Can't Run Macro That Calls 16-bit DLL in 32-bit MS Excel (131525)

Declare Function WritePrivateProfileString Lib "KERNEL" _

  (ByVal lpApplicationName As String, ByVal lpKeyName As String, _
  ByVal lpString As String, ByVal lplFileName As String) As Integer
 
Sub ErrorIf32Bit()
 
   Dim charsWritten As Integer
 
   ' Use 16-bit version of API function.
   ' The following two lines should be entered as one line.
 
   charsWritten = WritePrivateProfileString("sectionName", _

      "keyName", "value16", ThisWorkbook.Path & "\myfile.ini")
 
End Sub
				

RESOLUTION

NOTE: It may be possible to work around this situation by creating a macro that makes calls to the Windows application programming interface (API). This type of programming is supported by the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) and the Visual Basic, Professional Edition, support groups. The level of support you can receive from these groups depends on the individual support policies of the group. (Microsoft Support professionals may not be able to assist in specific construction of macros that use API programming.) If you have limited programming experience, you may want to consult one of the Microsoft Solution Providers. Solution Providers offer a wide range of fee-based services, including creating custom macros. For more information about Microsoft Solution Providers, call Microsoft Customer Information Service at (800) 426-9400. To modify macros you created in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 for Windows, you must modify your code to make Win32 API calls when you run the macro in a 32-bit version of Microsoft Excel. If this is not possible (for example, if you don't have access to the source code of the DLL), you must modify the macro to "thunk" through an intermediate DLL to make the 16-bit API call.

You can also modify your macro so that it is operating-system independent (that is, so the macro will run in both 16-bit and 32-bit versions of Microsoft Excel and Windows). Note however that this modification is more difficult than modifying your macro so that it will run specifically in a 16-bit or 32-bit version of Microsoft Excel.

NOTE: You do not need to modify code that uses OLE Automation or dynamic data exchange (DDE). All OLE and DDE code will continue to work regardless of whether the programs involved are 16-bit or 32-bit. OLE and DDE insulate automation calls, so all combinations of containers (clients) and servers (16/16, 16/32, 32/16, and 32/32) will work under Windows 95 and Windows NT.

Visual Basic Example

Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic for Applications procedures 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. The Visual Basic procedures in this article are provided 'as is' and Microsoft does not guarantee that they can be used in all situations. While Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular macro, they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality, nor will they help you construct macros to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to consult one of the Microsoft Solution Providers. Solution Providers offer a wide range of fee-based services, including creating custom macros. For more information about Microsoft Solution Providers, call Microsoft Customer Information Service at (800) 426-9400.

In the following example, the macro checks to see if 32-bit Windows is present and uses the appropriate API call for 16-Bit or 32-Bit Windows, whichever is detected. Note that this example does not check for the version of Microsoft Excel. The macro assumes that you are either running a 16-bit version of Microsoft Excel under a 16-bit version of Windows, or a 32-bit version of Microsoft Excel under a 32-bit version of Windows.

NOTE: The first two lines (the DECLARE statements) should be placed at the top of a module sheet, outside of any other subs or functions in the module.

Declare Function WritePrivateProfileString Lib "KERNEL32" Alias _
     "WritePrivateProfileStringA" (ByVal lpApplicationName As String, _
     ByVal lpKeyName As String, ByVal lpString As String, _
     ByVal lplFileName As String) As Long

Declare Function WritePrivateProfileString16 Lib "KERNEL" Alias _
     "WritePrivateProfileString" (ByVal lpApplicationName As String, _
     ByVal lpKeyName As String, ByVal lpString As String, _
     ByVal lplFileName As String) As Integer

Sub MultiOSExample()

   ' Because the different versions of this function return different data
   ' types, this example uses a Variant to receive the return value.

   Dim charsWritten As Variant

   ' Check to see if the string "32-bit" is contained in the name of the
   ' current operating system.

   If InStr(Application.OperatingSystem, "32-bit") Then

      ' If 32-bit is found, use 32-bit version of API function.
      ' The following two lines should be entered as one line.
      charsWritten = WritePrivateProfileString("sectionName", _
          "keyName", "value32", ThisWorkbook.Path & "\myfile.ini")

   Else

      ' If 32-bit is not found, use 16-bit version of API function.
      ' The following two lines should be entered as one line.
      charsWritten = WritePrivateProfileString16("sectionName", _
          "keyName", "value16", ThisWorkbook.Path & "\myfile.ini")

   End If

End Sub