I'm trying to automate the process of changing the height in the Slide Size dialog in the Slide Master system with VBA. When I try to change it, VBA informs me that I'm not permitted to assign a value to ActivePresentation.SlideMaster.Height because it is read-only.
I've studied the ActivePresentation object tree and have figured out to acquire the height value (with ActivePresentation.SlideMaster.Height), but the following line results in a Compile Error:
ActivePresentation.SlideMaster.Height = 1189
Changing the SlideHeight with...
ActivePresentation.PageSetup.SlideHeight = 1189
does change the height of the slide, but it doesn't have the same effect as changing the height through the Slide Master system. The primary question at this stage is if it's possible to change ActivePresentation.SlideMaster.Height with VBA, or is the Read-Only status immutable?
Sub test()
ActivePresentation.SlideMaster.Height = 1189 'Compile Error...can't assign to read-only property
ActivePresentation.PageSetup.SlideHeight = 1189 'Changes the height of the slides, _
but doesn't change the size of text within Shape elements like I need it to do.
End Sub
Here's some background...
Through a bit of trial and error, I've determined that if I change the dimensions of the slides using the slide master, the default text for Shapes is set how I want it (at pitch 18). If I don't change the dimensions in the Slide Master, the text for Shapes remains at 31. Even if a new shape is created, the font is changed to 18 and that shape is set as the default shape, if text is pasted onto the slide (with CTRL-v or Paste Special-Unformatted Text), the shape that gets created has a text-size of 31.
Just to be clear, if the default is set to 18 and I create another new Shape via Insert>Shapes, then that new shape is automatically set to 18. It's only when I paste text (using either CTRL-v or Paste Special - Unformatted) directly on the slide does it become 31.
The only thing that does what I want is making a slight change to the Slide Master Slide Size. Changing the height from 1188 to 1189 forces all of the shapes on all of the slides to go from 31 to 18. Any new text that gets pasted in the slide comes in as a shape containing 18 text.
The reason I'm posting this on Stack Overflow and not on Super User is because I have to automate this change...we have thousands of presentations to modify.
Related
I wrote some macro code in Word (Office 365) to set the color of a shape outline to one of the theme colors. The code for doing that to a shape looks like this:
shape.line.foreColor.ObjectThemeColor = wdThemeColorAccent2
By assigning a 'wdXX' color to the ObjectThemeColor field, the color of the line around the shape will automatically change when the document ColorTheme is changed.
My problem (or the first weirdness) is that when I assign Accent2 with the code above and then do: select the shape, Menu, Format, Shape Outline, and hover over the color box with a red outline (which marks the active line color), the tooltip says "Turquoise, Accent 1" not "Accent 2."
I would have expected the wdThemeColorAccent2 color to be called Accent 2 in the tooltip, but it is not.
The second problem is that there is apparently no way for me to assign the last color shown in the menu using macro code. Because of the offset (Accent 2 in code = Accent 1 in the menu), I would need to use wdThemeColorAccent7 in code to assign the last color shown in the menu (labeled Accent 6 in the tooltip).
I'm wondering if this is a bug in Word (it sure looks like it to me), or if I am doing something wrong. To reproduce the situation, I created a simple empty rectangle, selected it, and ran the line of code above to change the outline color of the shape. Here's a little subroutine that illustrates the problem (select your shape before running the subroutine).
Sub TestAccent()
Dim shp As Shape
Set shp = selection.ShapeRange(1)
shp.line.foreColor.ObjectThemeColor = wdThemeColorAccent4
shp.line.Weight = 0.5
shp.line.Visible = True
End Sub
I believe the colors in the "theme scale" (see image below) don't correspond to the names of the WdThemeColorIndex, but rather to the underlying numerical value. If you look in the VBA Editor's Object Browser (F2), and search wdThemeColorAccent you'll get the full list. Click on a member in the list and at the bottom you'll see the numerical value.
