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Troubleshooting

Excel Shows #NAME?​

The VBA module is not imported, macros are disabled, or the workbook was not saved as .xlsm.

Check these points:

  • The imported standard module should appear under Modules as DataMatrix2CodesModule.
  • The workbook must be saved as .xlsm.
  • Macros must be enabled for that workbook.
  • If you imported an older copy, remove the old module and import the current macro/ParseEncodedString.bas again.

You do not need formulas for the normal workflow. Run DataMatrix2Codes; it writes parsed values directly into the sheet.

Excel Shows Run-Time Error 13​

Run-time error 13 means VBA received a value whose type did not match what the macro expected.

Use the current macro/ParseEncodedString.bas file. If your workbook already has an older imported module, remove that old ParseEncodedString module from the Visual Basic editor and import the new .bas file again.

Also format columns A:I as Text before scanning and conversion. If Excel turns a long scanner string or parsed PC into a number or scientific notation, the original text display may be damaged.

If the error continues, select one raw scanner cell and run DiagnoseDataMatrixActiveCell from the Macros dialog. The diagnostic reports the cell type, detected text length, parser status, and explanation.

Excel Asks "Not Trying To Type A Formula?"​

Excel may show this when a manually typed formula uses the wrong argument separator for your regional settings.

Try semicolons instead of commas:

=ParseEncodedString(A2;"PC")

instead of:

=ParseEncodedString(A2,"PC")

This is common in Spanish/macOS Excel.

Excel can also show a similar warning if a scanner sends text beginning with = or - into a normal cell. In that case, Excel tries to interpret the scanner output as a formula before this parser can run.

Run DataMatrix2Codes on an empty sheet before scanning. It formats columns A:I as text and selects the first scanner row. After scanning, run DataMatrix2Codes again to convert the rows.

If your scanner can be configured with a prefix, configure it to send an apostrophe (') before the barcode string. Excel stores the rest as text and does not show the apostrophe in the cell.

Rows Are Not Colored​

Run SetupDataMatrixWorksheet after scanning or pasting codes. The macro writes parsed values and applies conditional formatting to the active sheet.

A Field Is Blank​

Check STATUS and EXPLAIN.

  • PARTIAL: the parser found some fields but not all.
  • AMBIGUOUS: the scan can be interpreted in more than one way.
  • UNPARSED: the scan could not be decoded into the supported fields.

Check For Hidden GS1 Separators​

If a scan is in A1, fill this formula downward:

=CODE(MID($A$1,ROW(A1),1))

A result of 29 means Excel received the hidden GS1 group separator. If no row returns 29, the scan is in the flattened form this project is designed to recover from.