XL: Cannot Define Name If Active Sheet Protected

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, if the active sheet and its contents are protected, you may not be able to do either of the following:

• Define a name by pointing to Name on the Insert menu and then clicking Define.

      -or-
  

• Add a name anywhere in the workbook by using the Visual Basic for Applications Names.Add method or the Microsoft Excel 4.0 DEFINE.NAME() macro command. This applies only to Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0.

MORE INFORMATION

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Manually Define the Name

Use the name box on the left side of the formula bar. For example, to define the new global name "Test" when the active sheet and its contents are protected:

1. Select the range to which "Test" should refer.

2. In the name box, type "Test" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER to define the name.

NOTE: To protect a worksheet and prevent names from being created using the name box, disable the formula bar.

NOTE: You cannot use this method to define a name in Microsoft Excel 97 or Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition when the active sheet is protected.

Use Code to Define the Name

Using the Names.Add method or the DEFINE.NAME() macro command to define a name, you must first activate an unprotected sheet or unprotect the active sheet.

If you want to add a defined name without unprotecting the worksheet, use code similar to the following sample Visual Basic for Applications macro.

   Sub Insert_Name()

       'This will define the range A1:A5 on the active sheet
       'to the name "test".
       ActiveSheet.Range("A1:A5").Name = "test"

   End Sub

NOTE: In Microsoft Excel versions 5.0c and later, you can use a Visual Basic subroutine or Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro to define a name on a protected worksheet without first unprotecting the worksheet. The workaround shown above is necessary only in Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0.

REFERENCES

"User's Guide," version 5.0, pages 688-692