I have an Excel macro I've called for years I need a pause in running code. Here's the macro:
Sub timeFrame(PauseTime As Double)
'
Dim Start As Double
Start = timer
Do
DoEvents
Loop Until (timer - Start) >= PauseTime
End Sub
I just ran a macro that calls the one above and got an "Expected Function or variable" compile error with the Start = time line highlighted. In troubleshooting, I established that the error occurs with any macro that contains the same line. I even went to MSDN and copied their sample code, and got the same error when I tried to run it.
I thought I might have a missing library reference but nothing showed up there. After an hour or so of Googling I'm at a complete loss for a reason for the error, and would greatly appreciate some fresh insight.
This can happen if you have a Function or Sub that shares the same name as the Module. Every name must be unique. Even the Modules.
Related
I've written a macro which sums numbers, grouping by year and by month based on our projection model.
It runs from start to end when stepping through with F8.
It stops immediately in standard execution with F5.
The first trouble is
Runtime error 91
in
issmIndex = Range("A1:Z1").Find("ck.IssMon").Column 'issmIndex an integer
Originally I tried Application.WorksheetFunction.Match(...) but had the same problem: runs in debug, but not in execute (Error 1004 instead).
I considered it could have been an Excel version issue (the Match function has a different name in the Italian version). I switched to a more neutral Find, but still no luck.
When you have an error with a line that is a combination of several commands, try breaking it down into the individual steps.
For example, this works:
Sub findDemo()
Const toFind = "blah"
Dim rg As Range, f As Range
Set rg = Range("A2:C5")
Set f = rg.Find(toFind)
If f Is Nothing Then
Stop 'not found
Else
Debug.Print "found in column #" & f.Column
End If
End Sub
Also see the example in the documentation for Range.Find().
Welcome to SO. Sometimes Excel reads code faster than executing, so when reading a command there is a previous one not finished. IT's weird but it happens a lot if your code does a lot of stuff and calculus.
Besides, when debugging, every command line is executed before reading next one, so you cannot detect this just debugging.
So if your code runs perfect when debugged but errors if executed as normal, try to add the command DoEvents right before the problematic line. Something like this:
' your previous code
'
'
'
Doevents
issmIndex = Range("A1:Z1").Find("ck.IssMon").Column 'issmIndex an integer
'
'rest of your code
This commands forces Excel to make sure everything has been executed before reading. It's kind of like a checkpoint, something like make sure you've done everything before going to next line.
DoEvents
function
I'm using an Excel file to operate a small business system and have noticed some quirks with the Workbook_Open() event. The file contains dozens of modules (including class modules representing business logic such as invoices and customers) and I have not been able to reproduce the issue with an MCVE but am hoping someone can help me learn something from this.
The setup is straightforward, the Workbook_Open() event in the ThisWorkbook object calls a sub named Init placed in a regular model called Main:
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Call Main.Init
End Sub
The Init sub in the Main module prints a start-up message to the immediate window and calls some other subs to initiate a couple of global variables to hold some data:
Public Sub Init()
' Called by ThisWorkbook.Workbook_Open().
Debug.Print "Initializing variables..."
Debug.Print "The system contains:"
Call Init_Items
End Sub
Public Sub Init_Items()
' This sub populates a collection of objects of a CInvoice class by looking
' up data in an Invoices table (a VBA ListObject); it produces output
' similar to the following:
Debug.Print "230 invoices."
End Sub
If the above code is placed in a sample file, it will print the following start-up message to the Immediate window when that file is opened:
Initialzing variables...
The system contains:
230 invoices.
This simple setup basically corresponds to the operational business file. However, when the business file is opened the output is printed twice to the Immediate window. To figure out what's going on, I placed a Stop in Workbook_Open(), in the hope that I could step through the code. To my surprise this revealed that the first iteration of the start-up message was written to the Immediate window even before the call to Main.Init.
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Stop ' <--- The output produced by Main.Init is written to the
' Immediate window twice, both before and after this Stop.
Call Main.Init
End Sub
Moreover, Workbook_Open() also writes the number 3 to the Immediate window. This 3 is typically written after each iteration of the start-up message, but occasionally the first 3 is written before the first iteration of the start-up message and then after the second iteration. Sometimes it's written only once, after the first iteration of the start-up message but I have not noticed any pattern to this behavior.
