Knowledge Base

XL: Linked Picture Is Not Updated When Source Data Is Not Open

Article ID: 172587

Article Last Modified on 8/17/2005

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh
Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition
Microsoft Excel 95 Standard Edition
Microsoft Excel 95a
Microsoft Excel 4.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Excel 4.0a
Microsoft Excel 5.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Excel 5.0c
Microsoft Excel 5.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Excel 4.0 for Macintosh
Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Macintosh
Microsoft Excel 5.0a for Macintosh

This article was previously published under Q172587

SYMPTOMS

When you open a workbook or worksheet in the versions of Microsoft Excel listed at the beginning of this article, you may receive one of the following error messages:

The workbook you opened contains automatic links to information in
another workbook. Do you want to update this workbook with changes made
to the other workbook?

-or-

This document contains links. Re-establish links?

-or-

Update references to unopened documents?

If you click Yes, linked pictures in the workbook or worksheet may not be updated correctly.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:

You create a link from one worksheet to a worksheet in another workbook by doing either of the following:
1. In the source worksheet, select the cell, range, or object to which you want to link.
2. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
3. Click the destination worksheet to switch to it.
4. Hold down SHIFT. On the Edit menu, click Paste Picture Link.
  -or-
5. In the source worksheet, select the cell, range, or object to which you want to link.
6. On the toolbar, click Camera.
7. Click the destination worksheet to switch to it.
8. Click anywhere in the worksheet to create the linked picture.
-and-
When you open the worksheet that contains the link, the worksheet that contains the source data is not open.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, open the workbook that contains the source data that the link uses. After you do this, the paste picture link is automatically updated. If you prefer, you can then close the workbook that contains the source data. As long as you made no changes to the source data, the linked picture contains the updated information.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel, the Paste Picture Link command, or Camera feature, allows you to create a picture of a single cell, a range of cells, or an embedded chart in a Microsoft Excel worksheet. When you make a change to the source data or chart, if the workbook containing the source data or chart is open, the linked picture is automatically updated to display the new information. Note that this is different from creating a formula that links to a cell or range of cells; the picture is above the worksheet in the drawing layer.

When you create a linked picture, Microsoft Excel cannot update the picture if the workbook that contains the source data is not open. This behavior is different from the behavior of links created by formulas; such links may be updated even when the source data is not open.

Additional query words: XL98 XL97 XL7 XL5 XL4 7.0 5.0 MXL5 MXL4

Keywords: kbprb KB172587

Microsoft KB Archive/172587

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