Mysterious Circular Reference Toolbar: Solving the Mystery

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around an Excel user encountering a persistent Circular Reference toolbar that appears when running a specific macro, despite no visible code triggering it. The user has confirmed that the issue is isolated to this macro and does not occur with other files or macros. There is speculation that the problem may be linked to remnants of previous macro settings or configurations within the workbook itself. Suggestions include checking for hidden commands in the macro code and considering the possibility of exporting and re-importing the macro to resolve the issue. The conversation highlights the complexities and quirks of Excel's macro functionality.
FredGarvin
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I consider myself a pretty advanced user of Excel, but this one has me stumped. I don't deal with toolbars very often, so I am in uncharted territory.

I have a group of macros. At one time, when I ran one of the macros, I realized I had a circular argument and it created an error. No biggie. I fixed it and everything is hunky-dory. However, even though I do not have it is specified anywhere, whenever I run the macro again (without the error) the circular reference tool bar pops up in the middle of the screen. I have searched high and low in the basic set up options and I know I have no lines of code loading this toolbar.

Does anyone know of any place that this tool bar is magically appearing from? It doesn't happen in any other macro or file except the one I mentioned.
 
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Is this a Macro you created, downloaded or is part of Excel?

I wonder if it's something in Visual Basic.

On the other hand - typcial MS. :rolleyes:
 
Do you get it even in new spreadsheets, or just when you open one that you originally used the macro in? I had a similar problem a few versions ago (haven't used macros since because it annoyed me more than just doing stuff the long way :redface:) that EVERY time I opened a spreadsheet that I had once used a macro in, even after telling it EVERY time to just delete that dang macro and leave me alone, I got a pop-up window telling me there was a macro and asking if I wanted to open it.

Sorry, I have no solution, just wondering if it's something associated with Excel never forgetting you used a particular macro for some weird reason when you open a file that used it.
 
... only thing can come up is that you'd had this

Application.CommandBars("Circular Reference").Visible = True

somewhere in your macro, but that is pretty easy to notice & think you've already debugged this option ... :frown: ... perhaps some other bar like 'formula auditing' (which has some of the same tools) can make it appear. Weird.
 
To answer all in the order presented:

1) Astro: The macros are all mine. I wrote them. They are part of my personal.xls so they are loaded every time I start Excel.

2.) Moonbear: It happens only when I exectute that macro. If I load any other workbooks, start new ones, etc... it doesn't do it. It is somehow tied to the macro.

3.) Perennial: That was the first thing I did look for. I thought maybe a fluke macro record or something happened, but I couldn't find it anywhere.

I had a somewhat similar problem a while ago with a custom footer that kept getting changed back to an old value. Even after I manually changed it I couldn't figure out why it kept going back to the old version. Then I realized there was a custom format as part of a macro. After I changed that, everything was a-ok. I was thinking this might be somewhat similar, but I haven't been able to find anything like that as of yet.

I guess I'll just have to copy the macro down and then delete the old one to see if that does the trick. I wonder if it's tied to the workbook somehow and not the macro...? hmmm...
 
try exporting the macro, deleting it from the code tree and then reimport it...
 
I'll give that a go.

Thanks everyone.
 
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