Article ID: 166272
Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q166272
SYMPTOMS
When you update a formula field in a table, the result is incorrect if
the following are true:
- The number of summed rows in the table is greater than 85.
-and-
- The range specified in the formula is (ABOVE) or (BELOW).
NOTE: The SUM and COUNT formulas can use the (ABOVE) and (BELOW) ranges.
When you use a Visual Basic for Applications procedure that uses the
AutoSum Method to insert the formula field, the following error appears
in place of the formula field when the number of summed rows total more
than 85:
!Unexpected End of Formula
CAUSE
This problem occurs when a finite length string is overrun because too many
cells are referenced in the formula. The field =Sum(Above) is translated
to =Sum(a1+b1+c1...) and eventually it gets too long for the string.
WORKAROUND
Use one of the following methods to workaround this problem:
Method 1 - Specify a range cell reference in the formula
- On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the View tab.
- Under Show, click to select the Field Codes check box.
- Click OK.
The formula field looks similar to the following:
- Type a cell reference in the field. Change your field so that it
looks similar to the following:
where A1 and A87 represent the first and last cells in the range.
- Press F9.
The field updates.
- On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the View tab.
- Under Show, click to clear the Field Codes check box.
- Click OK.
Method 2
Create subtotals, and then reference the subtotals to create a grand total.
Method 3
Use Excel to calculate totals.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
This problem was corrected in Word 2000.
Additional query words: 8.0
Keywords: kbbug kbfaq kbfield kbtable kbusage KB166272