Microsoft KB Archive/86686

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Excel: Camera tool Will Link to a Defined Name

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 3.0, 4.0
 * Microsoft Excel for OS/2, version 3.0
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 3.0, 4.0

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SYMPTOMS
When you use the Camera tool in Microsoft Excel to create a picture of an area of cells, if the area of cells has been defined by a name, the Camera tool will reference the defined name instead of the cell references.

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Excel listed above. This problem was corrected in version 5.0 of Microsoft Excel for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION
To illustrate this behavior, on a spreadsheet define a name to refer to A1:D10. Select A1:D10 and use the Camera tool to create a picture of that selection. The picture will refer to the defined name, not A1:D10.

This aspect of the Camera tool's behavior allows the Camera tool to take a picture of an area which has a defined name and have the picture change as the definition of the name changes. For example, if rows are added to the defined name, the camera picture would update to include the new rows.

This behavior can cause unexpected results. If the defined name the picture is linked to is deleted, Excel breaks the link from the picture to the area of cells. Therefore, if the cells are changed the picture does not update. However, the picture will maintain the link to the defined name. So, if another area of the sheet is then assigned the same name, the picture will update with the information from the newly defined area.

To change the link in the picture from a defined name to cell references, select the picture, edit the reference in the formula bar to refer to the same area by highlighting the reference and using the mouse to highlight the same area on the sheet or by typing the reference to the area in the formula bar.

This procedure can also be used to change the information the picture references to a different name or cell area.