Annoying visual glitch with vertical toolbars in Excel/Word 2004.

[clinton.cairns]

Annoying visual glitch with vertical toolbars in Excel, Word.
I like my toolbars vertical. I think it's quicker to click a button
when they are vertical and at the edge of the screen. But whenever I
command tab to another open application and command tab back to Excel
or Word the vertical toolbars turn all white and are completely blank
of icons. Moving the cursor over the vertical toolbar causes the
buttons hovered over to reappear.

Steps to consistently reproduce:
1) Place some toolbars vertically at side of screen.
2) Open Excel or Word.
3) Command tab to another program.
4) Command tab back to Excel or Word.
5) Vertical toolbars (and only the vertical toolbars) are completely
white and blank of their icons.
6) Hover cursor over vertical toolbar and icons reappear
7) Whenever you command tab to another program and command tab back to
Excel or Word the vertical toolbars are blank again.

Only solution I found is to reposition each vertical toolbar
horizontally and then vertically again; making the problem go away
until user reopens Excel or Word.

Is it a bug in the way Office draws vertical toolbars?

iBook G4 1.33GHz
1.5 GB DDR SDRAM
Mac OS X 10.4.10
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3 (060914)

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Is it a bug in the way Office draws vertical toolbars?

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3 (060914)

Not sure exactly what caused it, but I haven't seen it in the last
several updates (you're a couple behind - choose Help/Check for Updates
in any Office app, or download the updates from MacTopia).

Post back if updating doesn't cure the problem.

 

[clinton.cairns]

Not sure exactly what caused it, but I haven't seen it in the last
several updates (you're a couple behind - choose Help/Check for Updates
in any Office app, or download the updates from MacTopia).

Post back if updating doesn't cure the problem.

Just updated and it did not solve anything.

Problem still exists in:
Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac 11.3.8 (070817)
Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac 11.3.7 (070724)
Microsoft Powerpoint 2004 for Mac 11.3.5 (070411)

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Just updated and it did not solve anything.

Problem still exists in:
Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac 11.3.8 (070817)
Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac 11.3.7 (070724)
Microsoft Powerpoint 2004 for Mac 11.3.5 (070411)

I'm afraid that if you're up to date on your OS versions as well, I
don't have any suggestions. As I said, I saw this behavior early on, but
I haven't had it happen to me in over a year, and I can't reproduce it.

Grasping at straws:

-does it make any difference if the toolbar is docked or not? where it's
located (e.g., if you move it up or down, does that change anything?)?

- If you add a button that is responsive to the environment (e.g., the
Bold button, or Formatting Palette button) does that force XL to update
the display of the bar?

 

[Clinton Cairns]

Toolbar docked or not doesn't make a difference. Location of toolbar (moving it around) also doesn't make a difference.

Adding a button to the toolbar or resetting the toolbar from Customize Toolbars/Menus menu makes the icons come back until user switches to another program and back. (Problem returns after switching to another program and back)

Only way to make the icons on the toolbar come back and stay is to reposition the vertical toolbar horizontally and then back to vertical. Even then, that solution only lasts as long as Word/Excel/Powerpoint is running. (Problem returns when Word/Excel/Powerpoint is reopened)

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Toolbar docked or not doesn't make a difference. Location of toolbar (moving
it around) also doesn't make a difference. <br><br>Adding a button to the
toolbar or resetting the toolbar from Customize Toolbars/Menus menu makes the
icons come back until user switches to another program and back. (Problem
returns after switching to another program and back) <br><br>Only way to make
the icons on the toolbar come back and stay is to reposition the vertical
toolbar horizontally and then back to vertical. Even then, that solution
only lasts as long as Word/Excel/Powerpoint is running. (Problem returns
when Word/Excel/Powerpoint is reopened)

Have you fully updated Office 2004?

This problem was extensive early on, but reports have dwindled with
later updates, though I don't know that a single cause has been found
(it may have been coincidental with OS X's updates, too).