MXL5: Error Pasting to Word Document Using OLE Automation

ID: Q124384

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you use a Visual Basic procedure in Microsoft Excel to create an OLE Automation object using Microsoft Word, and you use Visual Basic commands to paste information from a worksheet in Microsoft Excel to a document in Microsoft Word, you may receive the following error message: 

   Run-time error '5003':
   Command is not available

CAUSE

The behavior occurs if you do not specifically activate the Microsoft Word application before you run the command to paste the information to a document in Microsoft Word.

Note that this behavior does not occur on the Windows platform. When you use a Visual Basic procedure in Microsoft Excel for Windows to paste information to a Microsoft Word for Windows document, you do not necessarily need to activate the Microsoft Word application before running the paste command.

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/default.asp
To avoid receiving this error message when you create a Microsoft Word OLE Automation object and paste information from a worksheet to a document in Microsoft Word, use the AppActivate command to activate the Microsoft Word application before using the paste command. The following is an example of using this method: 

   Sub PasteInformation()

      ' Define variable Word as Object type.
      Dim Word as Object
      ' Set Word variable equal to Microsoft Word object.
      Set Word = CreateObject("word.basic")

      ' Activate Sheet1 in Excel.
      Sheets("Sheet1").Activate
      ' Fill range A1:C3 with text hello.
      Range("A1:C3").Formula="hello"
      ' Copy cells A1:C3.
      Range("A1:C3").Copy
      ' Create a new file in Word.
      Word.FileNew
      Word.Insert "hello"
      ' Activate Word application.
      AppActivate "Microsoft Word"
      ' Paste information from Excel to Word document.
      Word.EditPaste

      ' Enter additional commands here.

      ' Activate Excel application.
      AppActivate "Microsoft Excel"

      ' Set Word object to nothing to free memory.
      Set word = Nothing

   End Sub

REFERENCES

For more information about the CreateObject Function, choose the Search button in MS Excel Visual Basic Help and type: 

    CreateObject
Additional query words: 5.00 5.00a 6.00 MXL5 
Keywords          : kbcode kbinterop kbprg PgmHowto AutoGnrl 
Version           : MACINTOSH:5.0
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: May 17, 1999