OFF4: Run-time error '440' Creating OLE Automation Object

• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for the Power Macintosh, version 6.0
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for the Power Macintosh, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you use a Visual Basic procedure to create a Microsoft Word OLE Automation object, you may receive the following error message:

   Run-time error '440':

   OLE Automation error

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because OLE Automation does not work between a Power Macintosh version of an application, such as Microsoft Excel version 5.0 for the Power Macintosh, and a Macintosh version of an application, such as Microsoft Word 6.0 for the Macintosh.

For example, the following line in a Visual Basic procedure in Microsoft Excel 5.0 for the Power Macintosh returns an error if you have installed Microsoft Word 6.0 for the Macintosh:

   Set Word = CreateObject("Word.Basic")

WORKAROUND

To avoid the above behavior, you must run only the Power Macintosh versions of applications, or only the Macintosh (68K) versions of applications.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q123959
   TITLE     : Can't Drag Item from 68K Application to PowerMac Application

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119139
   TITLE     : Cannot Edit Word 6.0 for Mac Document Object in Place

REFERENCES

For more information about the CreateObject Function, choose the Search button in the MS Excel Visual Basic Help and type:

   CreateObject