XL97: Chart Activation with Macro Changes Selection

ID: Q157558

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you run a macro that activates and deactivates a chart, the chart remains selected.

If your macro expects that the selection before the chart activation will remain selected when the chart is deactivated, your macro may fail or may not perform as it did in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel.

CAUSE

In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, programmatically activating an embedded chart does not select the chart. The selection remains on the range or object on the worksheet that was selected before the chart was activated.

This behavior has changed in Microsoft Excel 97. In Microsoft Excel 97, programmatically activating a chart will select the chart area. Thus, when the chart is deactivated, it remains selected.

This change in functionality may cause problems with code that expects the selection to remain as it was before the chart activation.

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel.

WORKAROUND

To programmatically deactivate and deselect an embedded chart, you must select another object on the worksheet.

MORE INFORMATION

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 the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. 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/

In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, you could use the following line in a macro to restore the selection before the chart is activated:

   ActiveWindow.Visible = False

In Microsoft Excel 97, you can use the following macro example to restore the worksheet selection after the chart is deactivated. This macro demonstrates how you can store the selection before activating an embedded chart and how to restore that selection and deactivate the chart.

Sub ChartSelection()

    Dim myobj As Object

    'Save the current selection in the object variable "myobj".
    Set myobj = Selection

    'Activate the embedded chart.
    ActiveSheet.ChartObjects(1).Activate

    'Restore the selection.
    myobj.Select

End Sub

Additional query words: XL97 8.0 8.00 de-activate runtime error
Keywords          : kbprg kbdta kbdtacode KbVBA xlchart 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: May 18, 1999