Strange behavior in Word's VBA IDE

[GeekGirlInFurs]

Hello! I'm hoping someone can help me figure this out.

Problem:

The VBA IDE in Word 2007 is opening by itself. When this happens, its window does not show any menu or toolbar, and only the window's title bar appears, along with the "Normal - NewMacros (Code)" module (see screen cap below.) I am not sure what is triggering it, but at some point I just find that an instance of "Microsoft Visual Basic - Normal" is on my Taskbar. I'm running an up to date installation of W8.1/64.

More detail:

When I first run Word, and manually open VBA, the IDE appears normally, with the usual menu and toolbar chroming. But at some point, after closing VBA, it reopens without the usual chroming.

Existing macros run normally, and new macros can be created (recorded in realtime), edited, and run normally. The spontaneous appearance of the IDE is (AFAICT) not related to either running or creating macros (which I do frequently), nor with saving the code module (though saving the module, or exiting VBA, using the menu or toolbar is impossible once they disappear: no menu or toolbar operations are possible when this happens, and only exiting and restarting Word corrects it.)

A possible cause?

Some weeks back I downloaded and used a Word template that lets you edit Word's recently used files list, found at
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/word_tip_reso ... _addin.zip" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I initially found that template in this thread: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/offi ... 61a760d035" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't really suspect that has anything to do with the odd behavior I'm seeing, but since using that template (which creates a temporary add-in that is removed once the template is closed) is the only remotely unusual thing I've done with my normal Word environment (which I maintain scrupulously) I thought I'd mention it. I have not been using this template at times when this problem shows up.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thank you!

[Rudi]

    
I wouldn't know if the list below will resolve your issue, but its worth a try based on a few tips of advice I read up on web pages that dealt with this issue.

Try the following and see if it clears this issue:

• Maximize, and then un-maximize (restore) the Visual Basic Editor, and close it (iow: ensure it is in a restored mode when closing it)
• Try choosing "Clear all breakpoints" from the VBE Debug menu and see if that clears the problem.
• If the above does not clear the error, try copying all the code to NotePad, deleting the module, creating a new module and pasting the code from NotePad back into the new module.
• Check also that you have not chosen "Break on all errors" under Tools>Options>General Tab.

Hopefully any of the above works.
Holding thumbs.

[GeekGirlInFurs]

Hi Rudi.

Thank you for this!

I was somewhat skeptical that the maximize/restore trick would work, even though it made perfect sense that it would. When oddities like that turn up, typically an exit/reload or at most a reboot will fix it. And I'd probably did at least one maximize/restore/exit, with a minimize or two thrown in for fun, trying to figure it out. But sure enough, the next time it happened, and I tried that routine, I seems to have worked. Go figure.

You're suggestion to clear the Normal module I had actually semi tried, but restored Normal from a backup after a short period after finding (and not for the first time) that custom key assignments to macros get broken when the macro no longer exists, if not immediately then at least under some non obvious circumstance -- other than just saving Normal, exiting, then rerunning Word. And I can't bear to live without my custom Normal. VBA is what makes Word so great, its many great faults and all. So I was dreading that as the solution to this really annoying behavior.

But it seems to be gone. Thanks again!

[Rudi]

That's great to hear.
TX for the feedback.

[Charles Kenyon]

Hi Rudi.

*** And I can't bear to live without my custom Normal. ***

If you have extensive customizations, consider storing them somewhere other than the normal template. Like the desktop or the kitchen table, it can get cluttered. There are still a number of things out there that zap the normal template, Microsoft being one of them it would seem. Also, keep backups. (It would seem that you do that.)

Almost everything that can be stored in the normal template can be stored elsewhere as well.
I know that it is convenient to have them there, but it is convenient to have all my tools and papers on my desk, too, until I can't find something or a pile of papers tumbles onto the floor and gets scrambled. I generally keep my customizations in other templates. (Of course, then I have to remember which template contains which customization!)

http://www.addbalance.com/word/movetotemplate.htm