Microsoft KB Archive/186206

= XL98: Cannot Move Among Unlocked Cells in Scroll Area with TAB =

Article ID: 186206

Article Last Modified on 9/11/2002

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q186206





SYMPTOMS
When you use a Visual Basic for Applications macro to cycle through unlocked cells, you cannot use the TAB key or arrow keys to move the active cell through the unlocked cells. However, you can select an unlocked cell in the scroll area with the pointer.



CAUSE
This problem occurs when all of the following conditions are true:


 * The macro restricts the scroll area to a specific range of cells by using the ScrollArea property. -and-


 * The worksheet contains multiple (noncontiguous) selections of unlocked cells. -and-


 * You unlock cells outside of the scroll area and use the TAB key or arrow keys to move between unlocked cells.

The TAB key and arrow keys do not function properly because their functionality is determined by the unlocked cell to the right or below the active cell, and these cells are outside the restricted scroll area.



WORKAROUND
Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic for Applications procedures for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. The Visual Basic procedures in this article are provided 'as is' and Microsoft does not guarantee that they can be used in all situations. While Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular macro, they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality, nor will they help you construct macros to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to consult one of the Microsoft Solution Providers. Solution Providers offer a wide range of fee-based services, including creating custom macros. For more information about Microsoft Solution Providers, call Microsoft Customer Information Service at (800) 426-9400.

To temporarily work around this problem, lock all cells that are outside of the scroll area. To do this, create a Visual Basic macro that limits the cells that can be selected on the worksheet. This macro must unlock cells that can be selected, protect the worksheet, and then restrict the scroll area to encompass the cells that can be viewed.

NOTE: By restricting the scroll area, you cannot select some cells using the TAB key or the arrow keys.

Visual Basic Macro Example
The following example macro locks cells outside of the scroll area on Sheet1 of a new workbook:

 Save and close any open workbooks, and then create a new workbook. Press OPTION+F11 to start the Visual Basic Editor. On the Insert menu, click Module  Type the following code in the module: Sub Set_Restrictions

Dim myArea As Object Dim counter As Integer

Range("B6:C10").Locked = False Range("C15:E16").Locked = False Range("F12:H15").Locked = False

With Worksheets("sheet1") .EnableSelection = xlUnlockedCells .Protect contents:=True, userinterfaceonly:=True .ScrollArea = "a1:e20" End With

Set myArea = Range(Worksheets("sheet1").ScrollArea)

For counter = (myArea.Column + myArea.Columns.Count) To 256 Columns(counter).Locked = True Next counter

End Sub  Press OPTION+F11 to switch to Microsoft Excel. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macros.</li> Click the Set_Restrictions macro, and then click Run.</li></ol>

The cells are locked outside of the scroll area on Sheet1 of a new workbook.

To reset the scroll area and to avoid putting restrictions on cells that can be selected, run the following macro: Sub No_Restrictions With Worksheets("sheet1") .EnableSelection = xlNoRestrictions .Protect contents:=False, userinterfaceonly:=True .ScrollArea = "" End With End Sub

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STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition.

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