XL2000: Overflow Error Occurs When Using Err Object (213603)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2000
This article was previously published under Q213603

SYMPTOMS

When you run a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macro in Microsoft Excel, you may receive the following error message:
Run-time error '6':
Overflow

CAUSE

This problem may occur when all of the following conditions are true:
  • You set the value of a variable equal to the value of the Err object in the macro; the following is a sample statement:
       ErrNum = Err

    -and-

  • You dimension the variable in question as type Integer.

    -and-

  • You use the Raise method of the Err object (Err.Raise) to generate a run-time error that has a value greater than 32767 or less than -32768.

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel.

WORKAROUND

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements. To work around this problem, dimension variables that will contain Err values as type Long. For example, instead of using 
 Dim ErrNum As Integer

use: 
 Dim ErrNum As Long

This code ensures that you do not receive the overflow error message.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel, the Err object contains information about run-time errors that occur when you run a Visual Basic macro. You can determine the value of the last run-time error that occurs by reading the value of the Err object. For example, the following line of code sets the variable (ErrNum) equal to the value of the last run-time error that occurs: 
 ErrNum = Err

You can use the Raise method of the Err object to generate a run-time error with any value. For example, to generate a run-time error whose value is 50000, use the following code: 
 Err.Raise 50000

If you use this code and set the value of a variable equal to the value of the Err object, as in the following code 
 ErrNum = Err

you receive an overflow error if the variable (ErrNum) is dimensioned as type Integer.

NOTE: All run-time errors generated by Microsoft Excel should have a value between -32768 and 32767. Therefore, you receive an overflow error only after you use Err.Raise to change the value of the Err object to a non-Integer value.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/11/2006
Keywords:kbdtacode kberrmsg kbprb KB213603
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