This has been happening increasingly, when I have a sheets.add or sheets.delete in excel VBA. After searching and searching I finally found the official Microsoft support page on it. My question is, does anyone know why I could have stepped through this code just fine over and over, and then all of a sudden it starts doing what Microsoft says it would always do, and is there a way to fix it?
Sub foo()
Sheets.add
debug.print "sheet added" 'breakpoint here
End sub
It’s as simple as that. You won’t be able to recreate it, because the issue I’m asking about is the fact that it doesn’t happen at first. It works just fine over and over then randomly presents the error described in the linked Microsoft support page.
David Zemens
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asked Nov 13, 2015 at 17:13
8
Check if Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Extensibility is being referenced in the project.
You can check that in the Tools/References Menu on the Visual Basic window of the project.
Referencing Visual Basic for Applications Extensibility prevents the program having its execution suspended:
Excel helps says specifically:
A change was made programmatically to the project using the extensibility (add-in) object model. This prevents the program from having execution suspended. You can continue running, or end execution, but can’t suspend execution.
You are unable to step through code when making changes to the project (dynamically eg using InsertLine etc). the code can be run but not stepped through.
answered Sep 30, 2019 at 21:47
1
Deleting certain objects including ActiveX objects actually changes the VB project. It took me some time to realize that the following line of code prevented the VBE from entering break mode:
Excel.ActiveSheet.DrawingObjects.Delete
If you can identify the code causing the issue, and the order of operations isn’t important, move it to the end of your script.
answered Oct 25, 2019 at 1:25
ChrisBChrisB
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Here are a few suggestions which are not fool-proof,
Firstly, verify that the error does not occur if a breakpoint is not set.
If it doesn’t, try a few other things:
- From the VBE Debug menu, «Compile VBA Project», it’s worth a shot.
- Delete the line entirely. Run the code. Then put the line back in and try again with the breakpoint.
- Add a
DoEventsstatement after theSheets.Add - Use a
MsgBoxinstead of a breakpoint on aDebug.Print. With the message box displayed, attempt to manually break using ctrl+fn+End. (At this point, «breaking» isn’t necessary but it would be interesting to see whether you can break this way) - Put a breakpoint on
Sheets.Addinstead; practically speaking, there’s no reason to put the breakpoint on aPrintstatement if you can just put it on the preceding line. - Are there any Addins? If so, disable all of them and re-enable one at a time, testing to see which one may contribute to the error.
answered Nov 13, 2015 at 18:53
David ZemensDavid Zemens
52.8k11 gold badges79 silver badges129 bronze badges
Yet another Excel/VBA glitch.
When it happens to me when I click a button running a macro:
- I first try to directly run the macro from VBE,
- if it fails, then I put a breakpoint at the first instruction of the macro,
- if it still fails, I try both,
- or, after clicking the button and breaking on the first breakpoint, I do a single step (
SHIFT F8) and then I can let debug run freely as usual (F5).
And so far I don’t get this error anymore.
Probably not foolproof either but worth a try.
answered Dec 12, 2018 at 17:49
PragmateekPragmateek
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Ran into the same issue, and (as far as I can tell) the only relevant answer here is Answer 5 (i.e. the one provided by Chrisb).
I’ve been working with vba for (too many) years now, and never encountered this until I had a project that needed vba to delete ActiveX controls. In my case, the ‘ActiveX controls’ were a spurious result of data copied in from a web page.
Additionally, there appears to be a way around the issue. Using the following code (versus, e.g. deleting the ActiveX as a shape), seems to circumvent the issue:
On Error Resume Next
ActiveSheet.OLEObjects.Visible = True
ActiveSheet.OLEObjects.Delete
On Error GoTo 0
I say ‘appears’ and ‘seems’ above as implementing the above solved the issue for me. However, before I implemented same, I had made other code changes and I have not yet fully regression tested for all possible other reasons the problem was resolved. 
answered Sep 21, 2021 at 8:04
SpinnerSpinner
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1
This has happened to me multiple times and this solution works for me.
- Run a different macro within the same VBA project.
- Then go back and run the same macro that is causing the pop-up message to appear. The message should no longer appear.
answered Feb 23, 2022 at 23:38
DeveloperDeveloper
7417 silver badges12 bronze badges
Using Excel 2010; Windows 7 all up to date; 2gigs Ram; 2gigs Centrino Duo
VBA code below creates a password query form in a VBA project. After creating the form; then obtaining
the user input, i.e. PasswordVar; the code then deletes the form.
It works!! … BUT there is an annoying issue:
When the code-line («.InsertLines X + 2, «PasswordVar = Authorization.Value») is executed
I get a VBA error message ‘Can’t enter break mode at this time’
As you can see, I have attempted a delay i.e. Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue(«0:00:02»))
to no avail. BTW, it makes no difference if the delay is 1 thru 10+ seconds.
I realize that some issue is stopping (breaking) during calculation/processing. That said, I have
no idea Where or How to fix it.
Any thoughts or workarounds?
Thanks in advance!!!
