Source

Returns or sets a String specifying the name of the object or application that originally generated the error. Read/write.

Syntax:

  • Err.Source
  • Err.Source = errorSource
errorSource
A String identifying the source of the error. When read, Source returns the source for the active error, or a zero-length string if no error is active.

The Source property holds a string representing the object that generated the error; the expression is usually the object’s class name or programmatic ID.

Use Source to provide information when handling code cannot handle an error generated in an accessed object. For example, when a call into an Automation server raises a Division by zero error, the server sets Err.Number to its error code for that error and sets Source to its programmatic ID.

When generating an error from user code, Source is the application’s programmatic ID. For class modules, Source should contain a name in the form project.class.

When an unexpected error occurs, the Source property is automatically filled in. For errors in a standard module, Source contains the project name. For errors in a class module, Source contains a name in project.class form.

Example

This example assigns the programmatic ID of an Automation object to the variable myObjectID, and then assigns that to the Source property of the Err object when it generates an error with the Raise method.

When handling errors, do not rely on the Source property (or any Err properties other than Number) for control flow. The intended use of properties other than Number is to display detailed information to an end user when an error cannot be handled.

Dim myObjectID As String, myHelpFile As String, myHelpContext As Long
myObjectID = "MyApp.MyClass"
Err.Raise Number:=vbObjectError + 894, Source:=myObjectID, _
          Description:="Was not able to complete your task", _
          HelpFile:=myHelpFile, HelpContext:=myHelpContext

See Also