This isn't really a big issue since the system is working properly but I'm curious to know what's going on.
Cleanly cancelling a long API-Ridden procedure is hellish, and I'm attempting to work out the best way to navigate the hellishness.
I'm using excel 2016 (with manual calculations and no screen updates) - I may take some time to attempt to run the procedure on 2010 to see if any issues resolve in the coming days (I'm aware of the slowdowns).
Over time, my procedure LongProcedure has lost its ability to successfully use its cancel feature (presumably due to increasing complexity). It was initially inconsistent and required significant spam-clicking to cancel, and now it fails altogether
Here's the setup:
First, LongProcedure is in a class module LongClass with a public property checked against for early cancelling, allowing it to clean up.
Public Sub LongProcedure()
' [Set up some things] '
For Each ' [Item In Some Large Collection (Est. 300 Items)] '
' [Some Code (ETA 5 Seconds) Sprinkled with 3-4 DoEvents] '
' [Export workbook (ETA 10 Seconds)] '
If (cancelLongProcedure) Then Exit For
Next
' [Clean up some things] '
GeneratorForm.Reset ' Let the UserForm know we're finished
End Sub
Second, I have a UserForm shown from a macro, which instantiates the procedure class, and runs the procedure. It contains a run button, a status label, and a cancel button.
Private MyLong As LongClass
Public Sub ButtonRunLongProcedure_Click()
Set myLong = New LongClass
myLong.LongProcedure()
End Sub
So the issue overall is twofold.
The ExportAsFixedFormat call opens a "Publishing..." progress bar which freezes excel for around ten seconds - fine. In all of my efforts, I haven't found a single way to process user input while this is happening.
On top of this, the DoEvents calls seemingly no longer do anything to allow the cancel button to be clicked. The process inconsistently freezes excel, tabs into other open programs, and (when not freezing) updates the status label.
I've Tried:
Appending DoEvents to the SetStatusLabel method instead of sprinkling - while the form still often freezes, it otherwise updates the status label consistently (while still not allowing the cancel button)
Using winAPI Sleep in place of, and in addition to DoEvents with delays of 1, 5, 10, 50, and 250ms - The form simply stopped updating at all without doevents, and with both it froze more.
Using a Do While loop to run DoEvents constantly for one second (Froze)
Overriding QueryClose to cancel the form. This one helped significantly. For some reason, the close [x] button can be clicked far more consistently than the userform buttons - Still not as consistently as I'd like. The problem? during publishing, Excel stops responding, and as such, modern windows will end the process if you click the close button twice... without cleanup.
Using Application.OnTime to regularly call DoEvents. Didn't seem to improve the situation overall
Alt-Tabbing. No, really. for some reason, while alt-tabbing occasionally just makes the UserForm freeze harder, sometimes it makes it stop freezing and update.
This is an issue I'm willing to do significant refactor work for, including smashing up the idea of the long procedure into separate methods, performing setup initially, and cleanup on class termination. I'm looking for something that provides consistent results. - I'll accept anything from excel versions to excel settings to refactors to winAPI calls.
Thanks for any insight into this one.
As it turns out simply combining together some of the useful improvements, along with a new one, made all the difference.
QueryClose is up to personal preference. Leave it in to catch more terminations, leave it out to ensure users use the new solution
Stick to sprinkling doEvents in places you feel are logical (not just when the status bar updates - like before and after an Application.Calculate call)
Optimize the long-running process as best you can, avoiding excel calls
And, most significantly
The integrated cancel key feature (CTRL+Break by default) is significantly more responsive than UserForm buttons and the form close button, without the chance of accidentally ending the excel task.
Here's the process to polish that for a finished product
First, set up a debugMode, or the inverse handleErrors, module-level variable to control whether to implement break-to-cancel and error handling. (Error handling will make your code harder to debug, so you'll appreciate the switch)
If your process is handling errors, you'll set Application.EnableCancelKey to xlErrorHandler, and On Error GoTo [ErrorHandlingLabel]. The error handling label should be directly before cleanup, and immediately set EnableCancelKey to xlDisabled to avoid bugs. Your handler should check the stored Err.Number and act accordingly, before continuing on to the cleanup steps.
