Long-running, high-end Excel-based applications that I developed years ago and that run beautifully in Excel 2007 and 2010 look like Amateur Hour in Excel 2013 and 2016 because Application.ScreenUpdating = False no longer works reliably.
The screen unfreezes apparently when VBA code copies a preformatted worksheet from the macro workbook into a new workbook, although other circumstances must trigger it as well.
I’ve seen the threads on this subject that recommend “fiddling with the code” or “calling the code in a subroutine”. Unfortunately, I have to maintain hundreds of Excel applications each with thousands of lines of code and hundreds of users who are about to migrate to Office 2016, so rewriting is not an option. How can I recover Excel’s former elegance?
I wanted to leave a comment but I am not allowed to do so. Without a code sample it is very dificult to understand your problem (please see https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask and edit your question appropriately.
Here are some ideas:
- Check if your code calls for code in a different procedure, maybe the Application.ScreenUpdating is turned on outside of the procedure.
- Try this at the beginning of your procedure:
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
Then, at the end of the code set it to:
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationAutomatic
It might help; however, without a code sample it is very difficult to properly help you.
Here is a technique that helps reduce flickering and preserves the StatusBar message.
Application.Cursor = xlWait
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
. . .
Set wkbNewBook = Workbooks.Add
ThisWorkbook.Windows(1).Visible = False
. . .
ThisWorkbook.Windows(1).Visible = True
wkbNewBook.Activate
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
Application.Cursor = xlDefault
We have been dealing with this problem now for a long time as my tools do show live animated charts which all of the sudden were completely static - we would have died for having at least a flickering animation.
Initially we tried to force the animation with a forced screenupdate but that did not work. Just by pure coincidence (copy pasted too many times) we stumbled into a solution which is equally unbelievable as it does seem to work. After each Application.ScreenUpdating = True we have added x3 times DoEvents. On some systems x2 times DoEvents works but x3 times does seem to be more reliable on the various office releases out there. Voila our animation came back :-)
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
DoEvents
DoEvents
DoEvents
We have not used it for the Application.ScreenUpdating = False statement but it might do some magic there. Anyway we hope that this road can help some of you finding creative functional solutions!
After looking through many forums, I believe the flicker problem is related to SDI vs MDI.
Someone suggested setting the application to not visible.
Application.Visible=False
enter code here
Application.Visible=True
This solved my flicker problem, but I didn't like how the excel application disappeared completely then suddenly reappeared for the user.
I was able to solve the issue to my liking by using a workaround this 'which window is on top' problem.
By leaving the main window alone, and forcing other workbooks to become not visible, letting the code run, then bringing them back to visible, it stopped flickering.
Application.Workbooks("yourworkbooktohide").Windows(1).Visible = False
Just remember to bring it back with =true.
Again, my script worked just fine in Excel 2010, but after "upgrading" to 2013, this flicker issue started.
For me, only "Application.ScreenUpdating = False" did not completely cure the flickering.
Calculation caused also the flickering.
Adding "Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual" solved the flickering issue.
So, the code should be like:
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
... inportant code here....
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationAutomatic
Nico Mijnster.
I had the same problem and, believe it or not, it was solved by unplugging and reconnecting the cable of my second monitor. This cable is using a HDMI to VGA converter.
Related
The function Application.ScreenUpdating = False is not working whenever switching between worksheets or workbooks in Excel. This function alone worked fine in Excel 2010, but doesn't work in later versions from what I can tell. I am now using the office 365 desktop version of excel. In these later versions, the command only prevents updating when selecting cells or doing things within a specific worksheet, but for my purposes I need a form to pull data from a second worksheet which causes flickering.
Is there a way to prevent the screen from updating/flickering with SheetB briefly when it gets activated in this macro?
Sub ActivateSheetB()
Application.EnableEvents = False
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
Sheets("SheetB").Activate
End Sub
I've had the same thing happen to me forever and it's fairly annoying but from my own observation, I believe that application.screenupdating = false is still working. What I mean by that is your code is still being sped up. Other than it visually being annoying and making users think they broke excel this is still an effective method for speeding up your workbook even when switching between sheets.
Hopefully someone comes along with a better answer than mine because I'd love to know what that answer is as well xD
I'm making my own Conway's Game of Life on VBA where the current state is displayed on a worksheet.
Because I'm not skilled, the implementation is probably not very efficient (I use 2 boolean matrices to model the current state and the next one).
