KB165927 - WD97: BreakLink Method Deletes Object Reference

Article ID: 165927

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q165927

SYMPTOMS

When you have a Visual Basic for Applications macro that uses the BreakLink method in combination with an object reference, the following error message may appear:

Run-time error '5825': Object has been deleted

CAUSE

The link the object variable referred to no longer exists.

You receive the "Object has been deleted" message if the macro has attempted to access an object that has been deleted. The object may have been deleted deliberately, such as with the Delete method, or it may have been deleted as a side effect of another operation, such as when a frame is added around an inline shape, which deletes the original inline shape and creates a copy of it in the frame.

WORKAROUND

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

To verify that an object still exists, use the IsObjectValid method. The following example demonstrates the use of this method.

   Sub testObject()
      Dim sPIC As InlineShape
      Set sPIC = ActiveDocument.InlineShapes.Add("C:\Windows\bubbles.bmp")
      MsgBox IsObjectValid(sPIC)     ' This will display True
      sPIC.Delete
      MsgBox IsObjectValid(sPIC)     ' This will display False
   End Sub

For more information about IsObjectValid, click the Office Assistant while in the Visual Basic Editor, type IsObjectValid, click Search, and then click to view "IsObjectValid Property."

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If the Assistant is not able to answer your query, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 176476 OFF: Office Assistant Not Answering Visual Basic Questions

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

173707 OFF97: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

REFERENCES

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

163435 VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for Applications

Additional query words: wordcon vb vba vbe

Keywords: kbbug kberrmsg kbmacroexample kbnofix KB165927