Ensure that if you defer to any other complex vba in your script (such as using Application.Calculate on a sheet with UDFs), you set On Error GoTo 0 beforehand, and On Error GoTo [ErrorHandlingLabel] after, to avoid catching cellbound errors.
Unfortunately, the drawback is that for the UX to be consistently readable, you'll have to leave the cancel key on xlDisabled until the form is closed.
And in code:
Public Sub LongProcedure()
If handleErrors Then
On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
Application.EnableCancelKey = xlErrorHandler
End If
' [Set up some things] '
For Each ' [Item In Some Large Collection (Est. 300 Items)] '
' [Some Code (ETA 5 Seconds) Sprinkled with 3-4 DoEvents] '
' [Export workbook (ETA 10 Seconds)] '
Next
ErrorHandler:
If handleErrors Then
Application.EnableCancelKey = xlDisabled
If (Err.Number <> 0 And Err.Number <> 18) Then
MsgBox Err.Description, vbOKOnly, "Error " & CStr(Err.Number)
End If
Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0
End If
' [Clean up some things] '
GeneratorForm.Reset ' Let the UserForm know we're finished
End Sub
and in the UserForm
Private Sub UserForm_QueryClose(Cancel As Integer, CloseMode As Integer)
If MyLong.handleErrors Then Application.EnableCancelKey = xlInterrupt
End Sub
A small note that this method will likely generate a few bugs you weren't expecting to encounter because the execution jumps directly to the specified label. Your cleanup code will need to have required variables instantiated from the start.
Overall, once these issues are fixed, this setup ensures that the user can click CTRL+Break as many times as they could possibly want without causing crashes or popups.
I'm working on a fun project in Excel making a game. It works perfectly except that after about a minute of run time it errors because it's out of stack space. I realized this was because technically I'm using recursion in the stepEvent function, which looks like this:
Private Sub stepEvent()
' All the game code
start = Timer
Do While Timer < start + 0.15
DoEvents
Loop
stepEvent
End Sub
None of the instances of stepEvent ever resolve until either the player loses, or it runs out of stack space and errors. My question is if there's a way to either resolve the recursed subs, but somehow retain control, or if there's an alternate method to repeat that sub without using recursion.
Try looping
Sub asDoWhileLoop()
Do While True
Call stepEvent
Loop
End Sub
Sub stepEvent()
'Do game stuff and wait at end
End Sub
But remember to clean up at the end of your stepEvent(), i.e. set your objects to NOTHING, close recordsets, whatever you are playing with. You can quit using END instead of EXIT SUB. But it's all up to you to ensure it terminates.
I'm having trouble with an error handling in VBA excel.
Basicaly, I have a situation where I'm dealing with multiple errors within same error handling block.
To make things really simple let's just say:
Sub some_function ()
On Error go to step1
step2:
some code which triggers an error
Exit Sub
step1:
Okay, so far so good.
Problem is, that in this block of code can also occur an error
with the same Err.Number but I have to deal with him on other way
which is not specified in this block of code.
go to step 2
End sub
I'm using SAP session to connect to SAPgui and I cannot predict which error will occur. If I can catch an error within error handling block of code I can solve this situation.
So basicaly I'm blind foilded. If an error occurs I try to do some other things and if it works OK, but if an error occurs second time (within error handling block) it will throw me an error.
Is there any walkaround?
UPDATE:
just thinking out loud.
If I use On Error Resume next statement and do as following:
On Error Resume next
some code,
line of code that could trigger an error
if Err.Number <> 0 Then
try to handle an error
Err.Clear
End if
line of code that could also trigger an error
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
Try to handle an error
Err.Clear
End If
Would that be OK? or is there any better solution?
Is it possible to use Resume next statement within the procedure in only a certain block of code? Let's just say we have a procedure with 20 lines, and I would like to use Resume Next statement between 10th and 15th line.. Is it possible to enable and disable Resume next statement, or on Error line?
How about putting the code in step 2 into a separate procedure? There, you can do separate error handling with a new on error goto statement.