XL: Solver.Solve with Showref Argument May Not Solve

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
• Microsoft Excel for the Power Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

If you are using the Microsoft Excel version 4.0 Solver.Solve macro function or the Microsoft Excel SolverSolve Visual Basic for Applications function with the ShowRef argument, Solver may not find a solution.

CAUSE

Solver may not calculate a solution if the following conditions are true:

• The Show Iteration Result check box in the Solver Options dialog is checked, or the StepThru argument was set to TRUE by using the Solver.Options macro function.

      -and-
  

• The ShowRef argument for the Solver.Solve macro function refers to a Visual Basic for Applications macro.

RESOLUTION

Use a reference to a Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro function for the Showref argument. The Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro could be used as a "wrapper" that would immediately call the Visual Basic for Applications macro code.

Example

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Visual Basic for Applications Code:

   SolverSolve ShowRef:=Range("SolverPause")

   =SOLVER.SOLVE(,SolverPause)

   A1: SolverPause
   A2: =ALERT("Solver has Paused")
   A3: =RETURN(TRUE)

Macro Example Explanation

   A1: name of the macro
   A2: Displays a dialog stating that Solver has paused
   A3: returns a value of TRUE so solver will continue to solve.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.