WD2000: Document Order Changes Using Application.Visible (210005)

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Visual Basic for Applications Application.Visible command to hide Word, and then you use the command again to make Word visible, the viewable ordering of the open documents changes.

For example, if you open two documents in Word, Document1 and Document2, and then run the following Visual Basic for Applications commands while Document2 is the active document,

Sub HideShowApp()
    Application.Visible = False
    Application.Visible = True
End Sub

after the procedure has run, Document1 appears to be the active document.

Running the following commands shows that the document that was active prior to hiding and then showing Word is still the active document:

Sub HideShowApp()
   Debug.Print ActiveDocument.Name
   Application.Visible = False
   Application.Visible = True
   Debug.Print ActiveDocument.Name
End Sub

To view the results, while in the Visual Basic Editor, press CTRL+G to view the Immediate Window.

WORKAROUND

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To work around this problem, you can add the following command lines to your procedure:

Sub HideShowApp()
   Application.Visible = False
   Application.Visible = True
   If Documents.Count > 1 Then              '<- Add this line.
      Tasks(ActiveDocument.Name).Activate   '<- Add this line.
   End If                                   '<- Add this line.
End Sub

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about the Tasks object, in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type Tasks Object in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

REFERENCES

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: