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'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

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    'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    Having googled, I've seen that other people have had problems (when opening a workbook) with:

    'Can't Exit Design Mode because Command Button: Command Button 2 cannot be created'

    But my problem is a little different.
    My workbook runs perfectly well and consistently on some machines (e.g. Office 10, 32-bit and Office 13, 64 bit) but fails with the above error when opened on other machines (also running Office 10, 32 bit).

    The workbook is quite complex (60 worksheets, at least 5 activeX controls on each, and with ~200 lines of VBA code per worksheet).
    I don't really even know how to start solving the problem.

    Hope some of you can help! It's an Excel app for school kids that helps teach basic numeracy skills.

    MathUKTeacher

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    Re: 'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    Checkout this thread
    http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...t-working.html

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    Re: 'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    Thanks davesexcel, but I don't think that's it. I'd already addressed that issue (and hence got it the workbook back running on some machines) and that gave a seemingly very different error (a compile time error).

    Do you know that the 'Can't exit design mode' error is definitely associated with the security / Forms.exd issue, or were you just guessing? [not meant in a negative way! I'm just trying to see if it was a suggestion, or the definite cause!]

    Thanks for any further help.

    MathUKTeacher

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    Re: 'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    Since you already navigated the Dec 14th Active X Update gauntlet, you are probably suffering from some other Active X nightmare.

    I often suffer from Active X headaches. When I must use Active X, I've learned that the easiest way for me to avoid the headaches is to create the Active X controls with a Macro. That way if I have a problem, I can delete all the Active X controls, recreate them, and the problem usually goes away.

    Before attempting a solution I recommend doing the following:
    a. Make a backup copy of your workbook.
    b. Make a backup copy of the bad sheet for easy retrieval.

    I would try to diagnose the the problem as follows:

    a. Run the following macros to see if you have a name collision (multiple controls with the same name).
    If so, attempt to delete duplicates.
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    b. Replace the offending sheet with a fresh copy by:
    1. Making a copy of the bad sheet.
    2. Deleting the original sheet.
    3. Renaming the copy to the original name.

    d. Delete all the Active X controls on a sheet to see if the problem goes away. If the problem persists, run the macros again to make sure there aren't any hidden controls. Occasionally an 'Active X' control will go rogue and pretend to be a Shape.

    e. Delete Active X controls one at a time - to see if the problem goes away.

    f. Start with a new workbook, and copy sheets over one at a time or in groups. You may have to copy the Sheets without the Active X controls, and add them after a sheet is imported. When you get to a point where a situation is stable, make a backup copy to establish a new baseline that has alleged integrity.

    Good luck. It can be a long and tedious process.

    Lewis
    Last edited by LJMetzger; 01-11-2015 at 06:30 PM.

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    Re: 'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    Have all the machines had the latest patches applied and the .exd fix run on them? If not, I'd be fairly sure that is the cause.
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    Re: 'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    Very many thanks to LJMetzger and romperstomper. I've yet to fully pursue their suggestions, but - in experimenting further - have now got yet another error showing on some other machines (again, with the workbook that performs perfectly well on my machine).
    This time the error is 'Unexpected Error 32809'.

    Do you know if this is in any way symptomatic of the Dec'14 security patch -induced (Forms.exd) problem, or is it more likely associated with LJMetzger's suggestion of an ActiveX corruption of some sort?

    Thanks for any further thoughts,
    MathUKTeacher

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    Re: 'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    That error would tend to reinforce my suspicion that it's the patch problem.

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    Re: 'Can't exit design mode' error when workbook opened on some machines only!

    I just had a similar problem in Excel 2003. Error 32809 followed by a 57121. The cause of my problem was accessing alleged 'Active X' controls in Excel 2003, that were created in a later Version of Excel. This is a known Excel feature where 'Active X' doesn't travel at all into the past (i.e. 2003).

    Here is how I fixed the problem:
    b. Replace the offending sheet with a fresh copy by:
    1. Making a copy of the bad sheet.
    2. Deleting the original sheet.
    3. Renaming the copy to the original name.

    Deleted all the alleged Active X controls (as shapes). You can probably use a macro similar to the following which has the Delete statements commented out. Be careful that you delete only the controls you want to delete, and don't accidentally delete shapes or Forms controls, or Charts.
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    Recreated the 'Active X' controls.

    Lewis

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