XL2000: Workbook Name Contains Invalid Characters

• Microsoft Excel 2000

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, you may see any of the following behaviors:

• The name of the workbook may contain either of the bracket characters: [ ]
  
  -or-
  
  
• The name on the sheet tab for the workbook contains the file name extension and a ] character preceding the sheet names, for example, .xls]Sheet1
  
  -or-
  
  
• When you rename a sheet that contains the file name extension and ] character, you receive the following error message:

  
  While renaming a sheet or chart, you entered an invalid name. Try one of 
  the following:
  
   - Make sure the name you entered does not exceed 31 characters.
   - Make sure the name does not contain any of the following characters: 
     : \ / ? * [ or ]
   - Make sure you did not leave the name blank. 

CAUSE

These behaviors may occur when you do either of the following:

• You programmatically save a file with a file name that includes the [ or ] characters.
  
  -or-



• You open a file that was renamed outside of Excel, with a file name that includes the [ or ] characters.
  

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, save the file using a new name without [ or ] characters.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

When you programmatically save a file, Excel does not validate the file name by checking for either the [ or ] characters. Therefore, Visual Basic for Applications allows you to save a file with either or both of these characters.

Additional query words: XL2000

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug