Outlook VBA error

[StuartR]

I have a few Outlook macros, and one of them occasionally throws up this dialog box.

Outlook Error.png

I don't know which macro is doing this, and the dialog box doesn't have a "debug" button.

Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this?

[HansV]

I found repeated suggestions to try and create a new e-mail profile in the Mail control panel.

The following MSKB article mentions a very specific possible cause of the error: You receive the error "The attempted operation failed" in Outlook 2010 when you try to retrieve the DisplayType property of an email recipient.

[StuartR]

I can't find DisplayType or .Recipient anywhere in the VBE.

All the code I have loaded came from this lounge or from the Windows Secrets lounge when it had a different name. It includes the code from the following threads.

• How to find the projectfolder of an email
• 32/64-bit compatible version of Outlook Attachment Manager
• VBA

[Goshute]

Can you create an errorhandler to trap the error type and see what object type is not found? Does the code error when you the Exchange mailbox is not available, or some other routine status is not present?

Is the code is mostly folder navigation?

[StuartR]

There are quite a lot of separate routines in multiple modules. I am not sure how to create an error handler without editing every routine.

[HansV]

The Outlook Attachment Manager works without errors for me in 32-bit Outlook 2010 SP1 and for my boss in 64-bit Outlook 2010 SP1, so hopefully you can exclude that.

[ChrisGreaves]

... and one of them occasionally throws up this dialog box.

Assuming that you have control over the VBA code and don''t want to step through it,...
What happens if you use Ctrl-Break while that pop-up is showing? Then Choose OK.

A MsgBox, in this situation (Ctrl-Break, then OK) breaks the code at the executable immediately after the MsgBox statement.
I find "Ctrl-Break; OK" a very fast way of locating the region of the source of the offending output.

HTH

[StuartR]

...
What happens if you use Ctrl-Break while that pop-up is showing? Then Choose OK.
...

I will try this next time it occurs. This may be today, or it may not happen for a week or two. It often happens when Outlook is in the background so it is not associated with any particular Outlook activity that I am carrying out.

[ChrisGreaves]

... All the code I have loaded ...

Can you export the modules using e.g. Rob Bovey's CodeCleaner or similar and eye-ball them to see what sort of tasks Outlook might be performing in the background?

[StuartR]

It happened this morning. I tried control-break but it simply dismissed the dialog box.

I have eyballed the code and I can't see any background tasks. I wonder if it could be something triggered by one of my many inbox rules.

[ChrisGreaves]

I have eyballed the code ...

I generally rail against "On Error", and now ask :
Are there On Error statements that you can disable by commenting out, to see what, if any, run-time-errors pop up?
And where?

[StuartR]

...Are there On Error statements that you can disable by commenting out, to see what, if any, run-time-errors pop up?
And where?

I have three different pieces of code in use (that I can find)..
Outlook Attachment Manager has three forms and two modules, with quite a lot of procedures between them. Hans says that this code works fine form him on a few PCs, and I can't see any code that would run except when I actually click on the relevant button.

GoToParallelFolder only runs when I click on the QAT button. It also has just has one procedure

Code: Select all

Sub GoToParallelFolder()
Dim objParent As Object
Dim fldrTargFolder As MAPIFolder
Dim arrFolders() As String

    ' code string with Exchange root folder name, no slashes
    Const strExchPFolder As String = "Mailbox - Lastname, Firstname" ' edited by StuartR to remove my name
    ' code string with PST root folder name, no slashes
    Const strPSTPFolder As String = "Archive"
    Dim strStartPFolder As String, strTargPFolder As String, strStartFolderPath As String
    Dim intI As Integer
    
    With Outlook.ActiveExplorer
        If CBool(InStr(.CurrentFolder.FolderPath, "\\Mailbox ")) Then ' in Exchange Folder
            strStartPFolder = strExchPFolder
            strTargPFolder = strPSTPFolder
        Else ' in PST Folder
            strStartPFolder = strPSTPFolder
            strTargPFolder = strExchPFolder
        End If
        
        strStartFolderPath = .CurrentFolder.Name
        Set objParent = .CurrentFolder
        Do Until objParent.Parent.Name = strStartPFolder
            Set objParent = objParent.Parent
            strStartFolderPath = objParent.Name & Chr(19) & strStartFolderPath
        Loop
        Set objParent = Nothing
        
        arrFolders() = Split(Trim(strStartFolderPath), Chr(19), , vbTextCompare)
        Set fldrTargFolder = Outlook.Session.Folders(strTargPFolder)
        
