File linking, error message, Formula too long.

Question

I get an error message when I try to change the source of a link in my spreadsheet.  The error says "formula too long".  I have been using this spreadsheet for many months and have not changed any formulas.It begins to update some of the data, but does not let me change all of it.

Answer 1

There is a limit of 1024 bytes to the length of a formula.

On changing the source of a link from a short path (e.g. C:\Temp) to a longer one (e.g. \\Server\Users\MyName\Files\Excel\Budget)  you may have gone over this limit in some formula(s) - or from a short filename (Book1.xls) to a longer filename ('The first version of the 2010 budget.xls')

See if you can find a way to shorten the full filename you are linking to (by using a mapped drive letter perhaps, or a shorter filename).  Otherwise you will need to find a way to reduce the length of the formula (e.g. by defining part of the formula as a shorter defined name and using the name in the formula)

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Bill Manville. Excel MVP, Oxford, England. www.manville.org.uk

Answer 2

Thanks Bill

Answer 3

The limit?  1024, as I said ;-).

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Bill Manville. Excel MVP, Oxford, England. www.manville.org.uk

Answer 4

Thanks.  Do you know how many characters that is?