE
            DoEvents
        Wend
    End With

End Sub

Thanks for the help. Your suggestion worked on the example I provided. Unfortunately I still get the same error on the website I am trying to pull from. Unfortunately it's an intranet website, so I can't post the exact problem. This is a step in the right direction though. I'll keep plugging away at it and post the solution once I find it.

I think I've narrowed down the problem, but I don't know how to fix it yet. The textarea I am trying to pull a value from is in a popup radwindow. I need to figure out how to get my code to focus on the radwindow.

I'm marking this Thread as solved. The correction by AlphaFrog allows me to get the value of a textarea. My issue now is figuring out how to pull the information I need from a Child Window. I'll start a new Thread, as it is an unrelated issue.