I have a macro-enabled Word document with a reference to a template in the Project > References section of the VBA/macro editor. I can't delete this reference directly. When I delete it through the Developer panel's Document Template dialog box, the template name in that dialog box reverts to Normal, but the macros' Project > References section still shows the old template.
Behavior: the macros fail with the message
"Compile error: can't find project or library."
The missing template appears to be the source of the complaint, since I can create a dummy file with the same name and location as the missing template and the macros load fine. VBA is not relying on any code in that missing template, either, from what I can see. It's just a missing file that's specifically referenced so the compiler chokes. But I need to circulate this macro-enabled document on its own without requiring users to make a new path and copy a dummy file into it.
I've tried editing the XML within the .docm file to remove the reference, but the template is also referenced in the vbaProject.bin binary file. Hex editing that binary file to remove the reference (replacing it with nulls or a valid path/name of the same length) and re-zipping the structure produced a document that Word recognized as corrupted (also tested re-zipping it without making any changes, to make sure the unzipping/zipping process wasn't causing new problems, and that version opened fine but failed at the same place it always fails: the missing template file). Word produced a recovered version, which shows all the macros listed, but it also shows the reference to the template I'm trying to remove.
Windows 10, Word 365 latest
Help?
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How do I create a Word VBA personal code library as I have done in Microsoft Excel..? I had this working, but today it broke and I cannot make it work again. I originally did this because my Normal.dot file blew up and I lost all my macros. I found a blog post that described how to do it, but I cannot find my way back there. I've Google this extensively, but not found a solution.
There are some twists & turns here, as described below...
In Microsoft Excel, one can easily create a "code library project". This is simply a standard XLSB file with VBA modules in it, saved in the ..\Excel\STARTUP folder alongside the PERSONAL.XLSB file.
When the VBA editor is open in any other XLSX/B file, the modules in the code library file are always visible. And thre's not a requirement to create a VBA project reference to see them. The library modules can be natively edited as if they were an integral part of any other file, without requiring the library file to be open in another window to do so, as shown in the picture...
However...in Microsoft Word, it seems to work differently, and...strangely. If the same is done: create a DOCM file with custom code modules, and save it in the ..\Word\Startup\ folder, those modules are not visible in the VBA Project Explorer.
Following along the chain of logic from Excel to Word, and do as others have done...save the DOCM as a DOTM instead, and save it in the ..\Templates folder with the Normal.dotm file. Still, it is not visible in Project Explorer.
It's not until Normal.dotm is opened for editing and the library DOTM is added as a VBA Project Reference that it finally appears in the Project Explorer, but only while Normal is open. Plus...it opens the code library file for editing in another window..! If Normal is saved with that reference, and a new document is created from it, the library code cannot be edited and displays the error "project is unviewable"...
It's not until the library DOTM file is opened for editing in a second window that it's code becomes editable, and it does so in all Word VBA windows on all documents at the same time.
There is one glimmer of hope: if I create a new blank DOC from the library DOTM instead of Normal.DOTM, it works..! Any document created from the library retains a link to the code modules there, including any new or edited ones, and they can be edited natively right there in the Project Explorer. And this includes the code modules in Normal.DOTM too.
It seems the "editability" is one way: documents created from any other template can see & edit both their own code and those in Normal.DOTM, but not the other way around: documents created from Normal.DOTM can only see their own code.
How can this connection be made two-way for all documents, regardless of what template they were created from..??
I've been trying to wrap my head around the possibility it may be a security/malware issue, but I can't come up with one. If macros are already enabled in the Trust settings, malware is already 99% on the way to controlling a machine anyways. The only step left is enabling VBIDE.
A very similar question on Microsoft Answers:
Is there a startup or template file in Words that allows one to store "personal macros", i.e. macros that one wants to have always available while editing documents (I am seeking the equivalent to the PERSONAL.XLSB file in Excel, where I can store macros that then are available in all sheets that I open).
And the solution given:
Word uses the default template Normal.dotm for this purpose. Macros stored in Normal.dotm will be available in all documents. Apart from that, Normal.dotm also serves as the default document template, and it also stores the user's formatted AutoCorrect entries.
Just like Personal.xlsb, Normal.dotm doesn't exist in a clean new installation, but it will be created when needed.
The location for Normal.dotm is
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates
AppData is a hidden folder, so you must display hidden files and folders in order to see it in Windows Explorer.
Similar questions (also on answers.microsoft.com) have been offered same type of solution.
