Excel VBA - rename all worksheets from col of new names in another workbook - vba

Question

This question is vaguely similar to renaming multiple worksheets from list using VBA, but is too different to get the answer from that question.
I will regularly need to rename dozens of worksheets in various incoming workbooks.
I wish to rename all worksheets by first copying all the worksheet names into a secondWorkbook.sheets(1) colA, manually creating new names in ColB, and then run a second macro to update the names in the originalWorkbook.
I am stuck on the second macro, but will provide both macros below. If anyone has a shorter/better way of writing these macros, I am all eyes.
First macro - copy all worksheet names into a new workbook.sheet(1).colA. This works, and creates a new unsaved workbook with the tab names in ColA
Sub GrabAllTabNamesIntoTempWorkbookColA()
Dim tst, tmp, allTabNames As String
Dim i, cnt, cnt2 As Long
Dim wb, wbTmp As Workbook, xWs, ws1 As Worksheet
Dim arrOldNames, arrNewNames As Variant
ReDim arrOldNames(999)
cnt = 0
With ActiveWorkbook
For Each xWs In .Worksheets
If xWs.Visible = xlSheetVisible Then
arrOldNames(cnt) = xWs.Name
cnt = cnt + 1
End If
Next
End With
ReDim Preserve arrOldNames(cnt - 1)
cnt2 = 1
Set wbTmp = Workbooks.Add
Set ws1 = wbTmp.Sheets(1)
For i = 1 To cnt
ws1.Range("A" & i).Value = arrOldNames(i - 1)
Next
MsgBox "Done. Copied " & cnt & " tab names."
End Sub
Here is the macro I am stuck on. Both workbooks are open on screen, and I don't mind editing the macro to provide the workbook names. Unsure how to reference an unsaved workbook with a name like "Book4 - Microsoft Excel", so I have been saving it as Temp.xlsx and referencing it as namesWb. The workbook with the tabs to be renamed is referenced as targetWb
Sub RenameAllTabsFromColAInTempWorkbook()
Dim namesWb, targetWb As Workbook
Dim colA, colB As Variant
Set namesWb = Windows("Temp.xlsx")
Set targetWb = ActiveWorkbook
ReDim colA(999), colB(999)
cnt = 0
With namesWb
Sheets(1).Activate
For i = 1 To 999
If Range("A" & i).Value = "" Then Exit For
colA(i - 1) = Range("A" & i).Value
colB(i - 1) = Range("B" & i).Value
cnt = cnt + 1
Next
ReDim Preserve colA(cnt)
ReDim Preserve colB(cnt)
End With
For each oldname in colA()
'Stuck here...
Next
End Sub
I realize that I could again loop through the targetWb and, for each tabname, find the location of that tabname in ColA() and rename it with the same position name from tabB() - but I am wondering if there is a faster/better way to do this.

Answer 1

You can loop through active workbooks like this:
Sub t()
Dim mainWB As Workbook, tempWB As Workbook
Dim wb As Workbook
Set mainWB = ActiveWorkbook
For Each wb In Application.Workbooks
'Loops through the workbooks.
Debug.Print wb.Name
If wb.Name Like "Book*" Then
Set tempWB = wb
End If
Next wb
End Sub
Edit: Since you only have two open workbooks, you can shorten that:
Sub t()
Dim mainWB As Workbook, tempWB As Workbook
Dim wb As Workbook
Set mainWB = ActiveWorkbook ' MAKE SURE THIS IS CORRECT!! May need `ThisWorkbook` if the new temporary one becomes the active one.
For Each wb In Application.Workbooks
'Loops through the workbooks.
Debug.Print wb.Name
If wb.Name <> mainWB.Name And wb.Name <> "PERSONAL.XLSB" Then
Set tempWB = wb
' Now do whatever you need with the Temporary workbook.
End If
Next wb
End Sub

Answer 2

I've refactored both your Sub's to show a more robust method.
Dim all variables, with explicit types (some of yours were defaulting to Variant)
Record the Workbook being processed in the top of the Names list
Still processes the ActiveWorkbook
Save the Temp workbook into the same folder as ActiveWorkbook
Rename... now skips any missing new names
Detect missing OldNames (see comment in code, place any response you want there)
Detect failed Renames (eg could be invalid characters in the new names)
Sub GrabAllTabNamesIntoTempWorkbookColA()
Dim wbToRename As Workbook
Dim wbTmp As Workbook
Dim xWs As Worksheet
Dim ws1 As Worksheet
Dim arrOldNames As Variant
Dim arrNewNames As Variant
Dim cnt As Long
Set wbToRename = ActiveWorkbook
With wbToRename
' Size array based on number of sheets in workbook
ReDim arrOldNames(1 To .Worksheets.Count, 1 To 1)
cnt = 0
For Each xWs In .Worksheets
If xWs.Visible = xlSheetVisible Then
cnt = cnt + 1
arrOldNames(cnt, 1) = xWs.Name
End If
Next
End With
Set wbTmp = Workbooks.Add
Set ws1 = wbTmp.Sheets(1)
'Place data in sheet in one go
ws1.Cells(1, 1) = wbToRename.Name
ws1.Cells(2, 1).Resize(UBound(arrOldNames, 1), 1) = arrOldNames
MsgBox "Done. Copied " & cnt & " tab names."
'Save workbook
wbTmp.SaveAs Filename:=wbToRename.Path & "\Temp", FileFormat:=xlOpenXMLWorkbook
End Sub
Sub RenameAllTabsFromColAInTempWorkbook()
Dim namesWb As Workbook
Dim targetWb As Workbook
Dim wsNames As Worksheet
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim NamesList As Variant
Dim cnt As Long
Dim i As Long
Set namesWb = Application.Workbooks("Temp.xlsx")
Set targetWb = Application.Workbooks(namesWb.Worksheets(1).Cells(1, 1).Value)
cnt = 0
Set wsNames = namesWb.Worksheets(1)
With wsNames
'Get Names into one variable, based on actual number of rows
NamesList = wsNames.Range(wsNames.Cells(2, 2), wsNames.Cells(wsNames.Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp)).Value
For i = 1 To UBound(NamesList, 1)
' Check if the Name has been entered
If NamesList(i, 2) <> vbNullString Then
'Get reference to sheet by old name, and handle if sheet is missing
Set ws = Nothing
On Error Resume Next
Set ws = targetWb.Worksheets(NamesList(i, 1))
On Error GoTo 0
' Rename sheet
If Not ws Is Nothing Then
On Error Resume Next
ws.Name = NamesList(i, 2)
On Error GoTo 0
If ws.Name <> NamesList(i, 2) Then
' Rename failed! What now?
End If
Else
'Sheet Missing! What now?
End If
End If
Next
End With
End Sub