XL97: Page Fault Using Formula Containing Boolean Functions (167188)

SYMPTOMS

When you enter a formula into your worksheet, one of the following error messages appears.

Microsoft Windows 95

This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

When you click Details, the following message appears:

EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in module EXCEL.EXE at <memory address>

When you click Close, the program closes.

Microsoft Windows NT

An application error has occurred and an application error log is being generated.

When you click OK or Cancel, the program closes.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you enter a formula that uses a Boolean function as a comparison operator and contains parentheses and a Boolean function. This syntax is incorrect.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, enter Boolean functions as functions not as comparison operators.

Examples

The following formulas generate the Page Fault error message described in this article and cause Microsoft Excel to close:

A1: =(B1=1) OR (B1=0)
A2: =A2="test" IF (B1=0)
A3: =(B3=1) AND (B3=2)
A4: =(B4=1) NOT (B4=0)

To resolve the problem, correct the formulas as in the following table.

    Incorrect                      Correct
   ---------------------------------------------------

   A1: =(B1=1) OR (B1=0)          A1: =OR(B1=1, B1-0)
   A2: =A2="test" IF (B1=0)       A2: =IF(B1=0, "Test")
   A3: =(B3=1) AND (B3=2)         A3: =OR(B3=1, B3=2)
   A4: =(B4=1) NOT (B4=0)         A4: =AND(B4=1, NOT(B4=0))

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem no longer occurs in Microsoft Excel 2000.

MORE INFORMATION

The following is a list of Boolean functions:

AND
FALSE
IF
NOT
OR
TRUE

You can use logical functions to see whether a condition is true or false or to check for multiple conditions. For example, you can use the IF function to determine whether a cell is equal to a particular value. One value is returned if the condition is true, and a different value is returned if the condition is false.

REFERENCES

For more information about using logical functions in formulas, click Contents And Index on the Help menu, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel 97 Help, type the following text boolean functions and then double-click the selected text to go to the "About logical functions" topic.