FIX: Excel Automation Samples Cause Errors with Excel 97

ID: Q170153

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

The OLE automation script in the Olexl.scx example form that creates a chart in Microsoft Excel fails with Microsoft Excel 97. Several lines of code contain the incorrect syntax for use with Microsoft Excel 97. Executing the code causes the following error message to appear:

OLE error code: 0x80020006:Unknown name.

This OLE automation code is part of the Olexl.scx sample located in the Samples\Solution\Ole folder.

CAUSE

The syntax for referencing objects in Microsoft Excel 97 has changed.

RESOLUTION

Open the Olexl.scx form and click on the Example 2 command button. In the properties sheet, open the Click event of the Example 2 object. Locate the following three lines of code, which are interspersed throughout the code in the Click event:


   oXLChart1.autoformat(11,1)
   nTotSeries = oXLChart1.SeriesCollection().count
   oXLChart1.SeriesCollection(m.i).delete

Change the lines of code to the following: oXLChart1.application.charts[1].autoformat(-4100,1) nTotSeries = oXLChart1.application.charts[1].SeriesCollection().count oXLChart1.application.charts[1].SeriesCollection(m.i).delete
To help locate these lines of code, open the Click event code, click Edit on the system menu and select Properties. In the Edit Properties dialog box, check the Show line/column position check box and click OK. Line numbers now appear in the status bar. The three lines listed above have the following line numbers: 16, 19, and 21.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This bug has been corrected in Microsoft Visual FoxPro version 5.0a for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

On a machine with both Visual FoxPro 5.0 and Excel 97 installed, run the Olexl.scx located in the Samples\Solution\Ole folder.

Click the Example 1 button, which runs a cross tab query and populates the cells of the Excel spreadsheet.

Press the Example 2 button. The OLE automation commands create the Excel bar chart. After Excel gains focus and the code stops executing, switch back to Visual FoxPro 5.0. The error message appears.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kberrmsg kbVFp kbVFp500afix FxinteropExcel FxprgGeneral
Version : 5.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug