KB157558 - XL97: Using a Macro to Activate a Chart Changes the Selection

Article ID: 157558

Article Last Modified on 11/23/2006

Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q157558

SYMPTOMS

When you run a macro that activates and deactivates a chart, the chart remains selected. If your macro "expects" that the selection from before the chart is activated will remain the selection after the chart is deactivated, it may fail or may not perform as it did in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel.

CAUSE

If you programmatically activate an embedded chart in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, the chart is not selected. The range or object that was selected before the chart was activated remains selected on the worksheet.

This behavior has changed in Microsoft Excel 97. In Microsoft Excel 97, programmatically activating a chart selects the chart area. Therefore, when the chart is deactivated, it remains selected.

This change in functionality may cause problems with code that "expects" the selection to remain as it was before the chart activation.

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel.

WORKAROUND

To programmatically deactivate and deselect an embedded chart, you must select another object on the worksheet.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact a Microsoft Certified Partner or the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about Microsoft Certified Partners, please visit the following Microsoft Web site:

https://partner.microsoft.com/global/30000104

For more information about the support options that are available and about how to contact Microsoft, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, you could use the following line in a macro to restore the selection before the chart is activated:

   ActiveWindow.Visible = False

In Microsoft Excel 97, you can use the following sample macro to restore the worksheet selection after the chart is deactivated. This macro demonstrates how you can store the selection before activating an embedded chart and how to restore that selection and deactivate the chart.

Sub ChartSelection()

    Dim myobj As Object

    'Save the current selection in the object variable "myobj".
    Set myobj = Selection

    'Activate the embedded chart.
    ActiveSheet.ChartObjects(1).Activate

    'Restore the selection.
    myobj.Select

End Sub

Additional query words: XL97 8.0 8.00 de-activate runtime error

Keywords: kbdtacode kbprb KB157558