XL: Unable to Set Formula Property of a Dialog Sheet Button

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for NT, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 5.0, 5.0a

SYMPTOMS

If you have a macro that attempts to set the formula property of a button on a dialog sheet, it may fail, and the following error message will be displayed:

   Run time error '1005'
   Unable to set the formula property of the button class.

WORKAROUND

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/default.asp

Method 1:   Use Visual Basic for applications code to change the button's
            text property. To do this use the following example code:

             DialogSheets("Dialog1").Buttons("Button 1").Text =
             Worksheets("Sheet1").Range("A1").Text

            where Dialog1 is the name of your dialog sheet, Button is the
            name of the button for which you are trying to change the text,
            and Sheet1, , is the name of your worksheet from which your
            Button will get its text.

            NOTE: This code will not create a linking formula to cell A1 on
            Sheet1.

Method 2:   Manually assign the formula to the button on the dialog sheet
            by doing the following:

            1. Click the button to select it.

            2. Click the formula bar.

            3. Enter the formula, for example "=Sheet!$A$1" (without
               quotation marks).

            This will create a linking formula to cell A1 on Sheet1, and
            when the contents of this cell is changed, what is displayed on
            the button is changed as well.

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

This behavior only occurs when the button is on a dialog sheet. This does not occur when the button is on a worksheet or a chart sheet.