XL2000: Error Adding or Deleting a Menu Command in a Macro

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This article was previously published under Q213530

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SYMPTOMS

If you run a Microsoft 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

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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 the current version of Microsoft Excel. This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel.

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

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WORKAROUND

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To work around this behavior, use either of the following methods:

If you use the macro only in Microsoft Excel 2000, 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 2000, 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

Although this macro works correctly in versions of Microsoft Excel earlier than Excel 97, it does not work in Microsoft Excel 2000. The macro does not work because the Toolbars... command is called Toolbars (no ellipsis) in Microsoft Excel 97 and later.

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)
          'or Microsoft Excel 2000 (version 9.0).
          ElseIf Val(Application.Version) >= 8 Then

              'Set the value of the variable equal to the correct menu
              'command name for Microsoft Excel 97
              'and Microsoft Excel 2000.
              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

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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..."

This line of code adds a new menu command, Test, above the Toolbars... menu command on the View menu.

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

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

In each of the lines of code, the menu command Toolbars... is referred by its exact name. In Microsoft Excel 97 and later, the names of some menu commands are changed. The new names may cause problems if macro code refers to these menu items by name.

The two lines of code work correctly in versions of Microsoft Excel earlier than Excel 97. However, they do not work correctly in Microsoft Excel 2000, because the menu command Toolbars... is renamed Toolbars (no ellipsis).

The following menu commands are changed in Microsoft Excel 97 and later.

                  Microsoft Excel 5.0, 7.0   Microsoft Excel 97, 2000
   Menu           menu command               menu command
   ------------------------------------------------------------------

   View           Toolbars...                Toolbars
   Insert         Chart                      Chart...
   Insert         Note...                    Comment
   Data           PivotTable...              PivotTable Report...
                                                (in Excel 97)

                                             -or-

                                             PivotTable and
                                                PivotChart Report
                                                (in Excel 2000)

   sheet tab      Rename...                  Rename
   shortcut
   menu*

* This menu is the xlWorkbookTab shortcut menu.

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