XL: Odd Screen Behavior When AutoShape Has Dashed Border

ID: Q170827

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

If you select a cell that is "behind" a drawing object or AutoShape, the cell selection cursor may not be displayed correctly or may not be displayed at all. Also, if you make changes to any of the cells behind the AutoShape, the screen may not be redrawn correctly.

As a result, it may be difficult for you to determine which cell is selected or to drag or fill cells behind the AutoShape.

NOTE: The cell selection cursor is the thick border that surrounds the selected cell in a worksheet. Usually, a small square called a fill handle is displayed at the lower-right corner of the cell selection cursor.

CAUSE

These problems occur if the following conditions are true:

The AutoShape is formatted to use no fill (it is transparent).
```
    -and-
```

The AutoShape is formatted to use a dashed line of one of the following types:

      Dash        Long Dash Dot
      Dash Dot    Long Dash Dot Dot
      Long Dash

NOTE: This problem does not occur in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel.

WORKAROUND

To work around these problem, format the AutoShape to use one of the following dashed line types:

   Solid
   Round Dot
   Square Dot

To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the worksheet, right-click the border of the AutoShape. On the

   shortcut menu, click Format AutoShape.

2. Click the Colors And Lines tab.

3. In the Dashed list box, select one of the first three items (Solid,

   Round Dot, or Square Dot).

4. Click OK.

If you cannot change the formatting of your AutoShape, you can still determine which cell that is behind the AutoShape is selected by looking in the Name box, which is located to the left of the Formula Bar and just below the File menu.

Note that the mouse pointer will still behave correctly when you move it over the cells behind the AutoShape. Because of this, it is still possible to drag or fill cells behind the AutoShape, as long as you know what cells are selected and you know what the various pointer shapes mean. For example, if the pointer is a small plus sign, the pointer is over the lower-right corner of the selected cell, so you can fill the cell.

STATUS

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

Additional query words: XL97

Keywords          : kbui xlui 
Version           : WINDOWS:97; MACINTOSH:98
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbbug

Last Reviewed: January 7, 1999