XL5: Name Value Not Updated If Worksheet Not Active

 Last reviewed: January 3, 1997
Article ID: Q111903
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, if you use a defined name in a formula on a worksheet, and then change the value of that name when the active sheet is not a worksheet, the value of the defined name is not updated on the worksheet.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Excel for Windows version 5.0c.

WORKAROUND

To update the value of a defined name in a formula on a worksheet when you change the value of the defined name, do either of the following:

  • If you change the value of a defined name in a Visual Basic procedure, activate a worksheet in the workbook before you change the value of the name, as in the following example: 

          Sub Change_Name()
         ' Activate Sheet1
         Sheets("Sheet1").Select
         ' Define name with value 5
         ' or change value of existing name to 5
         ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add Name:="Test", RefersTo:="=5"
      End Sub

   -or-
  • To manually recalculate the sheet, activate the sheet that contains the formula and press F9.

Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic 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. This Visual Basic procedure is provided 'as is' and Microsoft does not guarantee that it can be used in all situations. Microsoft does not support modifications of this procedure to suit customer requirements for a particular purpose. Note that a line that is preceded by an apostrophe introduces a comment in the code--comments are provided to explain what the code is doing at a particular point in the procedure. Note also that an underscore character (_) indicates that code continues from one line to the next. You can type lines that contain this character as one logical line or you can divide the lines of code and include the line continuation character. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications programming style, see the "Programming Style in This Manual" section in the "Document Conventions" section of the "Visual Basic User's Guide."

MORE INFORMATION

When you define a name on a workbook using the Define Name dialog box or the Names box, the value of any new or changed name on the workbook is updated and the new value appears in any formula in which it is used. However, if you change the value of a defined name on the workbook while a worksheet is not the active sheet, the workbook is not recalculated and the value of a defined name is not updated in any formula in which it appears.

KBCategory: kbprb
KBSubcategory:

Additional reference words: 5.00



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Last reviewed: January 3, 1997
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