To display the result at each step, I've sub display() that took the matrix_currentand color each cell in black or white. To make the whole process smoother, I've wrapped Application.ScreenUpdating = Falseand Application.ScreenUpdating = True . Short story long, it looks like that :
Private Sub display()
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
For i = 0 To sizeGrid
For j = 0 To sizeGrid
If matrix_curr(i, j) Then
Cells(i + xmin, j + ymin).Interior.ColorIndex = 1
Else
Cells(i + xmin, j + ymin).Interior.ColorIndex = 2
End If
Next
Next
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
Before each Call display() I call the method Sleep() to let enought time to watch each step.
So, here is my issue:
The display on the worksheet often stops after a number of steps. However, the programm is still running and finally shows the last state. So basically, I can monitor the beginning, then nothing change until the last step that are displayed.
Everything happen as if the worksheet suddenly stop to be refreshed.
Do you have any idea to solve this issue.
I thank you in advance for your help (and hope that I make myself understood
despite my poor english)
My problem is that after a number of steps, nothing more happen on the screen (as if it was freeze).
That's because Excel is essentially running out of breath - it's basically not keeping up with all the ScreenUpdating toggles.
When you toggle Application.ScreenUpdating back on once, Excel happily responds by repainting itself.
When you're running a busy loop, it's prioritizing execution of the VBA code and the Excel UI goes:
(not responding)
This is normal: there's a lot of things to process, so it's processing them - updating the UI, raising worksheet events, responding to user actions, calculating cells, all these things "drop priority", until the VBA code completes.
Try adding a DoEvents instruction immediately after toggling Application.ScreenUpdating back on; this explicitly tells Excel "okay, go ahead, process whatever other stuff you've got, then come back here when you're ready". I'd warmly recommend leaving Application.EnableEvents off and Application.Calculation set to xlCalculationManual until the code completely executed.
Pretty much the title. The code goes forward until it hits a line, and then acts as though it ran into a Stop command, except there is no such line.
StartDate = DateAdd("d", -1 * NDays + 1, EndDate) 'the immediately preceding line
'NDays is an integer, EndDate is a date
With Excel.Application 'the line that it stops on
.ScreenUpdating = True
.DisplayAlerts = True
.Calculation = xlAutomatic
End With 'I put these here because the next lines save the workbook
'if I put them before the excel.application stuff it asks if I want to save when closing
Why is it stopping on that second line? Does anybody know?
Try it without the with block and see what happens. So something like:
Application.Screenupdating = True
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationAutomatic
I am at a loss for the why behind this (and if anyone knows, please do share), but I have encountered issues with instancing new Applications, and as a result the code exhibits the same behavior where it goes to use the new instance and simply shuts off.
If I had to hazard a guess, I would assume it has something to do with how Excel is managing the VBA processes. It is possible (though I could be entirely mistaken) that the new Application process assumes control, and that this causes the first application to (in layman's terms) assume it is finished, and simply quit. That, or it pauses its own process (like a DoEvents command) but can't resume. Again, these are guesses.
Also, why the 'Excel.Application'? Are you creating a new instance called Excel? If you intend to just use the application the code is running in just us 'Application'.
I'm running a large macro that includes various sub queries and functions.
Despite having the standard code to turn off calculations while the macro is running, somehow calculations are turned back on during the code execution.
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
I've added the above code the beginning of each major sub but still have the same issue. There's one point in the macro where I calculate the application to update a worksheet stored value, but I can't imagine that's what's causing it.
application.Calculate
Trying to find if there's a work around.
This is something I have read a lot myself but couldn't find the solution.
I have a program of about 10,000 lines where I have a procedure attach to a particular command button. This calculates some complex equations.
I have started the code as usual with Application.ScreenUpdating = False and turned it to True just before ending of the main procedure. Yet just the upper part of my Excel Sheet (near the Menu Bar) keeps flickering about 10 second until the result appears. I tried disabling events, as well as turning the calculations to manual, but nothing helps. Even tried mentioning screen updating to false at the beginning of sub procedures related to main procedure.
Any suggestion regarding this will be really appreciated. Thank you!
Try adding this at the start of the sub:
Application.EnableEvents = False
Application.DisplayStatusBar = False
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
And this just before the end:
Application.EnableEvents = True
Application.DisplayStatusBar = True
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationAutomatic
That should help. Note though, my screen also flickers sometimes when running complex macros (Excel looks like it's not responding, but it's working in the background).