The value 0 is assigned to MainDark1 and isn't recognized by VBA. Values 1, 2 and 3 are assigned to MainLight1, MainDark2 and MainLight2 which are black, white and the first entry in the image (These colors repeat in the last four enumerations for background and text). Values 4 (wdThemeColorAccent4) through 9 (wdThemeColorAccent6) correspond to the remainder of the colors in the image below. (Note: more discussion after image!)
So, no, I don't think it's a bug, just your expectations don't match what the developers were thinking when they assigned the numerical enumeration to the enumeration names. Or maybe the people who designed the color schemes changed their minds after the VBA code was locked down... And I imagine the names you see in the tooltips are another step removed from the VBA. You might find the information in this article helpful.
If you use the values, rather than the names, things could be less confusing. Or, define your own Enum:
Public Enum ColorSchemeAccents
Accent1 = 3
Accent2 = 4
Accent3 = 5
Accent4 = 6
Accent5 = 7
Accent6 = 8
Accent7 = 9
Accent8 = 10
End Enum
Sub TestAccent()
Dim shp As Shape
Set shp = Selection.ShapeRange(1)
shp.Line.ForeColor.ObjectThemeColor = ColorSchemeAccents.Accent8
shp.Fill.ForeColor = RGB(250, 250, 250)
shp.Line.Weight = 2
shp.Line.Visible = True
End Sub
Although the ColorFormat object's .ObjectThemeColor is defined as a wdThemeColorIndex in fact the value depends on context.
If it is a Word object - such as text, then you should use the wdThemeColorIndex constants, but if it is an Office object - such as shape, then you have to use the msoThemeColorIndex constants. These are weirdly NOT the same - mostly the mso constants are one more than the wd constants, but not for the Background1&2 and Text1&2 cases - Text1&2 are the same in both cases, but for Background1&2 mso is two more than wd.
A side effect of this is that it appears impossible in VBA to set the Background2 colour, as its mso value is 16 and so out-of-range BUT if you use the native GUI to set it, it can be set to 16!
Looks really poor design/implementation that needs cleaning up!
I want to change a label width in Excel chart by VBA code:
set lbl = SERIES1. points(1).datalabel
msgbox lbl.width 'this is working
lbl.width = 40 ' compile error: wrong number of arguments or invalid property assignment
I can get the label width but cannot change it. What am I doing wrong?
AFAIK, the width of a chart data point label is not configurable. Even though the width can be retrieved with VBA, it's not possible to set or change it with a VBA command or property.
According to the documentation, the DataLabels.Width property is read only.
Returns the width, in points, of the object. Read-only.
Source
Excel chart labels remain stubbornly uncooperative and resist formatting attempts, be it with VBA or with the UI.
That's (unfortunately) just how Excel works.
Don't shoot the messenger.
If you want to make a difference, consider raising an idea at excel.uservoice.com
This works in Excel 2016, you'll just need to adjust the series collection and point numbers to fit your needs. ActiveChart.FullSeriesCollection(1).Points(1).DataLabel.Width = 363.314.
I have 2 command buttons, different height and width of the cells that need to be inserted every time and a fixed shape. Sometimes when the height and width are smaller, it tend to overlap with the command buttons. What should I do? I need the command buttons to be there. I tried to put certain range, it works but when the width and height of the cells gets bigger, it moves further away. Any idea? I'm thinking of maybe putting the range cells for the command buttons to stay as Range A and B as default. Will that work? But I don't know how to do it.
Set the top, left properties on the shape, then irrespective of the size it should always start at the same place.
Dim Fred as shape
Set Fred = activesheet.shapes.addshape(type,left,top etc,)
Fred.placement= xlfreefloating
I am looking for a way to reinstate the default/native resizing behaviour of a chart in Excel 2010 once it has been disabled (e.g. by manipulating the chart with VBA).
Now I haven't been able to find anything anywhere about the behaviour I have in mind, so I am going to assume that it needs detailed explanation.
Input and select random numerical data into 4-5 cells in Excel, and insert a new Clustered Columns chart. You need to see a the chart's plot area. Now select the chart, and get the PlotArea.Top value with the following line
ActiveChart.PlotArea.Top
If you haven't touched the chart, this should return a value of 7. Now use one of the chart's handlebars to resize the chart vertically, and use the same command line again.
activechart.plotarea.top
Notice how the value returned is still 7. Now set this property to 7 in VBA.
