XL97: "Run-time error '4599'" Running DDE Macro to Control Excel

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you use dynamic data exchange (DDE) to control Microsoft Excel from another program, you will see the following error message when you try to rename a sheet in a workbook:

   Run-time error '4599': Process failed in other application

CAUSE

This error occurs when you are trying to rename a sheet by using the DDEExecute method with Workbook.Name() as the command in a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications procedure or macro from another program.

RESOLUTION

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NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Microsoft Excel or Visual Basic Help are not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q120802
   TITLE     : Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office
               Program or Component

The following example uses Microsoft Word 97 as the program that contains the DDE macro that controls Microsoft Excel. It assumes that you are initiating a DDE channel to an existing workbook ("Book1.xls") and you are changing "Sheet1" to "New."

1. Start Microsoft Excel.

2. Save the new workbook as Book1.xls.

   Make sure that a sheet named Sheet1 exists.

3. Press ALT+F11 to start the Visual Basic Editor.

4. On the Insert menu, click Module.

5. Type the following code in the new module sheet:

          Sub Change_Name()
             Sheets("Sheet1").Name = "New"
          End Sub
   
   

6. On the File menu, click "Close and Return to Microsoft Excel."

7. On the File menu, click Save. (Do not close Book1.xls.)

8. Leaving Microsoft Excel open, start Microsoft Word.

9. Repeat steps 3-4.

10. Type the following code in the new module sheet:

           Sub DDE_to_XL()
    
              ' Opens a DDE channel to Book1.xls in Microsoft Excel.
              Chan = DDEInitiate(App:="Excel", Topic:="book1.xls")
    
              ' Sends a DDE command to Microsoft Excel to run the
              ' Change_Name macro.
              DDEExecute Channel:=Chan, Command:="[Run(" & Chr(34) & _
                 "Change_Name" & Chr(34) & ")]"
    
              ' Closes the DDE channel to Book1.xls in Microsoft Excel.
              DDETerminate Channel:=Chan
    
           End Sub
    
    

11. On the File menu, click "Close and Return to Microsoft Word."

12. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macros. In the Macros dialog box, click "DDE_to_XL," and then click Run.

    After the macro executes, "Sheet1" should be changed to "New" in the workbook.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

REFERENCES

"Visual Basic User's Guide," version 5.0, Chapter 10, "Controlling and Communicating with Other Applications"

"Microsoft Excel/Visual Basic Programmer's Guide," version 7.0, Chapter 10, "Communicating with Other Applications"

For additional information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for
               Applications