Vba code cannot select text pasted from .txt file

[Excel Curious]

The data I'm working with is from a .txt file which was created by exporting
a .pdf to a text file.

I copy all of the text from the .txt file and paste it into a column in Excel.

When trying to reference any column, row, or range on the sheet with the
pasted text, I get the following error: Run-time error '1004':
Application-defined or object-defined error.

Sample code:
Sheets("Sheet5").Select ' <this works fine
Columns("A:A").Select ' <this gets the error

I've tried pasting the text with other paste special options. I've tried
referencing the text on another sheet and running the code off of it. I've
tried using the Text formula to reformat the text. But, none of this seems to
be working. I cannot select any area on a sheet that has or references this
text... and therefore cannot use it in my code.

 

[JLGWhiz]

Double check your spelling and symbols on the line of code that produces the
error. There is no reason for the error, otherwise.

 

[B Lynn B]

On the chance that it's not a mis-spelling or syntax error, you could simply
try Range("A:A").Select instead of Columns("A:A").Select.

Also just as food for thought/learning... it's generally not necessary to
"select" objects in order to manipulate them with VBA. e.g.:

Range("A:A").Copy

is the same as

Range("A:A").Select
Selection.Copy

 

[Excel Curious]

There is no misspelling and I have tried using Range in place of Columns. The
exact same code works on other worksheets that do not have the pasted text.
I'm using Select because the next line of the code runs a find on the
selection.

Is it possible the text from the .txt file is somehow corrupt (although it
looks fine)? And if so is there a way to un-corrupt it?

 

[Dave Peterson]

You didn't paste the procedure name that holds this code--or where that
procedure is located.

If the code is in a General module, then I would expect it to work ok.

But if the code is in a worksheet module (some sort of event/control
procedure???), then it won't.

If the code is in a General module, then the unqualified range (Columns() would
refer to the active sheet.

If the code is in the worksheet, then the unqualified range belongs to the
worksheet that owns the code--and I bet that's not Sheet5.

Try:

Worksheets("Sheet5").select
Worksheets("Sheet5").columns("A:A").select

or (less typing):
with worksheets("Sheet5")
.select
.columns("A:A").select
End with

But even better would be to drop the selection stuff and just work on it
directly.

with worksheets("Sheet5")
.columns("A:A").numberformat = "General" 'for instance
...
end with

 

[JLGWhiz]

I think Dave might be closer to the problem with his analogy. That
particular error occurs because VBA cannot compile the code, not because of
corrupted data within a cell. It does not even test the cell content at
that point in the execution. It is only looking for an object that the code
has described. As Dave pointed out, if you are not running the code from
the public module of the same workbook, then the compiler does not know
which column A you mean, so you need to add the workbook name to that line
of code so that the compiler knows where to look for column A.

 

[Excel Curious]

That was it. I changed the code to include the worksheet in the column
selection and it worked. I've written a lot of code and haven't encountered
this issue before. Thank you for your help.

FYI my code was in a button on the worksheet module for sheet4.