XL: Drawing Objects Behave Differently When Clicked

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 97, if you press ALT, and then click a drawing object, a Visual Basic for Applications macro that is assigned to the drawing object does not run. Instead, the drawing object is selected.

CAUSE

Clicking a drawing object or an AutoShape behaves differently in Microsoft Excel 97 than it does in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel.

STATUS

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel 97.

MORE INFORMATION

Assigning a Macro

In Microsoft Excel, you can assign a macro to a drawing object or an AutoShape. When you click the drawing object or AutoShape, the assigned macro runs. To assign a macro to a drawing object, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the drawing object. On the shortcut menu, click Assign Macro.

2. In the Assign Macro dialog box, click a macro in the list of macros.

       -or-
   

   Type the name of the macro in the Macro Name/Reference box, and then click OK.

Clicking a Drawing Object

After you assign a macro to a drawing object or an AutoShape, you can run the macro by clicking the object. If no macro is assigned to the drawing object, clicking the drawing object selects it.

Right-Clicking a Drawing Object

If you right-click a drawing object or an AutoShape, a shortcut menu appears. The shortcut menu contains menu commands that pertain to the drawing object. If you then press ESC, the drawing object remains selected. If a macro is assigned to the drawing object, it does not run.

Pressing ALT

In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, you can run the macro that is assigned to a drawing object by pressing ALT and clicking the drawing object. In Microsoft Excel 97, doing this selects the drawing object but does not run the macro.

Pressing CTRL

In all versions of Microsoft Excel, you can select a drawing object or an AutoShape by pressing CTRL and clicking the drawing object.

Pressing SHIFT

In all versions of Microsoft Excel, if no macro is assigned to a drawing object, you can select it by pressing SHIFT and clicking the drawing object. If a macro is assigned to the drawing object, pressing SHIFT while clicking the drawing object runs the macro.