PUB: Publisher Cannot Recolor Some Windows Metafiles (133095)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Publisher for Windows 3.0
This article was previously published under Q133095

SYMPTOMS

If you import a Windows metafile (.wmf) graphic into a publication and try to recolor it, you may receive the following error message:
Publisher cannot complete this operation (reason unknown).
This problem may also occur when you try to recolor an OLE object.

CAUSE

The Windows metafile or the screen representation of the OLE object is using device-dependent information to display its colors or fill patterns.

WORKAROUND

If you have a graphic or object that has this problem, try the following:
  1. Select the object, and click Cut on the Edit menu.
  2. From the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
  3. In the Paste Special dialog box, choose Picture.
  4. Try to recolor the picture again.

STATUS

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem occurs most often with older Windows metafile graphics or OLE source programs. Copying the graphic and pasting it as a picture can sometimes eliminate device-dependent elements.

Device-dependent information is information that requires an external source to define it. To illustrate how device-dependent information works, imagine that you want to tell someone else to open a box of crayons and draw a blue square. You can do this by giving device-dependent or device- independent instructions:

  • Device-Dependent Instructions

    Open a totally unused box of Brand X crayons. Take the third crayon from the left and draw a square with it.

  • Device-Independent Instructions

    Open any box of crayons. Take the blue crayon and draw a square with it.
Notice that nowhere in the device-dependent instructions was the color blue mentioned. To correctly carry out those instructions, the box of crayons must have the blue crayon as the third from the left, and it must be the correct brand of crayon. You can carry out the device-independent instructions, on the other hand, with any box of crayons that includes a blue one.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/16/2005
Keywords:kbgraphic kbinterop kbprb KB133095
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