WD2000: Visible Property to Hide a Document Is Not Hidden from Window List

ID: Q220392

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you set or change the Visible property to hide a document, the document still appears in the Windows List on the Window menu within Word. If the hidden document is activated from the Windows List, it will become the active window and be affected by current cursor movements, commands, and text entry, while remaining invisible.


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 a Microsoft Certified Solution Provider or the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about Microsoft Certified Solution Providers, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/mcsp/
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 demonstrate the problem, the following Visual Basic macro creates a new invisible document: 

Sub Test()
   Application.Documents.Add
   ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.Visible = False
End Sub
When you view the Windows List on the Window menu, the new invisible document appears as a selectable item with the symptoms listed at the beginning of this article.

To avoid this situation, Visual Basic for Applications developers should use the Visible property with due precautions and never leave an invisible document around after a code block is done processing with it. The invisible document created in the code block above can be closed without any prompt to save changes with the additional line of code in the example below:


Sub Test()
   Application.Documents.Add
   ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.Visible = False
   .
   .
   .
   ' Close the hidden document without save changes.
   ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.Close SaveChanges:=wdDoNotSaveChange 
End Sub


STATUS

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

Additional query words: vba 


Keywords          : kbdta wd2000 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug

Last Reviewed: June 15, 1999