XL98: "Not Enough Memory" Error Adding Chart to Workbook

• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to add a new chart to a workbook in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition, you may receive the following error message:

   Not enough memory.

   Run-time error '1004':
   Method 'Add' of object 'Sheets' failed

CAUSE

This problem may occur if you add more than 123 or 124 charts to a workbook in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition. This is a limitation in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition.

Note that the problem may occur when you add fewer than 124 charts, especially if you use multiple fonts in worksheets in the workbook or if you use embedded charts. Also, note that if the workbook contains charts that have been added in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, the workbook may contain more than 124 charts.

WORKAROUND

You may be able to work around this limitation by clearing the Auto Scale option for fonts in charts. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Select the chart area.

2. On the Format menu, click Selected Chart Area.

3. Click the Font tab.

4. Click to clear the Auto Scale check box.

5. Click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition, there is a limit of 256 fonts that may be used by the program. When you create a chart, the chart uses two fonts if the Auto Scale check box for that chart is selected (the default behavior in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition). For example, it is possible to exceed the limit of fonts by creating a workbook that contains the objects that are listed in the following table.

   Objects                      Fonts per object         Fonts used
   ----------------------------------------------------------------

   124 chart objects            2 fonts                   248 fonts
   1 worksheet                  1 font                      1 font
   used by Microsoft Excel      6 fonts                     6 fonts

                                                   Total  255 fonts

Clearing the Auto Scale check box for each chart may allow you to extend the maximum number of charts that can be added to the workbook.