Excel VBA, using FileDialog to open multiple workbooks and reference them - vba

Question

I am currently using to following code to prompt the user for a workbook, open it, get some information from it and then close it. at the moment, I address the opened workbook by using the workbooks collection with and index ("woorkbooks(2)"). Now I need to open two workbooks, and my problem is that I wouldn't know which of the workbooks will be indexed as 2 and which will be indexed as 3. So, I figured there must be a way to get a reference to each workbook.
Function openfile() As Boolean
Dim fd As FileDialog
Dim file_was_chosen As Boolean
Set fd = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen)
With fd
.Filters.Clear
.Filters.Add "Excel File", "*.xl*"
End With
file_was_chosen = fd.Show
If Not file_was_chosen Then
MsgBox "You didn't select a file"
openfile = False
Exit Function
End If
fd.Execute
openfile = True
End Function
Now I've seen some solutions to this problem involving getting the full path of each workbook, but I'd prefer avoid using the full path since it contains words in different language (and the name of the workbook appears with question marks). Moreover, I'd prefer a solution in which the user is promped only once for 2 files and not twice.

Answer 1

This version gives the user a single dialog. Enjoy. And whoever downvoted my other answer, please add a comment to that explaining what you so disliked about it that it required a downvote.
Function openfile() As Variant
Dim aOpen(2) As String, itm As Variant, cnt As Long, lAsk As Long
Dim fd As FileDialog
Dim file_was_chosen As Boolean
Set fd = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen)
With fd
.Filters.Clear
.Filters.Add "Excel File", "*.xl*"
End With
Do
file_was_chosen = fd.Show
If Not file_was_chosen Or fd.SelectedItems.Count > 2 Then
lAsk = MsgBox("You didn't select one or two files, try again?", vbQuestion + vbYesNo, "File count mismatch")
If lAsk = vbNo Then
openfile = aOpen
Exit Function
End If
End If
Loop While fd.SelectedItems.Count < 1 Or fd.SelectedItems.Count > 2
cnt = 0
For Each itm In fd.SelectedItems
aOpen(cnt) = itm
cnt = cnt + 1
Next
openfile = aOpen
fd.Execute
End Function
Sub test()
Dim vRslt As Variant
Dim wkb As Excel.Workbook, wkb1 As Excel.Workbook, wkb2 As Excel.Workbook
vRslt = openfile
For Each wkb In Application.Workbooks
If wkb.Path & "\" & wkb.Name = vRslt(0) Then Set wkb1 = wkb
If wkb.Path & "\" & wkb.Name = vRslt(1) Then Set wkb2 = wkb
Next
If vRslt(0) = "" Then ' no files
MsgBox "No files opened so nothing happens..."
ElseIf vRslt(1) = "" Then ' one file was opened
MsgBox "One file so do whatever you want for one file"
Else ' two files were opened
MsgBox "Two files so do whatever you want for two files"
End If
End Sub

Answer 2

Working with your existing openfile function, change the return from Boolean to Excel.Workbook. If they don't open a workbook you set it to Nothing instead of false, otherwise you set it to the workbook reference of the file you just opened (You'll need to modify openfile to get that reference). You then just call it twice and set a workbook reference for each call that is not Nothing.
Example code below is written freeform and is untested - it's really just glorified pseudocode - but should point you the right general direction.
sub test
dim lAsk as long
dim wkb1 as excel.workbook
dim wkb2 as excel.workbook
do
if wkb1 is Nothing then
set wkb1 = openfile
if wkb1 is Nothing then
lAsk = msgbox("you didn't select a first file, try again?",vbyesno,"No file selected")
if lAsk = vbNo then exit do
end if
elseif wkb2 is Nothing then
set wkb2 = openfile
if wkb2 is Nothing then
lAsk = msgbox("you didn't select a second file, try again?",vbyesno,"No file selected")
if lAsk = vbNo then exit do
end if
end if
loop while wkb1 is Nothing or wkb2 is Nothing
' do whatever with wkb1 and wkb2 here
end sub
Edited to add:
Here's a very basic shape for your revised openfile function. Again, untested but I've modified it from one of my own procs so it should work
Function openfile() As Excel.Workbook
Dim sFilter As String
Dim sTitle As String
Dim vFileName As Variant
sFilter = "Excel Files (*.xl*), *.xl*, CSV Files (*.csv), *.csv, All Files (*.*), *.*"
sTitle = "Select file to process"
vFileName = Application.GetOpenFilename(filefilter:=sFilter, Title:=sTitle)
If vFileName = False Then
Set openfile = Nothing
Else
Set openfile = Workbooks.Open(Filename:=vFileName)
End If
End Function