XL97: How to Control Object Placement in Microsoft Excel 97

ID: Q168651

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Excel 97, you can control how charts, drawing objects, AutoShapes, controls, and other objects contained in a worksheet are attached to the cells below them. This article explains how to set the Placement property for objects in your worksheets.

MORE INFORMATION

Objects in worksheets can be attached to the cells below them using three different placement styles:

   Placement                        Placement
   Style                            Value       xlConstant
   -----------------------------------------------------------
   Move and size with cells         1           xlMoveAndSize
   Move but don't size with cells   2           xlMove
   Don't move or size with cells    3           xlFreeFloating

You can control how objects are attached to cells by using the Format dialog box, the Properties window, or by using Visual Basic macro code.

Using the Format Dialog Box to Control Placement

To format an object's placement style, follow these steps:

1. Select the object.

2. On the Format menu, click the first item. The name of the item

   corresponds to the type of object that is selected: for example,
   AutoShape, Control, Selected Chart Area, and so on.

3. Select the Properties tab.

4. In the Object Positioning section, click the option button for the

   placement style that you want to use.

5. Click OK.

Using the Properties Window to Control Placement

This method applies only to controls contained in a worksheet. You cannot use this method to format the placement style of other types of objects.

1. Using the right mouse button (right-click), click the control. On the

   shortcut menu, click Properties.

2. In the Properties window, double-click Placement. The number to the

   right of Placement will be selected.

3. Type the appropriate placement value (shown in the table above) for

   the control. Then, press ENTER.

Note that if the Properties window is already visible, it is not necessary to right-click the control. Just select the control, and then double-click Placement to change its placement style.

If you set an invalid Placement value, you receive the following error message:

   Unable to set the Placement property of the OLEObject class

In Microsoft Excel 97, the only valid Placement values are 1, 2, and 3.

Using Visual Basic Code to Control Placement

You can use the Placement Property in Visual Basic for Applications to control the placement style of an object. Here are some examples of how to do this:

   'A control.
   ActiveSheet.Shapes("CommandButton1").Placement = xlMoveAndSize

   'An embedded chart.
   ActiveSheet.ChartObjects("Chart 4").Placement = xlMove

   'A drawing object or AutoShape.
   ActiveSheet.Shapes("Rectangle 3").Placement = xlFreeFloating

REFERENCES

For more information about object placement in Microsoft Excel 97, click the Office Assistant, type the words "object placement", without quotation marks, and press ENTER. Then, click the button labeled "Prevent objects from moving and sizing with cells".

Additional query words: 97 XL97

Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: October 31, 1998