XL97: Cannot Use Object Box When Multiple Controls Are Selected

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you click the Object box in the Properties window (click Properties on the Control Toolbox toolbar) in Microsoft Excel 97, no controls or objects are listed.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:

• You insert two or more controls on a worksheet or UserForm.

      -and-
  

• You select two or more of the controls.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, select a single control in the Object box. To do this, first deselect all selected controls by clicking anywhere in the worksheet or in the UserForm. After you deselect the controls, you can use the Object box to select a single control.

STATUS

This behavior is consistent with the behavior of the Object box in the Properties window in Microsoft Visual Basic version 4.0. This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel 97.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel 97, you can use either of the following methods to display the Properties window.

Method 1: a Worksheet or Chart Sheet Is Active

On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and click Control Toolbox. Then, click the Properties tool in the Control Toolbox.

Method 2: the Visual Basic Editor Is Active

On the View menu, click Properties Window. Or, press F4.

The Object box is the list box located at the top of the Properties window.

Normally, you can use the Object box to select a single control in a worksheet or UserForm. However, if you select two or more controls by holding down CTRL or SHIFT, and then clicking the controls, you cannot use the Object box to select or switch to a single control. When you click the Object box, a thin black line appears below the Object box but no controls are listed.

NOTE: If you make any changes to the Properties window when multiple controls are selected, the changes are applied to all of the selected controls.