        If UBound(arrFolders) >= 0 Then ' if < 0 root folder currently selected
            For intI = 0 To UBound(arrFolders)
                On Error GoTo HANDLER:
                Set fldrTargFolder = fldrTargFolder.Folders(arrFolders(intI))
            Next intI
        End If
        .SelectFolder fldrTargFolder
    End With
HANDLER:
If Err Then MsgBox "Corresponding FolderPath not found in " & strTargPFolder
Set fldrTargFolder = Nothing
End Sub

GetParentFolder also only runs when I click a toolbar button. It has a single procedure

Code: Select all

Sub GetParentFolder()
  Dim strMsg As String
  Dim fld As Object

  On Error GoTo ErrHandler

  If TypeName(ActiveWindow) = "Inspector" Then
    Set fld = ActiveInspector.CurrentItem.Parent
    On Error Resume Next
    Do
      strMsg = "\" & fld.Name & strMsg
      Set fld = fld.Parent
    Loop Until Err
    strMsg = "Path: " & Mid(strMsg, 2)
  ElseIf TypeName(ActiveWindow) = "Explorer" Then
    If ActiveExplorer.Selection.Count > 0 Then
      If ActiveExplorer.Selection.Count = 1 Then
        Set fld = ActiveExplorer.Selection.Item(1).Parent
        On Error Resume Next
        Do
          strMsg = "\" & fld.Name & strMsg
          Set fld = fld.Parent
        Loop Until Err
        strMsg = "Path: " & Mid(strMsg, 2)
      Else
        strMsg = "You have selected more than one item."
      End If
    Else
      strMsg = "You haven't selected any items."
    End If
  End If

ExitHandler:
    MsgBox strMsg, vbInformation
    Exit Sub

ErrHandler:
    Select Case Err
        Case 430, -2147467262
            strMsg = "Sorry, the macro doesn't work with Advanced Find."
        Case Else
            strMsg = Err.Description
    End Select
    Resume ExitHandler
End Sub

I can't see any other code that could be running.

[ChrisGreaves]

I have three different pieces of code in use (that I can find)..

Hi Stuart.
I see four instances of "On Error".
:straw-clutching: Can you disable those four occurrences? (And any others lurking ...)

From all that I've read, OnError has a habit of biting one in the bum if not done perfectly.
FWIW I try to limit OnError to library utility routines, usually to accomplish something that MS didn't cater for, like the original FileExists, or to determine the number of dimensions of an array (both, I think, now rectified)

[StuartR]

I tried leaving a VBE window open, in the hope that I would be able to switch to that and issue a Control-Break, but the error just happened again and I still couldn't cause it to break.

This time I was reading a book, and had not typed anything or moved the mouse for at least 5 minutes.

[Goshute]

Stuart, most of your active macros are user-initiated. Are any of the macros triggered by rules?

[StuartR]

I think that all of my macros are user initiated. I can't see any that are triggered by rules. I only have the macros that I have identified above.

[Goshute]

Though it's most likely the macros, perhaps you have a defective Add-In? You may have to do this the hard way, by disabling VBA subs one by one, and then disabling add-ins one by one until the problem does not arise.

[StuartR]

That's about what I decided.

I have seen the same error message generated by GoToParallelFolder if the currently selected folder is the root, so I have put a breakpoint on the line in that routine that generated the error - but it hasn't failed for a couple of days now.

[StuartR]

It just failed again, 3 days between failures makes it hard to try too many things.
It didn't hit my breakpoint, so that's one part of one module that it can't be.

I could disable things one at a time, but this could take a while and leave me without useful functionality for many days. Maybe I will just live with the occasional error.