XL97: Problems When Selecting Error Bars With a Macro (157110)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q157110

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 97, if you use a Visual Basic for Applications macro to format either the x error bars or the y error bars within an xy scatter chart, the formatting is applied to both sets of error bars.

CAUSE

This occurs because it is not possible for a Visual Basic for Applications macro command to individually select either the x error bars or the y error bars. Selecting one set selects the other set as well.

WORKAROUND

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It is possible to select one or the other set of error bars by using a Microsoft Excel version 4.0 macro language (XLM) command within your Visual Basic subroutine.

To select the x error bars for the first series in the active chart, use the following command: 
   Application.ExecuteExcel4Macro ("SELECT(""Series 1 X Error Bars"")")


To select the y error bars for the first series in the active chart, use this command: 
   Application.ExecuteExcel4Macro ("SELECT(""Series 1 Y Error Bars"")")
After the set of error bars is selected, you can format it by using Visual Basic code similar to the following: 
   With Selection.Border
 
       .LineStyle = xlContinuous
       .ColorIndex = 3
       .Weight = xlThin
 
   End With
Or you can delete the selected set of error bars by using this Visual Basic command: 
   Selection.Delete

STATUS

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

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel 97, if you select either the x error bars or the y error bars in a chart while you record a Visual Basic for Applications macro, the following code is recorded: 
   ActiveChart.SeriesCollection(1).ErrorBars.Select
The recorded code is exactly the same, whether you select the x error bars or the y error bars.

It is not possible to individually select one or the other set of error bars unless you remove the command shown above and replace it with one of the two Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro commands shown in the Workaround section of this article.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/23/2005
Keywords:kbdtacode kbprb kbProgramming KB157110
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