CMD file executed from VBA leads to different results - vba

PROBLEM IS SOLVED ALREADY
this should be fairly simple, but I can't figure out what's wrong.
I have a cmd file in V:\something\XYZ.cmd, which takes 1 parameter.
When I execute it manually, e.g. Windows-Explorer and double-click the cmd, I get my result.
Now I have a XLSM file on my Desktop and a macro should invoke this cmd instead.
Problem is, when executed that way, I get some "file-not-found errors" in the cmd itself.
So how could I simulate the manual execution of the cmd.
There must be some path related problem...
This is how I execute from VBA:
Call Shell("cmd.exe /c " & "V:\something\XYZ.cmd" & " " & someParameter, vbNormalFocus)
I tried to put a
ChDir "V:\something\"
right before the call, but that doesn't change anything...
Where's the problem?

thank you, I just found the error myself:
There was a %root% used inside the script, this was the error. Changed it to absolute path, now it works

Related

Shell hitting Run-Time error '5' trying to call R script in Access VBA

I made a simplified version of my code that directly highlights the issue.
I have read dozens of similar issues/solution.
Part of my workflow in VBA in Microsoft Access involves calling an R script that does some logic and returns information to a table in the same database.
It was working until we moved the location of the R installation to a new drive. Changing the path to this new install location does not work. No other code is changed.
cmd = "C:\R\bin\i386\Rscript.exe C:\R\test.R"
Debug.Print cmd
Shell cmd
I get
runtime error '5'
I am using the immediate window to check the paths are correct and copying them into RUN to verify that they do work.
The above outputs:
C:\R\bin\i386\Rscript.exe C:\R\test.R
It works in RUN.
The first thing I found when searching online is to add more (") as shell can handle them weirdly:
cmd = """C:\R\bin\i386\Rscript.exe""" & " " & """C:\R\test.R"""
Or any iterations of using "s in different places, output:
"C:\R\bin\i386\Rscript.exe" "C:\R\test.R"
Same error but works in RUN. I also tried them all successfully in CMD.
It seems just Shell refuses to launch R from that path. I have moved it elsewhere on my C drive with same effect.
I cannot recreate the original R installation path as that shared drive is now completely dead.
EDIT:
I changed to using ShellExecute simply to try and make Notepad ++ open, again works in cmd.
Set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
objShell.ShellExecute "C:\N\notepad++.exe", "C:\R\test_in.csv", "", "open", 1
This time I hit a "suspicious macro error" that leads me to believe that it may be an antivirus setting (macros are enabled in Access) blocking Shell from calling anything.
After days of testing I have found the solution, hopefully this can help anyone else in a similar situation. Windows Defender only blocks shell calls to non-Microsoft products, so I nested a call to PowerShell within the call to Shell:
Shell ("powershell.exe C:\R\bin\i386\Rscript.exe C:\R\test.R")
Take note you need to play around with the "s a lot ot get it working, my actual pipeline has more arguments and I had to enclose them in 5 sets of "s for it to pass through to powershell properly. IE:
Dim codePath As String: codePath = """""\\example\example"""""
Try these variations using Start or a second Command:
cmd = "Start C:\R\bin\i386\Rscript.exe C:\R\test.R"
or:
cmd = "cmd /c ""C:\R\bin\i386\Rscript.exe C:\R\test.R"""

Shell.Execute in VBA is not doing anything

I am trying to use powershell to extract some files from a zip folder located on a drive where I only have read access to my desktop in a temp folder where I can do whatever I like to them.
Using the code below I get no errors but the powershell code just does nothing.
Am I missing something?
Sub unzip_test()
Dim myshell As Shell32.Shell
Set myshell = New Shell32.Shell
Dim args As String
args = "Expand-Archive -LiteralPath " & "'C:\Users\user1\Desktop\TEMP\examplezip.zip'" & " -destinationpath " & "'C:\Users\user1\Desktop\TEMP\tester'"
'Debug.Print (args)
myshell.ShellExecute "powershell", vargs:=args
End Sub
The debug.print prints Expand-Archive -LiteralPath 'C:\Users\user1\Desktop\TEMP\examplezip.zip' -destinationpath 'C:\Users\st11524\Desktop\TEMP\tester'
Also, I have "Microsoft Shell Controls and Automation" checked in my references.
It should work. I think the problem is somewhere in the Expand-Archive call, but you can't see the answer.
The quick fix is to add -NoExit to your call, like this
args = "-NoExit Expand-Archive -LiteralPath " ...
This will allow you to read the error before it closes, but you can't read it from your code. If you need that, have a look here
After testing this on another computer I've come to the conclusion that this is a permissions thing. My personal computer runs the script just fine where my work computer won't. I don't see anything wrong with the code listed above so I will consider this issue resolved.

