Excel VBA: message box error in connection - vba

Question

There is a website, that can create thousands of .csv files that contain tables. The CSV files are based on the information the user asks.
I created an excel file with VBA script. The user enters the data to the excel file, then the VBA script generates the correct URL, and tries to get the required data from the .csv in that URL.
In my excel file, the user can ask for hundreds of .csv tables, and I want the user to be able to enter the hundreds of information kinds he wants, then run the VBA script and leave the computer to work on it.
I first do URL check, and if it is ok, I try to get the data in the .csv file in that URL.
most of the times, it works completely fine. Works fine for a case when HttpExists returns TRUE, and also works fine for a case that HttpExists returns FALSE (it just skips the current active cell and goes to the next one).
But there are a few times, that the URL check answers that the URL is fine (HttpExists returns TRUE), but when it tried to get the data, it opens a message box that says "sorry, we couldn't open 'url address' ". (message box for Run Time Error 1004) and then the VBA scripts terminates.
I would like to know how can I fix it. How can I just skip the current URL in case of error, instead of showing a message box that terminates the script run?
Sub my_method()
On Error GoTo handleCancel
Dim errorFlag As Boolean
.......
Do Until ActiveCell.Value = ""
errorFlag = True
URLstring= ....
........
If Not HttpExists(URLstring) Then
symbolStatus = "Data unavailable"
logAddress = updateLog("invalid URL " & ActiveCell.Value, logAddress, debugString)
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Sheets(currentSymbol).Delete
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
Else
With Sheets(currentSymbol).QueryTables.Add(Connection:= _
"TEXT;" & URLstring _
, Destination:=Sheets(currentSymbol).Range(dataAddress))
.Name = ""
.FieldNames = True
.RowNumbers = False
.FillAdjacentFormulas = False
.PreserveFormatting = True
.RefreshOnFileOpen = False
.RefreshStyle = xlOverwriteCells
.SavePassword = False
.SaveData = True
.AdjustColumnWidth = True
.RefreshPeriod = 0
.TextFilePromptOnRefresh = False
.TextFilePlatform = 850
.TextFileStartRow = 2
.TextFileParseType = xlDelimited
.TextFileTextQualifier = xlTextQualifierDoubleQuote
.TextFileConsecutiveDelimiter = False
.TextFileTabDelimiter = False
.TextFileSemicolonDelimiter = False
.TextFileCommaDelimiter = True
.TextFileSpaceDelimiter = False
.TextFileColumnDataTypes = Array(2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 9)
.TextFileTrailingMinusNumbers = True
.Refresh BackgroundQuery:=False
End With
.......
errorFlag = False
handleCancel:
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
If errorFlag = True Then
symbolStatus = "Data unavailable"
logAddress = updateLog("invalid URL " & ActiveCell.Value,
logAddress, debugString)
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Sheets(currentSymbol).Delete
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End If
Loop
End Sub
Function HttpExists(sURL As String) As Boolean
Dim oXHTTP As Object
Set oXHTTP = CreateObject("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP")
If Not UCase(sURL) Like "HTTP:*" Then
sURL = "http://" & sURL
End If
On Error GoTo haveError
oXHTTP.Open "HEAD", sURL, False
oXHTTP.send
HttpExists = IIf(oXHTTP.status = 200, True, False)
Exit Function
haveError:
HttpExists = False
End Function
It sometimes goes out with a messagebox of Run Time Error 1004, and it happens in the line of:
With Sheets(currentSymbol).QueryTables.Add(Connection:= _
"TEXT;" & URL _
I would like it just to skip the current cell in a case of error, and go on with the next cell, without any messagebox and without crashing.
How can I fix it?
Thanks

Answer 1

See if this error handling structure works better. I eliminated parts that are unnecessary and adjusted to what should work, but I am not sure what code is in the ..... sections. Anyway, this should at least give you a general understanding. I commented a few things to explain more clearly in code.
Option Explicit
Sub my_method()
Do Until ActiveCell.Value = ""
'URLstring= ....
If Not HttpExists(URLstring) Then
LogError 'create sub since you do same thing twice
Else
On Error GoTo handleBadURL 'now is only time you need to move to actual error handling
With Sheets(currentSymbol).QueryTables.Add(Connection:= _
"TEXT;" & URLstring _
, Destination:=Sheets(currentSymbol).Range(dataAddress))
.Name = ""
.FieldNames = True
.RowNumbers = False
.FillAdjacentFormulas = False
.PreserveFormatting = True
.RefreshOnFileOpen = False
.RefreshStyle = xlOverwriteCells
.SavePassword = False
.SaveData = True
.AdjustColumnWidth = True
.RefreshPeriod = 0
.TextFilePromptOnRefresh = False
.TextFilePlatform = 850
.TextFileStartRow = 2
.TextFileParseType = xlDelimited
.TextFileTextQualifier = xlTextQualifierDoubleQuote
.TextFileConsecutiveDelimiter = False
.TextFileTabDelimiter = False
.TextFileSemicolonDelimiter = False
.TextFileCommaDelimiter = True
.TextFileSpaceDelimiter = False
.TextFileColumnDataTypes = Array(2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 9)
.TextFileTrailingMinusNumbers = True
.Refresh BackgroundQuery:=False
End With
On Error Go To 0 'reset error handling (doesn't matter so much here, but good practice to always reset when not needed
End If
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
Loop
Exit Sub 'leave sub when all is done (so it doesn't move to error handling code below
handleBadURL:
LogError 'created sub since you do same thing twice
Resume Next 'this statement will allow code to continue from point of error onward (the loop will keep going
End Sub
Sub LogError()
symbolStatus = "Data unavailable"
logAddress = updateLog("invalid URL " & ActiveCell.Value, logAddress, debugString)
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Sheets(currentSymbol).Delete
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End Sub

Answer 2

You need to add error handling to your code. Server timeout notices doesn't reflect an issue with your coding, but an issue with the server (which is out of your control, unless of course, you entered an incorrect URL).
In your code, you need to place On Error GoTo ErrHandler, make sure you have the error number, and since you are wanting to just resume to the next cell you can do something like this:
Sub Test()
On Error GoTo ErrHandler
'Your code
Exit Sub
ErrHandler:
If Err.Number = 123456 Then
'Get the code ready for the next cell, if necessary
Resume Next
Else
'Other Errs
End If
End Sub