Mysterious Circular Reference Toolbar: Solving the Mystery

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a user experiencing an unexpected issue with a circular reference toolbar in Excel that appears when running a specific macro. Participants explore potential causes and solutions related to macros, Visual Basic, and Excel's behavior with previously used files.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster notes that the circular reference toolbar appears when running a specific macro, despite not having any code that should trigger it.
  • One participant questions whether the macro was created by the user, downloaded, or is part of Excel, suggesting it might be related to Visual Basic.
  • Another participant shares a personal experience with a similar issue, where a pop-up related to macros persisted even after attempts to delete it, indicating a potential memory issue within Excel.
  • A suggestion is made that the macro might contain a line of code that makes the circular reference toolbar visible, although the original poster believes they have already debugged this.
  • The original poster confirms that the issue is tied specifically to their macro and does not occur with other workbooks or new spreadsheets.
  • One participant recalls a similar issue with a custom footer being reverted due to a macro, speculating that the problem might be related to workbook settings rather than the macro itself.
  • A suggestion is made to export the macro, delete it, and then reimport it as a potential solution.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the issue is tied to the specific macro, but there is no consensus on the exact cause or solution. Multiple competing views and hypotheses remain regarding the behavior of Excel and macros.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the specific code within the macro and how Excel retains information about previously used macros, which may contribute to the issue.

FredGarvin
Science Advisor
Messages
5,097
Reaction score
10
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.
 
Last edited:
Computer science news on Phys.org
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.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 86 ·
3
Replies
86
Views
9K
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
7K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Replies
11
Views
10K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
6K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K
Replies
2
Views
3K