xlChart returning wrong value

[SixSigmaGuy]

Hi,

I added a chart to my workbook using the Sheets.Add command, with the "Type"
parameter set to xlChart.

But when I walk through the sheets in my workbook and check the "Type" of
each, it tells me that my chart is an xlExcel4MacroSheet instead of an
xlChart. According to help, xlChart has a value of -4109 and
xlExcel4MacroSheet has a value of 3. When I query the Type property of the
new Chart I created, VBA says the value is 3, not -4109. Seems like xlChart
is set to the wrong value; should it be 3 rather than -4109? Then again, if
I add a new sheet using the value of 3 for the type parameter, I get a new
worksheet, not a chart.

Anyone know what's going on? We were failing to process a lot of charts
because the wrong value was coming back. Following is a code snippet
showing my problem:

Sub AddNewChart()
Dim x As Variant
Set x = ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Add(Type:=xlChart)
x.Name = "NewChart"
End Sub

Sub CheckSheetType()
Debug.Print ThisWorkbook.Sheets("NewChart").Type
End Sub

Immediate Window shows "3"

 

[Barb Reinhardt]

I ran this in Excel 2003 and didn't have an issue.

Sub AddNewChart()
Dim x As Variant
Set x = ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Add(Type:=xlChart)
x.Name = "NewChart"
Set x = ThisWorkbook.Charts.Add
x.Name = "NewChart1"
End Sub

Sub CheckSheetType()

Debug.Print "NewChart1", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("NewChart1").Type
Debug.Print "NewChart", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Newchart").Type
End Sub

Both came out Type = 3

When I tried it in Excel 2007 before saving the file, I got the same thing.
Also no problem if the workbook was an .xlsm workbook.

I tweaked my code a bit to see what I'd get for other things.

Sub AddNewChart()
Dim x As Variant
Set x = ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Add(Type:=xlChart)
x.Name = "NewChart"
Set x = ThisWorkbook.Charts.Add
x.Name = "NewChart1"
Set x = ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Add(Type:=xlExcel4MacroSheet)
x.Name = "Macrosheet"

End Sub

Sub CheckSheetType()

Debug.Print "NewChart1", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("NewChart1").Type
Debug.Print "NewChart", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Newchart").Type
Debug.Print "Macrosheet", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Macrosheet").Type
Debug.Print "SHeet1", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Type
Debug.Print "Sheet2", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet2").Type
Debug.Print "Sheet3", ThisWorkbook.Sheets("SHeet3").Type
End Sub

I only got -4167 for the regular worksheets.

 

[Barb Reinhardt]

Have you tried using something like this (for separate worksheets in the
workbook

Sub TestChart()
Dim myChart As Chart
For Each myChart In ThisWorkbook.Charts
Debug.Print myChart.Name
Next myChart

End Sub

If the Charts are embedded in the worksheets, it's a bit different.

Dim myChart as ChartObject
Dim WS as worksheet
for each WS in thisworkbook.worksheets
For each myChart in ws.chartobjects
debug.print mychart.name
next mychart
Next WS

 

[SixSigmaGuy]

But, according to the documentation in help, 3 is the wrong value. xlChart
is supposed to be equal to -4109, not 3. Three is the value associated with
xlExcel4MacroSheet.

Following is what help says:

XlSheetType Enumeration
Specifies the worksheet type.
Version Information
Version Added: Excel 2007

Name Value Description
xlChart -4109 Chart
xlDialogSheet -4116 Dialog sheet
xlExcel4IntlMacroSheet 4 Excel version 4 international macro sheet
xlExcel4MacroSheet 3 Excel version 4 macro sheet
xlWorksheet -4167 Worksheet

© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

[SixSigmaGuy]

I already solved my problem by re-writing my code; the reason for my post
was that I'm just wondering if I found a bug in VBA that should be reported.
Looking to see if others get the same results I did.

 

[Barb Reinhardt]

What exactly are you trying to do? Maybe it can be done without using the
type.

Barb Reinhardt

 

[SixSigmaGuy]

I'm trying to find out if there's a bug in the Excel VBA documentation or in
VBA itself wrt the value for xlChart; nothing more.

 

[SixSigmaGuy]

FWIW, I verified the same problem on Excel 2003, I was on Excel 2007
previously. Anyone know what's going on here? If I create a chart with
Type = -4109 (xlChart), why does VBA tell me the type is 3
(xlExcel4MacroSheet) after the chart is created?

 

[Peter T]

It is confusing I know. Some objects can belong to different "Types" and it
seems that a chart sheet is one of them. When its type is returned it is
not looked up in the tlb's Enum xlSheetType but is returned simply as a Long
(unlike for all other sheet types). FWIW you can do this

Dim xlShtType As XlSheetType
type xlShtType = and look at the intellisense

For sure you cannot rely on 3 to correctly distinguish your sheet type. For
your purpose, to ensure you are working with a chart sheet either of the
following should be reliable

Dim cht As Chart

On Error Resume Next
Set cht = Nothing
Set cht = ActiveSheet
On Error GoTo 0
If Not cht Is Nothing Then
MsgBox cht.Name
End If

If TypeName(ActiveSheet) = "Chart" Then
MsgBox cht.Name
End If

Regards,
Peter T

 

[SixSigmaGuy]

Thanks Peter,

So, is this a bug in Excel? Since the documentation says one thing, but the
code does another?

BTW, using TypeName was the way we got around the problem.