XL97: Error Adding or Deleting a Menu Command in a Macro

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 97, if you run a Visual Basic for Applications macro that adds a command to a menu or deletes a command from a menu, you may receive the following error message:

   Run-time error '1004':
   Application-defined or object-defined error

CAUSE

This problem occurs when, in the macro command to add or delete the menu command, you specify a menu command that no longer exists, or is changed in Microsoft Excel 97.

For a list of the menu commands that are changed in Microsoft Excel 97, see the "More Information" section in this article.

WORKAROUND

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• If you use the macro only in Microsoft Excel 97, replace the earlier menu command name with the new menu command name in the macro.

      -or-
  

• If you use the macro in Microsoft Excel 5.0, 7.0, and Microsoft Excel 97, modify the macro. For example, assume that you created the following macro:

        Sub AddTest1()
  
            MenuBars(xlWorksheet).Menus("View").MenuItems.Add _
                Caption:="Test", Before:="Toolbars..."
  
        End Sub
  
  

However, the following macro works correctly in all versions of Microsoft Excel:

      Sub AddTest2()

          'Test whether you use Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 7.0.
          If Val(Application.Version) < 8 Then

              'Set the value of the variable equal to the correct menu
              'command name for Microsoft Excel 5.0 and 7.0.
              xBefore = "Toolbars..."

          'Otherwise, assume you use Microsoft Excel 97 (version 8.0).
          ElseIf Val(Application.Version) = 8 Then

              'Set the value of the variable equal to the correct menu
              'command name for Microsoft Excel 97.
              xBefore = "Toolbars"

          End If

          'Add the new command. The command works correctly because the
          'menu command name in the Before argument (the variable xBefore)
          'is correct.
          MenuBars(xlWorksheet).Menus("View").MenuItems.Add _
              Caption:="Test", Before:=xBefore

      End Sub

STATUS

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel 97.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel, in a Visual Basic macro, you can add a new menu command to a menu by using a line of code similar to the following:

   MenuBars(xlWorksheet).Menus("View").MenuItems.Add Caption:="Test", _
       Before:="Toolbars..."

You can also delete a menu command by using a line of code similar to the following:

   MenuBars(xlWorksheet).Menus("View").MenuItems("Toolbars...").Delete

The two lines of code work correctly in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel. However, they do not work correctly in Microsoft Excel 97, because the menu command "Toolbars..." is renamed Toolbars (no ellipsis).

The following menu commands are changed in Microsoft Excel 97.

                  Microsoft Excel 5.0, 7.0   Microsoft Excel 97
   Menu           menu command               menu command
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   View           Toolbars...                Toolbars
   Insert         Chart                      Chart...
   Insert         Note...                    Comment
   Data           PivotTable...              PivotTable Report...

   sheet tab      Rename...                  Rename
   shortcut
   menu*