XL5: GET.FORMULA Doesn't Return Chart Title Text

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you use the GET.FORMULA function in a MS Excel 4.0 macro to return a chart title, no text is returned.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you use the GET.FORMULA function with the "title" argument to return a chart title as in the following example:

   =GET.FORMULA("title")

WORKAROUND

To return the title of a chart using a macro, do either of the following:

• Use the following MS Excel 4.0 macro:

        (Note that the following should be entered as one line)
        A1: =RUN("'application.activeworkbook.names.add
                 ""charttitle"",Sheets(""Chart1"").ChartTitle.Text'")
        A2: =ALERT(charttitle)
  
     -or-
  
  

• Use the Text property of the ChartTitle object in a Visual Basic procedure as in the following example:

        MsgBox (Charts("chart1").ChartTitle.Text)
  

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 version 5.0c for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the GET.FORMULA function to return the contents of a cell as it would appear in the formula bar. Although it is not documented, when you use the GET.FORMULA function with the "title" argument in Microsoft Excel version 4.0, the title of the active chart is returned.

REFERENCES

For more information about GET.FORMULA, choose the Search button in the Microsoft Excel Macro Functions Help and type:

    GET.FORMULA function