Macros that should be globally available can be stored in Normal.dotm or in a template located in the Startup folder for Word. See also:
And:
In Word, personal settings (those that aren't stored in the Registry) are stored in the Normal template, Normal.dotm. When you change and save settings or create macros, they are automatically saved in Normal.dotm unless you choose to save them in another template. Normal.dotm is automatically loaded when you start Word, and new Blank Documents are based on Normal.dotm.
When attempting to run RMTrak (a requirements mapping software), Visual Basic runtime error 4248 would appear. This only happens on a single file in the set of files being used. Other errors occur when attempting to run RMTrak while the document is currently open.
Run-time error '4248':
This command is not available because no document is open.
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/813983 (1/6/2017)
How RMTrak works: RMTrak will open a file, parse it for specific formats, and consolidate it to their viewer. It will use tags inputted into the documents to relate to other other requirements, input specs, etc to show a list of requirements, their mapping, and how it relates.
Open up the document in question and hit "Alt-F11". The VBA editor will appear. Either delete or comment out the VBA code. Save. Re-run.
When RMTrak is parsing the document, it is attempting to run the Visual Basic code that is embedded in the document. Since the document is not being opened by Word when RMTrak is parsing it, the "ActiveDocument" property is invalid.
I'm writing VBA codes for multiple Excel spreadsheets, which will be shared with others from time to time. At some point I find there are lots of duplications in my works. So I want to find a way to share codes in a sort of Excel add-in, like the .xla file.
But when I tried to save the Excel file containing shared codes as .xla file, I got some problems:
The file cannot be edit anymore after I save it in the default add-in folder
If I move the .xls file to a folder other than the add-in folder, and open it directly - I cannot use its classes - which creates problems for sharing the codes
Any ideas to create add-ins in a flexible and powerful way please?
Thanks a lot for the help
Not completely sure this is what you're looking for, but ...
(1) save the .xla/.xlam code by clicking the save icon in the VBA editor. HOWEVER, the thing that saves is the thing currently selected in the Project Explorer pane, which lists all open VB Projects and which is usually on the left. Even if you are staring at your just-edited VBA code, clicking the save icon will not save your code unless it is also selected in the Project Explorer pane. You won't get feedback that anything was saved - but you can verify by checking the file timestamp in a separate window.
(2) if you have an *.xls file which (via the formula bar) refers to VBA functions from your *.xla / *.xlam file, then if you open the *.xls file without opening the .xla,.xlam file first, Excel may create external links to resolve the formulas (i.e. referring to a file which is not open). If you have moved or renamed the *.xla file you can get stuck with those "mangled formulas" and need to edit out the pathname links that Excel inserted using a global substitute. If you arrange to open the .xla,.xlam prior to any *.xls file that uses it, you shouldn't have a problem (e.g. by using the default folder).
In an ordinary document list in SharePoint 2010 there are two buttons for adding documents: “New document” and “Transfer documents”. New document usually opens a blank word document, and Transfer documents usually gives the possibility to choose a document to add to the list.
In a document library in our environment, the New document button opens the form to upload an existing file rather then open an empty word document.
Why does this happen? Is there a setting that specifies this behavior?
It happens when there are no default templates, possible due to custom content types with no set default document template (word, excel, etc) pherhaps due to upgrade from SP 2007 to 2010?
Quick fix: Add document template to the custom content type and add document should reappear.
When I create a new document based on a template (*.dot), I need to know on which template is the document based on.
Is there a way to find out with VBA which template was used for creating this new document? I need the complete path to the template.
ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate.FullName
You may also use a built-in document property to access the template name: ActiveDocument.BuiltInDocumentProperties(wdPropertyTemplate)
I don't remember why theres has been sometimes differences between the two results; you must try it out. please be aware that accessing sometimes the built-in properties sets the document in a dirty state, so that it is useful to save the ActiveDocument.Saved state before and reset it after having accessed the property.
[UPDATE]
I've had again a look into the way you're creating the documents. If it's at your customer with 38.000 templates, I guess your problem are "fake" templates. I've just did a test with Office 2003:
Create a new document "TestTemplate.doc" with same content and save it as doc file. Close it.
Go to Windows Explorer and rename the document to "TestTemplate.dot". This provokes Windows Explorer to treat it as a template, not as a document. The default DDE command for templates is not "OPEN", but "NEW", what you can also see if you do a right-click on the file ("New" is bold, while with documents "Open" is bold).
Double-click the fake template: Word creates a copy of the document, so a new file named "Document2" or whatsoever.
Go to the VBA Editor, and type ?ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate, and you'll see "Normal" as answer. Type ?activedocument.Type = wdTypeTemplate and you'll see "False" as answer.
Sp I guess the documents "Without template" are only copies of other documents, and not of templates. So you have no way to find the base template.