XL97: Errors If Module Contains Duplicate Subroutine Names

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you open a workbook in Microsoft Excel 97, you may receive the following error message:

   Compile error:
   Ambiguous name detected: <name of a macro>

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

   EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in module <unknown> at
   0000:00000009.

   EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in module VBA332.DLL at
   0137:651b397a.

CAUSE

The first problem occurs if a module in your workbook contains two or more subroutines with the same name. You receive the error message when you attempt to run a subroutine in the workbook, when you close the workbook, and when you open the workbook.

The second problem may occur if all of the following conditions are true:

• A module in your workbook contains two or more subroutines with the same name. One of the subroutines is the last subroutine in the module. For example:

        Sub Alpha()
            '<code goes here>
        End Sub
  
        Sub Omega()
            '<code goes here>
        End Sub
  
        Sub Alpha()   'This is the duplicate subroutine.
            '<code goes here>
        End Sub
  
      -and-
  
  

• You save and close the workbook. (NOTE: When you close the workbook, you receive the "Ambiguous name detected" error message.)

      -and-
  

• When you reopen the workbook, you delete the duplicate subroutine.

      -and-
  

• You then attempt to run a subroutine, compile the Visual Basic project by clicking Compile on the Debug menu, or save and close the workbook.

WORKAROUND

To prevent these problems from occurring, you must eliminate the duplicate subroutine names from the modules in the workbook. Because this process may cause invalid page faults to occur, it is strongly recommended that you close all open workbooks before performing these steps.

1. Open the workbook. If you receive the "Ambiguous name detected" error message, proceed to step 2. If you do not receive the error message, the workbook does not contain duplicate subroutine names, and you can close the workbook.

2. Click OK to dismiss the error message.

3. In the Code window, either rename the subroutine with the duplicate name or delete it. Repeat until each subroutine in the module has a unique name.

4. Repeat step 3 for each module in the workbook that contains duplicate subroutine names.

5. When you are finished, click Close And Return To Microsoft Excel on the File menu. Or, press ALT+F11.

6. On the File menu, click Save. Then, click Close on the File menu.

When you reopen the workbook, you should not receive the "Ambiguous name detected" error message. If you do, it may be necessary to rename all of the subroutines in the workbook.

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, a workbook can contain multiple subroutines with the same name. However, if a single Visual Basic module contains two or more subroutines with the same name, Microsoft Excel cannot distinguish between the two macros, and you will receive the "Ambiguous name detected" error message.

If the problems described in the "Symptoms" and "Cause" sections are already occurring, use the workaround described in the "Workaround" section to remove the duplicate subroutine names from the workbook. Note that in some cases, it may be necessary to rename ALL of the subroutines in your workbook in order to completely eliminate the problem.