General Protection Fault Using DateValue or TimeValue()

• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Project for Windows, version 4.0
• Microsoft Visual Basic Programming System, Applications Edition, version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Project, if you create a Visual Basic, Applications Edition, macro that contains a variable with a type- declaration character (for example "MyVar$"), and you use this variable as an argument in the TimeValue or DateValue functions without assigning a value to it, you may receive a general protection (GP) fault in the file OLE2DISP.DLL when you run the macro. Some of the error messages you may encounter include the following:

• Microsoft Excel for Windows:

  Excel caused a General Protection Fault in Module OLE2DISP.DLL at 0002:3C2D

• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT:

        Dr. Watson for Windows NT:
           An application error has occurred and an application error
           log is being generated.
           Excel.exe
           Exception access violation (0xc0000005), Address: 0x76eb0b41
  
  

• Microsoft Project for Windows:

        WinProj4 caused a General Protection Fault in Module OLE2DISP.DLL
        at 0002:4881
  

CAUSE

The TimeValue or the DateValue function must receive a string data type that is a valid time or date, respectively. If the variable used for the time or date argument has no value, the TimeValue or DateValue function cannot return a valid result.

WORKAROUNDS

Method 1: Use a valid value for the time or date argument.

          For more information about the definition of a valid argument for
          the TimeValue and DateValue functions, see the appropriate topic
          in Visual Basic Reference Help.

          Use a conditional statement (such as IF) to compare the value of
          the argument to "" (two quotation marks). After this
          verification, use standard error-handling as described in Help.
          For example, you can use the "On Error" statement.

          Instead of using a variable with a string type-declaration
          character (such as "MyVar$"), use DIM to declare its type, as in
          the following example:

            DIM MyVar as String

          NOTE: A "type-mismatch" error will still occur if you pass this
          variable without assigning a value to it.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Visual Basic Programming System, Applications Edition. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

REFERENCES

"Visual Basic User's Guide," version 5.0, Chapter 9

For more information, choose the Search button in Visual Basic Reference Help, and type the keyword for the topic you want to view.

   Type this keyword and
   choose Show Topics               Select a topic and choose Go To
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   errors trapping                  On Error statement
   type-declaration character       type-declaration character <definition>
   TimeValue                        TimeValue
   DateValue                        DateValue