ActiveChart.PlotArea.Top = 7
Again, grab one of the handlebars, resize the chart vertically and get the .top property again using:
ActiveChart.PlotArea.Top
Notice how the value has now changed. It will be either smaller or greater than 7 depending on whetehr you decreased or increased the size of the chart.
Once any element of a chart has been moved either manually or with VBA code, it loses this "absolute position" property and begins moving inside the ChartArea whenever the chart is resized. While some elements can be reset using .SetElement, this does not work for the Plot Area. For example, the following command lines do not reinstate the behaviour I am describing.
ActiveChart.SetElement msoElementPlotAreaNone
ActiveChart.SetElement msoElementPlotAreaShow
I do a lot of automated resizing of charts with VBA, and having the plot area move around by itself makes it a lot harder to predict the effect of resizing the chart and leads to inconstant results.
So back to the question: does anyone know of a way to reinstate this default behaviour, either for the entire chart, or at least specifically for the PlotArea?
Thanks in advance to anyone who may help!
Vincent
I ran into this when I manually resized the plot area and then when the legend is moved it did not resize the plot area at all.
I had tried to save my chart as a template (right click save as template in Excel 2013) but this still had the plot area manually set.
Therefore I would recommend keeping the auto-size behavior before saving a template, since the only way I know to re-set the chart auto-sizing behavior after it has been manually modified is to use a macro
Here is the macro I used to reinstate the auto-sizing behavior
Sub Macro1()
'
' this selects the chart based on the chart name
ActiveSheet.ChartObjects("Chart 4").Activate
' this selects the plot area
ActiveChart.PlotArea.Select
' this clears any custom formatting such as borders or fill colors
ActiveChart.PlotArea.ClearFormats
' this resets the auto-sizing behavior after plot area manually re-sized
ActiveChart.PlotArea.Position = xlChartElementPositionAutomatic
End Sub
References
Why plot area does not expand after clearing series legend?
Excel Chart Plot Area Auto Size - ExcelBanter
Writing VBA in Microsoft Word 2010 (no-one's favourite job). I'm trying to fix the vertical position of a textbox to a location in the document, so that as text is added before, the text box retains its relative position (i.e. moves down if text is inserted before the location it's linked to).
My code is
ActiveDocument.Shapes.AddTextbox(msoTextOrientationHorizontal, 372, 400, 120, 120).Select
With Selection
.ShapeRange.TextFrame.TextRange.Select
.Collapse
.TypeText Text:="Text box placement test"
With .ShapeRange
.Select
.RelativeHorizontalPosition = wdRelativeHorizontalPositionColumn
.RelativeVerticalPosition = wdRelativeVerticalPositionPage
...
The key I think is this last property, RelativeVerticalPosition.
I have tried changing it to wdRelativeVerticalPositionLine: this works for the first paragraph (i.e. the text box is fixed to the position in text, so if text is added before it moves correctly): however, for the second and later paragraphs the vertical position is completely wrong.
I have tried changing the LockAnchor property but that makes no change.
The frustration is that this can be done manually (Page layout, Arrange group, Wrap text, more layout options, position, move object with text = checked) but Word won't let me record a macro where I change a textbox's properties, so I can't find the combination of settings to make it work.
Any suggestions? Or is this just one of the consequences of using 20+ year old code?
First, you've got to set RelativeVerticalPosition as well.
Second, be careful with using .ShapeRange. Incorrent usage of .ShapeRange may be the problem in some cases.
That's a small snippet from my code. Just tested it with Word 2010.
Dim oShp As Shape
Set oShp = Selection.ShapeRange(1)
oShp.RelativeHorizontalPosition = wdRelativeHorizontalPositionColumn
oShp.RelativeVerticalPosition = wdRelativeVerticalPositionLine
So if your "move object with text" is unchecked, it'll become checked after running the code.