XL2000: Error Appears When Changing Chart Location with a Macro

View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q211436

Symptoms

When you use a macro to change a chart that is on a chart sheet to a chart object on a worksheet (or vice versa), you receive one of the following error messages:

Run-time error '-2147221080 (800401a8)': Automation error

-or-

This program has performed an illegal operation
and will be shut down.

If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

If you click Details, the following error message appears:

EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in
module MSO9.DLL at 015f:307e034e.

If you click Close, Microsoft Excel closes.

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Cause

This problem occurs when you create a Visual Basic for Applications macro and both of the following conditions are true:

You use the Location method to move a chart from one sheet to a second sheet, and then use this same method to move the chart to a third location (or to the original location).

For example, the following macro statement uses the Location method to move a chart to a chart sheet named Chart1:
ActiveChart.Location where:=xlLocationAsNewSheet, Name:="Chart1"
-and-
You use the Set statement to assign a variable to the chart object you want to move.

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Workaround

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements.
To move a chart without receiving this error message, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Refer to the Chart as an Object

Assign an object variable to the chart object each time it is moved. You must use this variable when you refer to the chart. For example, the following macro creates an embedded chart on Sheet1 using data on Sheet1 in the range A1:C4. The chart is moved to a new chart sheet and is then moved back to Sheet1. In the following example, each time the chart object is referenced, the variable X is set equal to the chart:

   Sub MoveChart()
      Dim x As Chart
      ' Create an embedded chart on a chart sheet.
      Set x = Charts.Add
      x.ChartType = xlColumnClustered
      x.SetSourceData Source:=Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1:C4")
      Set x = x.Location(where:=xlLocationAsObject, Name:="Sheet1")
      ' Move chart to new sheet and reset the chart object variable x.
      Set x = x.Location(where:=xlLocationAsNewSheet, Name:="Chart1")

      ' Move chart to back to the chart sheet.
      Set x= x.Location(where:=xlLocationAsObject, Name:="Sheet1")
   End Sub

Method 2: Refer to the Chart as ActiveChart

If it is not necessary to assign an object variable to the chart, refer to the chart as ActiveChart. For example, the following macro statement uses the ActiveChart property and Location method to move a chart to a chart sheet named Chart1:

ActiveChart.Location where:=xlLocationAsNewSheet, Name:="Chart1"

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Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

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More information

You can move a chart to a new location in Visual Basic for Applications by using the Location method. The first argument, Where, designates the location to which you want to move the chart. The valid locations and their associated XlChartLocation constants are listed in the following table.

Collapse this tableExpand this table

Location	Constant
Chart sheet	XlLocationAsNewSheet
Chart sheet	XlLocationAutomatic
Worksheet object	XlLocationAsObject

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References

For more information about the Location method, in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type Location Method in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

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