I'm currently learning Excel VBA and since CTRL+Z doesn't undo anything, I'm trying to find a way to undo what my code does when I have to. On my office computer, I can click on the Save button from VBE and it saves my code, but nit the workbook.
On my personal computer (Office 365), when I do the exact same thing, it saves everything, code and workbook so I cannot undo what my code did by not saving it.
Can you help me to understand why? And do you have any idea I can undo what my code did?
Thank you
You have two options:
1) Export code modules to file - either manually by right-clicking on them, or via code (check out VBA Extensibility), or;
2) Do what I do, which is the easy option of just copying chunks of code as text into Notepad.
There doesn’t exist what you’re really looking for: an integral method of “saving” the VBProject but ignoring the workbook - as the VBProject is part of the workbook when it comes to file structure.
Related
I have an xltx that clearly contains macros when i open it, based on the error "ThisWorkbook.RefreshAll err..etc .etc., due to invalid sql connection".
(whether i open the xltx as New or Open).
Once I go to vba project, there is ZERO code of any kind.
I consider myself a VBA expert, but have to confess, I've never worked at ALL with template files. (they seem like a completely unnecessary thing to me).
is there some magic that makes vba code invisible in xltx ?
You need to use XLTM (Excel Macro-Enabled Template)- the difference is the same as between XLSX and XLSM - you can write whatever code you like, but if you don't save it in the macro-enabled format, it won't still be there when you re-open the workbook/create a new spreadsheet based on the template.
You should have had this error message when you saved (although if you just clicked "Yes" it'll have saved anyway, just without the macro code)
If you haven't closed down the template file you're working on, you should still be able to save it as XLTM and retain the code - otherwise it's gone, unless it can be recovered from an autosave:
There will not be any macros in an .XLTX. You can try renaming the file as .XLSM or .XLTM in file explorer to get them back. The message "ThisWorkbook.RefreshAll err..etc .etc., due to invalid sql connection"." also looks like a broken link to a datasource rather than a macro.
Is there any way I can lock or freeze the VBE editor to prevent others from accidentally editing the VBA code?
I don't want to lock down the whole workbook where people can run macros but can't see the code.
I want to let others see the code but don't want them accidentally deleting something and break the program (something even I am prone to doing to my code).
Just go to Visual Basic, right click your module, select VBA Project Properties..., under protection tab, you can lock your VBA code with password.
Hope this help. ^^
If you want the code to be visible and executable, then you can't stop people from making changes to it.
You can however, stop them from saving those changes, by opening the workbook as read-only.
You can mark a workbook as read-only in the File Properties from within File Explorer. Or, if your workbook is opened via Automation, then you can specify read-only in the open method.
Is there a way to have an Excel macro to check what file I double clicked on to open.
When I open that file, the Add-Ins installed load first, then the file I clicked on loads. How can I write code inside one of my Add-Ins to check what the filename is that I am trying to open?
I tackled this by using 2 instances of Workbook_Open inside an excel Addin.
When a file is loaded, the addin starts up, and checks to see if there are any active workbooks. If there is none, then we wait a little bit and check again, looped as many times as you deem necessary, or until there is a valid workbook open. This makes sure your computer has time to load up the excel file. Once there is an active workbook, we process it to make sure it is not the workbook of the addin. If it is, then we exit our code. If it isn't then we Do Stuff.
I solved 2 of my questions on this site with the same code that can be found HERE
Note: I left out the parts where I Do Stuff... because really it's there to do anything you want with it. The code in the link just does what the previous paragraph describes.
Can VBA code be written to perform actions on any Excel file?
When I create a project in Visual Studio, it asks for an Excel file to be linked to it. All the code that I write is in ThisWorkbook.vb and hence acts only on the Excel file linked to the project.
Ideally, I want a script that:
When the user double-clicks, he/she should be allowed to select an Excel file of choice for the actions to be performed on that file.
If the above is not possible, I'd at least like to invoke the VBA script from within an Excel file.
Basically, the VBA code should be independent of any Excel file.
I looked at VBScript, but the syntax for it seems to differ slightly.
You've mentioned Visual Studio, VBA, and VBScript. The solution I'm outlining works directly with VBA rather than Visual Studio or VBScript. (However, you might adapt Visual Studio (C# or VB) along the lines of what I'm outlining below.) Hope it's helpful, so here goes:
Here's what I do, and, it ultimately results in an .xlam Excel AddIn as #chris above has commented.
