Refresh or reload Internet Explorer object in Excel VBA - vba

Question

I'm working on a way to fill in online forms using data from an Excel Spreadsheet. I'm using the VBA Modules in Excel to do so.
The steps are as follows:
1) Navigate to page
2) Fill in details
3) Click "Continue" to continue to the next page
4) Fill in more details
5) Click "Save" to save the page
Here is the code:
Sub FillInternetForm()
'Header Start
Dim IE As Object
Dim ROW As Integer
Dim MAXROW As Integer
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
MAXROW = 3
ROW = 2
'Header End
'Step 1 Navigate to the page
IE.Navigate *PAGE_1_URL*
IE.Visible = True
While IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState <> 4
DoEvents
Wend
'Step 1 Ends
'Step 2&3 Fill in the details and click "continue"
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDPaymentMode").Value = "18"
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDPaymentDate").Value = Cells(ROW, 1).Value
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDBusinessUnit").Value = "104"
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDAmountPaid").Value = Cells(ROW, 2).Value
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_ContinueButton__Button").Click
While IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState <> 4
DoEvents
Wend
'Step 2&3 Ends (IE moved to page 2)
'Step 4&5 Fill in more details and click "Save"
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_BankChequeOrOtherRef").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 3).Value
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDRemarks").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 4).Value
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_SaveButton__Button").Click
'Step 4&5 Ends
End Sub
I did step 1 to 3 fine. However, when it comes to step 4, I get an error. The error is: Runtime error 424 Object required. I am aware that this means that the Module is unable to locate the elements in step 4.
The error is at exactly:
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_BankChequeOrOtherRef").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 3).Value
Before the process has to be terminated.
To debug whether the code in step 4 has any problem, I took it out and ran it separately. I took the entire section of Step4&5 and header out and make it navigate to the 2nd page instead.
Like so:
Sub FillInternetForm()
Dim IE As Object
Dim ROW As Integer
Dim MAXROW As Integer
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
MAXROW = 3
ROW = 2
IE.Navigate *PAGE_2_URL*
IE.Visible = True
While IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState <> 4
DoEvents 'wait until IE is done loading page.
Wend
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_BankChequeOrOtherRef").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 3).Value
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDRemarks").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 4).Value
IE.Document.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_SaveButton__Button").Click
End Sub
And it worked.
I have no idea what is the problem. I'm guessing that all the elementID was loaded at the start or something and that the page 2 IDs were not loaded?
Does anyone know the source or solution to this problem? Thank you.
P.S. All names element ID are copied and pasted from the source code of the webform and should be correct.
Edit:
I have updated the issue in a comment below.
Edit2: Tried the exact same code on a win10 machine with excel 2016. Code worked perfectly. Thanks for all the help provided.

Answer 1

Please give this a try... (not tested)
Sub FillInternetForm()
'Header Start
Dim IE As Object
Dim Doc As Object
Dim ROW As Integer
Dim MAXROW As Integer
Dim ContinueButton As Object
Dim SaveButton As Object
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
MAXROW = 3
ROW = 2
'Header End
'Step 1 Navigate to the page
IE.Navigate PAGE_1_URL
IE.Visible = True
While IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState <> 4 Or ContinueButton Is Nothing
DoEvents
Set Doc = IE.document
Set ContinueButton = Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_ContinueButton__Button")
Wend
'Step 1 Ends
'Step 2&3 Fill in the details and click "continue"
Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDPaymentMode").Value = "18"
Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDPaymentDate").Value = Cells(ROW, 1).Value
Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDBusinessUnit").Value = "104"
Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDAmountPaid").Value = Cells(ROW, 2).Value
ContinueButton.Click
While IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState <> 4 Or SaveButton Is Nothing
DoEvents
Set Doc = IE.document
Set SaveButton = Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_SaveButton__Button")
Wend
'Step 2&3 Ends (IE moved to page 2)
'Step 4&5 Fill in more details and click "Save"
Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_BankChequeOrOtherRef").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 3).Value
Doc.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDRemarks").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 4).Value
SaveButton.Click
'Step 4&5 Ends
End Sub

Answer 2

Updated the code to:
Sub FillInternetForm()
'Header Start
Dim IE As Object
Dim DOC As Object
Dim ROW As Integer
Dim MAXROW As Integer
Dim SAVEBUTTON As Object
Dim COUNTER As Integer
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
Set SAVEBUTTON = Nothing
MAXROW = 3
ROW = 2
COUNTER = 0
'Header End
'Step 1 Navigate to the page
IE.Navigate "*WEBSITE*"
IE.Visible = True
While IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState <> 4
DoEvents
Wend
'Step 1 Ends
Set DOC = IE.Document
'Step 2&3 Fill in the details and click "continue"
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDPaymentMode").Value = "18"
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDPaymentDate").Value = Cells(ROW, 1).Value
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDBusinessUnit").Value = "104"
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDAmountPaid").Value = Cells(ROW, 2).Value
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_ContinueButton__Button").Click
'Step 2&3 Ends (IE moved to page 2)
While IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState <> 4 Or SAVEBUTTON Is Nothing
DoEvents
If Not IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState = 4 Then
IE.Refresh
End If
Set DOC = IE.Document
On Error Resume Next
Set SAVEBUTTON = DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_SaveButton__Button")
COUNTER = COUNTER + 1
Wend
'Step 4&5 Fill in more details and click "Save"
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_BankChequeOrOtherRef").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 3).Value
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_PAYDRemarks").Value = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("sheet1").Cells(ROW, 4).Value
DOC.ALL("ctl00_PageContent_SaveButton__Button").Click
'Step 4&5 Ends
End Sub
Found out that this snippet is not refreshing the page even though it is supposed to.
If Not IE.Busy Or IE.ReadyState = 4 Then
IE.Refresh
End If
Is it possible that the object is dropped halfway?
Occasionally the code works when visibility of IE is turned off, but it works like once every hour or something before the exact same error pops up.
The page I am accessing seems to use ASPX and generates the page base on a database, no idea if this will help.
Edit: Tried the exact same code on a win10 machine with excel 2016. Code worked perfectly.