Lotus Macro Interpreter Anomalies with Range Justify

ID: Q121815

4.00 4.00a 5.00 5.00c WINDOWS kb3rdparty kbmacro

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0, 5.0c

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Microsoft Excel Macro Interpreter for Lotus 1-2-3 users, if the Lotus 1-2-3 macro you run contains the Range Justify ("/RJ") command, the results you receive may not be what you expect if there are values in the rows immediately below the fill range of the justify command. Values below the left column of the fill range may be moved down several rows.

MORE INFORMATION

The Lotus 1-2-3 Range Justify ("/RJ") command performs the same functionality as the Justify command in Microsoft Excel. It will take a line of text in one cell and redistribute it evenly to a range of selected cells. The Macro Interpreter incorrectly moves text that is below the Justify range down several rows if the text nearly fills or overflows the justify range.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, write a Microsoft Excel macro to accomplish the same task the 1-2-3 macro performed, and replace the /Range Justify command with an {XLCALL} command to call the Microsoft Excel macro.

For example, if you have the following Lotus 1-2-3 macro command

   /RJ{r 3}{d 5}

(this command performs the Justify command on a 6-row by 4-column range), create a Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro to perform the same task:

   A1:  RangeJustify
   A2:  =SELECT(OFFSET(ACTIVE.CELL(),0,0,6,4))
   A3:  =JUSTIFY()
   A4:  =RETURN()

Description of macro:

   A1:  Name of the macro.
   A2:  Selects the range to justify into. The 6 and 4 on this line
        would be modified to indicate the number of rows and columns
        to justify into.
   A3:  Issues the Justify command.
   A4:  Ends the macro.

This macro may then be named and called from the 1-2-3 macro using the following command:

   {XLCALL RangeJustify}

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide," version 5.0 , Chapter 3 "Switching to Microsoft Excel from Lotus 1-2-3," packaged with Microsoft Excel version 4.0

KBCategory: kb3rdparty kbmacro KBSubcategory: xlwin

Additional reference words: 4.00 5.00

Keywords          : xlwin 
Version           : 4.00 4.00a 5.00 5.00c
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: September 15, 1996