XL98: Unable to Rotate AutoShapes While in Edit Mode

• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you try to maneuver or position an AutoShape object, the Free Rotate toolbar button, and the Rotate Or Flip and Nudge commands on the Draw menu may be unavailable.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you work with an AutoShape object and you are in edit mode (the pointer is blinking within the object).

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem and change the orientation of an AutoShape, select the object but do not use edit mode. To select an AutoShape object without using edit mode, follow these steps:

1. If you are currently in edit mode, click any cell in the worksheet.

   NOTE: If the pointer is blinking within an AutoShape, you are in edit mode.

2. Move the mouse pointer over the border of the object, and then click once to select the object.

   The Free Rotate toolbar button and the Rotate Or Flip and the Nudge commands on the Draw menu become available.

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

When you rotate or flip an AutoShape object that already contains text, the text is not rotated or flipped with the object. In addition, some objects that you import into Microsoft Excel cannot be rotated or flipped. This behavior occurs because the objects were not created in Microsoft Excel. Also, you cannot rotate or flip bitmaps that you paste in the worksheet.

REFERENCES

For more information about rotating objects, click Contents And Index on the Help menu (or on the Balloon Help menu if you are using a version of the Macintosh operating system earlier than 8.0), click the Index button in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

   rotating graphics