WD97: Creating Hyperlink Deletes Object Reference

• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When your Visual Basic for Applications macro creates an object variable that is set to reference a picture object, and if your macro later anchors a hyperlink to the picture object, the object reference is deleted and you receive the following error:

   Run-time error '5825': Object has been deleted

   Sub DoInLineShapeHyperlink()
      Dim oDoc As Document
      Dim oILPic As InlineShape
      Dim oHLink As Hyperlink
      Dim sPicFile As String
      Dim sLinkFile as String
      sPicFile = "<Your Graphic File Path and Name>"
      sLinkFile = "<Your HyperLink File Path and Name>"
      ' Create new document.
      Set oDoc = Documents.Add
      ' Insert a picture.
      Set oILPic = oDoc.InlineShapes.AddPicture _
         (Range:=oDoc.Content, FileName:=sPicFile, LinkToFile:=True)
      ' Add a hyperlink for the picture.
      oDoc.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=oILPic.Range, Address:=sLinkFile
      ' The error occurs here because oILPic is no longer valid.
      Set oHLink = oILPic.Hyperlink
   End Sub '

CAUSE

You receive the "Object has been deleted" error message because the macro has attempted to access an object that's been deleted. The object may have been deleted deliberately, such as with the Delete method, or it may have been deleted as a side effect of another operation, such as when a frame is added around an inline shape, which deletes the original inline shape and creates a copy of it in the frame.

WORKAROUND

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   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/default.asp

   Private Sub DoInLineShapeHyperlink()
      Dim oDoc As Document
      Dim oILPic As InlineShape
      Dim oHLink As Hyperlink
      Dim sPicFile As String
      Dim sLinkFile as String
      sPicFile = "<Your Graphic File Path and Name>"
      sLinkFile = "<Your HyperLink File Path and Name>"
      ' Create new document.
      Set oDoc = Documents.Add
      ' Insert a picture.
      Set oILPic = oDoc.InlineShapes.AddPicture _
      (Range:=oDoc.Content, FileName:= sPicFile, LinkToFile:=True)
      ' Add a hyperlink for the picture.
      oDoc.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=oILPic.Range, Address:=sLinkFile 
      ' Use the InlineShapes Property to reference the object.
      Set oHLink = oDoc.InlineShapes(1).Hyperlink
   End Sub

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the IsObjectValid method to verify that an object still exists. The following example demonstrates the use of this method:

   Sub testObject()
      Dim ilShp As InlineShape
      Set ilShp = ActiveDocument.InlineShapes.Add("C:\Windows\bubbles.bmp")
      MsgBox IsObjectValid(ilShp)     ' This will display True
      a.Delete
      MsgBox IsObjectValid(ilShp)     ' This will display False
   End Sub

   ARTICLE-ID: Q173707
   TITLE     : OFF97: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

REFERENCES

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for 
               Applications