VBA - Execute or Run .bat File Inside Macro

I have been attempting to automate a series of administrative events for some of the users where I work by creating scripts and macro's and so on..
These scripts and macros work great, however, I would like to make a the process even easier for the users by running a single batch file that will systematically execute the scripts and macros.
The batch file I currently have, calls all the scripts one by one, and the very last script opens one of the xlsm workbooks which contains a few macro's in it - and here is where the issue is - There are still scripts to be executed but they can only be executed once this workbook has executed all its macros.
So my initial thought was to test if the workbook is open, if it is, delay the execution of the next script by a minute or so, then test again and again... until it is closed.. Then I thought perhaps it would be easier to execute the next set of scripts (also in a batch file) from within a macro.
So, I have this code:
Sub Run_BAT()
Set obj = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
obj.Run Chr(34) & "X:\Test\" & "Termination Reports Scripts\" & "Execute_Terminations.bat" & Chr(34), 0, True
Set obj = Nothing
End Sub
Which gives me an error:
Permission Denied
Then there's this code:
Sub WriteAndRunBatFile()
Call Shell("X:\Test\Termination Reports Scripts\Execute_Terminations.bat")
End Sub
Which gives me the error:
Invalid procedure call
Any and every single code sample that contains the "Shell" command gives this error.
Place your path to bat file in quotes:
Call Shell("cmd /c ""S:/somebatfile.bat""", vbNormalFocus)
Or
Call Shell("cmd.exe /C /K " & "ChDir X:\Test\Termination_Reports_Scripts && Execute_Terminations.bat", vbNormalFocus)
And yes, check permissions.
My theory is you're missing a reference in your application to the Windows Script Host Object Model.
In the VBA Editor, go to Tools, References, make sure that one's ticked.
It's not ticked by default for security reasons - imagine unintended access to the command prompt in every instance of a Microsoft Office application...!
(1) Check permission of user of that X directory.
(2) Test the code by removing spaces from directory name.
Also try the following code (Please try it by removing spaces from directory name).
Sub Button1_Click()
Call Shell("CMD.EXE /C " & "X:\Test\Termination_Reports_Scripts\Execute_Terminations.bat")
End Sub

How to concatenate files by calling Windows Shell with VBA

I am trying to write some VBA in Excel that will concatenate .csv files by executing the copy and more commands in the Windows Shell.
This code successfully creates an empty file concat_target.txt (into which the others will be concatenated):
Shell ("cmd.exe copy /b NUL " & """\\path\to\network\folder\concat_target.txt""")
However, this code does not have the intended effect of saving file_1.txt as file_1.concat_temp (skipping the header):
Shell ("cmd.exe more +1 " & """\\path\to\network\folder\file_1.txt""" & " > " & """\\path\to\network\folder\file_1.concat_temp""")
In fact, every variation of the call to more that I have tried just pops up a console (that stays open) whereas the call to copy does not. The UNC network path has cursed spaces in it.
UPDATE:
It turns out that adding the /c flag to the more command does the trick (although it seems to have no effect on the call to copy). So this code is having the desired effect:
Shell ("cmd.exe /c more +1 " & """\\path\to\network\folder\file_1.txt""" & " > " & """\\path\to\network\folder\file_1.concat_temp""")
I will post the full solution for posterity once it is finished.
I don´t know why you are using 'more', but I would use other methods:
Shell ("cmd.exe /c type ""\\path\to\network\folder\file_1.txt"" >> ""\\path\to\network\folder\file_1.concat_temp""")
Notes:
redirecting with '>' will overwrite the file, losing previous contents
redirecting with '>>' will append the file (concatenate)
no need to separate every element in your string with " & " if they are all text (but I guess you already knew this)
no need to create an empty file first.
UPDATE:
OP was using 'more' to exclude the .csv table headers, as I hadn´t understood before.
So the 'type' command won´t work in this case.

Shell *.vbs from within VBA

Hi can anyone tell me how to execute my .vbs from within VBA cause the following code dose not work.
RetBat4 = Shell("c:\VTS\QUEEN ANNES REVENGE\SYSTEM\VBS\UNDO_2.vbs", 1)
VBA debug says that the sytax is wrong????
thanks
Try
Shell("cscript ""c:\VTS\QUEEN ANNES REVENGE\SYSTEM\VBS\UNDO_2.vbs""",1)
If your VBS needs complete command shell environment, use this:
Shell("cmd /c cscript ""c:\VTS\QUEEN ANNES REVENGE\SYSTEM\VBS\UNDO_2.vbs""",1)
and if your program should wait until the VBS ends, read this post:
VBA Shell and Wait with Exit Code
try This:
Set ws=CreateObject("Wscript.shell")
set ws.exec("ping " & ip & " -n 20")
set ws=nothing