XL97: Application.SendKeys Does Not Wait for Key Processing

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

SYMPTOMS

When you use the SendKeys method to send keystrokes to the active application, and you specify True for the Wait argument so that the keystrokes are processed before control is returned to the macro, the macro continues without waiting for the keystrokes to be processed.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you use the Sendkeys method for the Microsoft Excel Application object instead of the Visual Basic for Applications Sendkeys statement.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic for Applications procedures 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. The Visual Basic procedures in this article are provided 'as is' and Microsoft does not guarantee that they can be used in all situations. While Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular macro, they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality, nor will they help you construct macros to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to consult one of the Microsoft Solution Providers. Solution Providers offer a wide range of fee-based services, including creating custom macros. For more information about Microsoft Solution Providers, call Microsoft Customer Information Service at (800) 426-9400.

When you set the Wait argument to True using either of these functions, you expect Microsoft Excel to wait for the keys to be processed before returning control to the macro.

When the following Visual Basic for Applications SendKeys statement is executed, the {Enter} keystroke command is processed before the next line in the macro is executed:

   SendKeys String:="{Enter}", Wait:=True

   Application.SendKeys Keys:="{Enter}", Wait:=True

RESOLUTION

If you require that the keystrokes be processed before control is returned to your macro, use the Visual Basic for Application SendKeys statement.

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.