Dennis
************************************************************************************************
Public PasswordVar as String
Sub TempPasswordForm()
‘NOTE: Must place «Public PasswordVar as String» st the top of this VBA Code Module
‘ to cause PasswordVar to survive this «Sub» thru to the «Calling» program
‘
Dim TempForm As Object
Dim NewTextBox As MSForms.TextBox
Dim X As Integer
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Set TempForm = ThisWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents.Add(vbext_ct_MSForm)
FormName = TempForm.Name
With TempForm
.Properties(«Caption») = «Authorization Information»
.Properties(«Width») = 200
.Properties(«Height») = 100
End With
Set NewTextBox = TempForm.Designer.Controls.Add(«Forms.textbox.1»)
With NewTextBox
‘Remove PasswordChar
‘textBox1.PasswordChar = «»
‘and to go back to asterixes is
‘textBox1.PasswordChar = «*»
.Name = «Authorization»
.Top = 12
.Left = 6
.Width = 186
.Height = 20
.Font.Size = 14
.Font.Name = «Tahoma»
.BorderStyle = fmBorderStyleSingle
.SpecialEffect = fmSpecialEffectFlat
.PasswordChar = «*»
End With
Set NewButton = TempForm.Designer.Controls.Add(«forms.CommandButton.1»)
With NewButton
.Caption = «Click Me»
.Height = 24
.Left = 60
.Top = 42
.Width = 72
End With
‘Next section creates a Temporary Worksheet Code Module which disappears when this procedure
‘ closes. Note that PasswordVar is initialized next below and carried back to the «Calling» procedure
With TempForm.CodeModule
X = .CountOfLines
.InsertLines X + 1, «Sub CommandButton1_Click()»
.InsertLines X + 2, «PasswordVar = Authorization.Value» ‘<<Error occurs HERE!
.InsertLines X + 5, «Unload Me»
.InsertLines X + 6, «End Sub»
End With
‘Two second time delay counter the «VBA error message ‘Can’t enter break mode at this time'»
Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue(«0:00:02»))
VBA.UserForms.Add(FormName).Show
‘Delete the temporary TempForm created above
ThisWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents.Remove VBComponent:=TempForm
End Sub
-
04-08-2009, 10:22 PM
#1
Registered User
«Can’t enter break mode at this time» error
Can someone please tell me why I get a «Can’t enter break mode at this time» message when stepping through the following code (using the F8 key) at the ‘With NewButton’ line?
(This is code from a Walkenbach book, and it runs fine if I don’t step through it. I’m using Excel 2007 btw) Thanks!
Last edited by jp001; 04-16-2009 at 10:16 PM.
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04-08-2009, 10:38 PM
#2
re: «Can’t enter break mode at this time» error
I can’t tell you the reason, but there is some code that you can’t step through. Another is when you modify code programmatically in the VBE. If it works fine, carry on.
Entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate
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04-09-2009, 08:18 AM
#3
Registered User
re: «Can’t enter break mode at this time» error
-
04-09-2009, 11:54 AM
#4
re: «Can’t enter break mode at this time» error
When you’re stepping through the code, just before that line, put your cursor on the line after the «End With» and «Step to cursor (Ctrl + F8)»
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04-09-2009, 04:22 PM
#5
re: «Can’t enter break mode at this time» error
Hello jp001,
When OLE objects are created, they are created outside the Excel process using the OLE server. VBA must yield until the object has been created and included in Excel. Once this happens, the OLE server returns back to the VBA process. VBA can only enter break mode while the Excel process is active.
Sincerely,
Leith RossRemember To Do the Following….
1. Use code tags. Place [CODE] before the first line of code and [/CODE] after the last line of code.
2. Thank those who have helped you by clicking the Star
below the post.3. Please mark your post [SOLVED] if it has been answered satisfactorily.
Old Scottish Proverb…
Luathaid gu deanamh maille! (Rushing causes delays!)
-
04-11-2009, 09:19 AM
#6
Registered User
re: «Can’t enter break mode at this time» error
Thanks for the help guys!
below the post.
-
#1
Hi, I am trying to create code using the VBA .CreateEventProc to create a worksheet_SElection change event. For some reason, anytime I try to run it, it tells me that I can’t enter break mode, but I didn’t even know I was trying to do that. Here is the code that I have. As far as I can tell, it creates the correct code in the event handler for the sheet, but it crashes right after. It says «Can’t enter break mode at this time,» then is followed by an automation error, then excel crashes. I have no idea what is causing the problem. It works if I run the code in the sub function that I created, but never if I run it using my program.
Here is the code:
Code:
Sub Create_Event_Procedure()
Dim VBProj As VBIDE.VBProject
Dim VBComp As VBIDE.VBComponent
Dim CodeMod As VBIDE.CodeModule
Dim LineNum As Long
Const DQUOTE = """" ' one " character
Set VBProj = ActiveWorkbook.VBProject
Set VBComp = VBProj.VBComponents(ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Error_Resolution").CodeName)
Set CodeMod = VBComp.CodeModule
With CodeMod
LineNum = .CreateEventProc("SelectionChange", "Worksheet")
On Error Resume Next
LineNum = LineNum + 1
.InsertLines LineNum, " If (Target.Value = " & DQUOTE & "Y" & DQUOTE & "Or Target.Value =" & DQUOTE & "Yes" & DQUOTE & " Or Target.Value = " & DQUOTE & "yes" & DQUOTE & "Or Target.Value = " & DQUOTE & "y" & DQUOTE & "Or Target.Value = " & DQUOTE & "YES" & DQUOTE & ") Then"
LineNum = LineNum + 1
.InsertLines LineNum, " Target.Offset(0, 1).FormulaR1C1 =" & DQUOTE & "Empty" & DQUOTE
LineNum = LineNum + 1
.InsertLines LineNum, " Target.Offset(0, 2).FormulaR1C1 =" & DQUOTE & "N/A" & DQUOTE
LineNum = LineNum + 1
.InsertLines LineNum, " Target.Offset(0, 3).FormulaR1C1 =" & DQUOTE & "N/A" & DQUOTE
LineNum = LineNum + 1
.InsertLines LineNum, " Target.Offset(0, 4).FormulaR1C1 =" & DQUOTE & "N/A" & DQUOTE
LineNum = LineNum + 1
.InsertLines LineNum, " Target.Offset(0, 5).FormulaR1C1 =" & DQUOTE & "N/A" & DQUOTE
LineNum = LineNum + 1
.InsertLines LineNum, "End If"
End With
End Sub