XL97: Pressing ALT+F11 May Not Start the Visual Basic Editor

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 97, when you press ALT+F11, you cannot start or switch to the Visual Basic Editor.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if an ActiveX control on a worksheet has the focus when you press ALT+F11.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, use either of the following workarounds.

Method 1: Use the Macro Command

To start or switch to the Visual Basic Editor when an ActiveX control has the focus, point to Macro on the Tools menu, and then click Visual Basic Editor.

NOTE: When you point to Macro on the Tools menu, the Alt+F11 key combination appears next to the Visual Basic Editor command. However, this key combination does not work when an ActiveX control has the focus.

Method 2: Shift the Focus Away from the ActiveX Control

You can also click a cell on the worksheet so that the ActiveX control no longer has the focus. Then, press ALT+F11 to start or switch to the Visual Basic Editor.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel 97 you can add ActiveX controls to worksheets for making custom applications. The ActiveX controls that you can add to a worksheet are displayed on the Control Toolbox toolbar. To display the Control Toolbox toolbar, point to Toolbars on the View menu, and then click Control Toolbox.

REFERENCES

For more information about ActiveX controls, click the Index tab in Microsoft Visual Basic Help, type the following text

   activex