WD98: Object Not a Collection Error in SynonymInfo.MeaningList

ID: Q184625

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications MeaningList property, you may receive the following error message:

   Run-time error '451': Object not a collection.

CAUSE

You may be setting and using an object variable in conjunction with the MeaningList property as in the following example Visual Basic for Applications code

   Set oSynonymInfo = ActiveDocument.Content.SynonymInfo

and then calling the property as follows:

   Msgbox oSynonymInfo.MeaningList(1)

Because Visual Basic for Applications treats the "(1)" in "MeaningList(1)" as a parameter being passed to MeaningList rather than as an index to the MeaningList array, the error described in the "Symptoms" section of this article may occur.

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 the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/

To work around this problem, access the MeaningList array directly without first setting it to a variable. The following two examples successfully use the MeaningList property to return the meaning of a word from the thesaurus.

Example 1

The following sample macro allows you to index the array:

   Sub TellMeaning()
      'Insert a word into the active document
      ' removing all other text.
      ActiveDocument.Content.Text = "pretty"

      'Display the first meaning of the word in the document.
      MsgBox ActiveDocument.Content.SynonymInfo.MeaningList(1)
   End Sub

Example 2

The following sample macro returns the first synonym for the selected text and traps the error if the word has no definition in the thesaurus.

   Sub TellMeaning()

      On Error Resume Next
      ' Display the first meaning of the word in the document.
      MsgBox Selection.Range.SynonymInfo.MeaningList(1)

      ' Check for likely automation errors.
      If Err.Number = 9 Then  'SUBSCRIPT OUT OF RANGE
         ' Describe what happened. Then clear the Err object.
         MsgBox "No Definition"
         Err.Clear   ' Clear Err object fields.
      End If

   End Sub

For more information about the MeaningList property, from the Visual Basic Editor, click the Office Assistant, type "MeaningList," click Search, and then click to view "MeaningList 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: Q176476
   TITLE     : OFF: Office Assistant Not Answering Visual Basic Questions

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

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

   ARTICLE-ID: Q181058
   TITLE     : OFF98: 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:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for
               Applications

Additional query words: wordcon vb vba vbe

Keywords          : kbdta kbdtacode OffVBA kbmacroexample macword98 
Version           : MACINTOSH:98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Hardware          : MAC
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: April 7, 1999