XL: Error Setting Type Property of Trendline with Macro

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

SYMPTOMS

In the versions of Microsoft Excel listed above, if you run a Visual Basic for Applications macro that sets the Type property of a trendline in a chart, you may receive the following error message:

   This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
   If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

   EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in module EXCEL.EXE at
   0137:30365bcf.

   -or-

   EXCEL caused a general protection fault in module EXCEL.EXE at
   00eb:00004464.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the Name property of the trendline is empty (""). For example, the following line of code makes the Name property of a trendline empty:

   ActiveChart.SeriesCollection(1).Trendlines(1).Name = ""

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, make sure that each trendline in the chart has a non-empty Name property before you attempt to change its Type property.

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

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.

In Excel, you can change the Type property of a trendline with a line of code similar to the following

   ActiveChart.SeriesCollection(1).Trendlines(1).Type = <type>

   xlExponential   xlMovingAvg
   xlLinear        xlPolynomial
   xlLogarithmic   xlPower