XL2000: Cannot Programmatically Close Referenced Workbook

When you run a macro that attempts to close a workbook, you may receive the following error message:

This problem occurs when you set an object variable to a workbook that references another workbook, and then attempt to close the referenced workbook.

You cannot close a workbook while that workbook is referenced by another open workbook or by an object variable that is set to the referenced workbook.

For example, if Book2.xls contains a reference to Book1.xls, then the following macro produces the error when the macro attempts to close Book1.xls:

To correct this problem, set the object variable for the workbook that contains the reference to Nothing prior to closing the referenced workbook. By setting the object variable to Nothing, it no longer refers to the workbook. The macro below demonstrates how to set the object variable to Nothing so that the referenced workbook can be closed programmatically:

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