Overview
I start with ordinary .xslx workbook, to which I add a VBA project, making it an .xlsm. Then create some VBA Subs (macros). Then create some Excel QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) buttons for the workbook, which are bound to (i.e. they invoke) the VBA subs/macros. Then convert the workbook (with VBA in it) to an .xlam, which is an Excel AddIn. When you're all done, the buttons are accessible from any workbook (and the VBA code has access to any user workbooks as well as those originally in your .xlsm). Further, the workbook associated with the .xlam is invisible. So it just looks like you've added some buttons to the QAT that appear on all users .xlsx windows. The .xlam is pretty easy for users to install (though I provide a buttons to uninstall/reinstall/check version). You can upgrade an .xlam independently of users' workbooks; users' workbooks can thus be data only (.xlsx, no VBA).
Details
Write some Excel Subs you want to use later
You need to be aware that the buttons can only invoke macros (VBA Subs) without parameters, so the macros will have to check things like ActiveSheet and ActiveWorkbook and Selection to figure on what sheet the button was pressed, hence what user data to really operate on. (If you need to refer to your workbook with the VBA code in it, use “ThisWorkbook”). You should be aware that there can be naming conflicts, so try to name the parameterless subs with rather long names, such as MySomewhatUniqueProjectName_button1, etc…
Add Buttons to your .xlsm
Using Excel 2010 (I think this works with 2007 or later), I put workbook-specific buttons on the QAT part of the ribbon, which connect to macros (VBA subs) in the VBA code.
To do this, you from the Quick Access Toolbar customization drop down (the tiny down arrow at the very top row of the Excel window, the last icon from left to right) choose "More Commands…". When the “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” dialog box comes up, from the (2nd) "Customize Quick Access Toolbar:" heading (top to the right), choose "For XYZ.xlsm" from the dropdown instead of the "For all documents (default)". And from under "Choose Commands From:", use "Macros" (instead of “Popular Commands”) from the dropdown. Once you have those two things selected, you can move VBA subs from the left box to the right box using “Add >>”. Each so moved will become buttons visible in your QAT. As you’re doing this you can also edit the icon and text for the buttons, add a separator as needed (I always end with a separator in case other .xlam’s use the QAT). (Now is a good time to save this .xlsm.)
Convert the .xlsm into a .xlam
Then I convert the .xlsm to an Excel add-in, by merely saving it as an .xlam file. This will end up (1) hiding the workbook associated with the code you have (though it is still accessible to itself.). Further, now, (2) the (invisible, as now it's an .xlam) workbook will load whenever Excel is loaded. (To keep this fast for when users use Excel but don’t run my VBA code, I don't run any code when the .xlam is loaded, I only run code when a button is pushed.)
You can manage the AddIn using Excel’s AddIn manager. To update the AddIn, you have to use some trickery. While you can copy over it when Excel is not running, on the other hand, you cannot directly uninstall the AddIn, you can only disable it from Excel. But once disabled, you can delete the .xlam, and relaunch Excel, go to the AddIn manager to try to work with the (now gone) AddIn and you’ll get Excel saying it can’t find it, so do you want to delete it. Say yes, and it will be uninstalled.
FYI, Notes
I keep the .xlsm to edit later, but you can actually debug and edit the .xlam and later convert it back to an .xlsm with a minor bit of trickery: find its "ThisWorkbook" entry in VBA, and then the "IsAddIn" property, set to false, its workbook will suddenly appear and you can save as .xlsm, or edit its workbook and set the property back to true to resave as .xlam directly.)
Answer 1
You can do that in VB.Net too. Just make a regular project. (comment by #SLaks)
This worked for me very well and was exactly what I was looking for.
Answer 2
The very descriptive answer posted by #ErikEidt
I haven't tried this, but it seems like a good and alternative way of getting macros to work.
I have added a toolbar menu for my macro, so I can just press the button and it runs my macro from any excel document. Every time I run the macro though, it opens the source file containing the macro. Is there a way that it won't open the source file and just run the macro? (even opening and closing wouldn't too much of an issue, but I'd prefer not opening it at all)
I haven't been able to find any information about this, so all help to get me started is appreciated.
You can't pull code out of the air to run it; Excel's going to have to open the file the code's stored in to run the code.
If I understand it correctly, you can create an Excel add-in from your code and have the add-in load automatically when Excel starts. Your code will always be available in that case.
This seems like a good place to start:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140990(v=office.10).aspx
USE YOUR PERSONAL MACRO WORKBOOK
Open the VBEditor and find the module containing your macro.
Copy that code.
Now in the VBProject Panel on the left, locate your PERSONAL.XLS or PERSONAL.XLSB project. This is the project where you store macros you want available at all times. Add a module to that project and put your code into it.
Now update your "button" so that it points to the macro in that workbook and you're good to go.
On the off chance your PERSONAL.XLS project does not exist, use the macro recorder to record a "junk" macro and be sure to set it to "Store Macro In: Personal Macro Workbook"... that will create it for you the first time.