How to merge 3 VBA commands in to one? Set print range without absolute reference - vba

Question

I'm trying to solve a situation where I have a range of text that can vary considerably depending on the results returned by an array formula. Sometimes there may be 5 rows of data, other times there may be 2000.
I think I've found the chunks of individual VBA codes required for each stage of the task I want to complete, but I am a complete novice with VBA and I have no idea how to piece these together.
The following selects all the actual data on the page, and excludes any rows that contain a hidden formula:
Sub PickedActualUsedRange()
Range("A1").Resize(Cells.Find(What:="*", SearchOrder:=xlRows, _
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious, LookIn:=xlValues).Row, _
Cells.Find(What:="*", SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, _
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious, LookIn:=xlValues).Column).Select
End Sub
So far so good. This is the exact range I want to print.
I also want the row height to be adjusted automatically, as each cell may contain a string of text of varying lengths that may be wrapped. So again the following command needs to go in:
Selection.Rows.AutoFit
Not too much trouble so far.
However, for the next bit I would like the VBA to use the selection made above, and to set this as the new print range. However, the code I have found seems to require me to set an absolute range (as per below), whereas I need this to adjust in accordance to the first selection
Selection.PageSetup.PrintArea = "$A$1:$B$12"
Once this is in place, the next step I would like to incorporate is this code I found via from the contextures website for printing the current worksheet:
Sub PDFActiveSheet()
'www.contextures.com
'for Excel 2010 and later
Dim wsA As Worksheet
Dim wbA As Workbook
Dim strTime As String
Dim strName As String
Dim strPath As String
Dim strFile As String
Dim strPathFile As String
Dim myFile As Variant
On Error GoTo errHandler
Set wbA = ActiveWorkbook
Set wsA = ActiveSheet
strTime = Format(Now(), "yyyymmdd\_hhmm")
'get active workbook folder, if saved
strPath = wbA.Path
If strPath = "" Then
strPath = Application.DefaultFilePath
End If
strPath = strPath & "\"
'replace spaces and periods in sheet name
strName = Replace(wsA.Name, " ", "")
strName = Replace(strName, ".", "_")
'create default name for savng file
strFile = strName & "_" & strTime & ".pdf"
strPathFile = strPath & strFile
'use can enter name and
' select folder for file
myFile = Application.GetSaveAsFilename _
(InitialFileName:=strPathFile, _
FileFilter:="PDF Files (*.pdf), *.pdf", _
Title:="Select Folder and FileName to save")
'export to PDF if a folder was selected
If myFile <> "False" Then
wsA.ExportAsFixedFormat _
Type:=xlTypePDF, _
Filename:=myFile, _
Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
IncludeDocProperties:=True, _
IgnorePrintAreas:=False, _
OpenAfterPublish:=False
'confirmation message with file info
MsgBox "PDF file has been created: " _
& vbCrLf _
& myFile
End If
exitHandler:
Exit Sub
errHandler:
MsgBox "Could not create PDF file"
Resume exitHandler
End Sub
Is anybody able to help me incorporate all of the above in to a single string of code please?
FURTHER EDIT
Still not sure what I'm doing with different chunks of code. What would be the exact text I would need to enter in Module1? I don't understand how to structure it:
'Function to give the actual data range from a given worksheet
Function PickedActualUsedRange(ws As Worksheet) As Range
Set PickedActualUsedRange = ws.Range("A1").Resize(Cells.Find(What:="*", SearchOrder:=xlRows, _
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious, LookIn:=xlValues).Row, _
Cells.Find(What:="*", SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, _
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious, LookIn:=xlValues).Column)
End Function
Sub PDFSheet(wsA As Worksheet) '<-- the sheet in question will be given as parameter
' Drop or change the following lines...
' Dim wsA As Worksheet '<-- drop
' Dim wbA As Workbook '<-- drop
...
strPath = wsA.Parent.Path ' <-- change
...
End Sub
Sub mySyb()
Sub PDFActiveSheet()
'www.contextures.com
'for Excel 2010 and later
Dim wsA As Worksheet
Dim wbA As Workbook
Dim strTime As String
Dim strName As String
Dim strPath As String
Dim strFile As String
Dim strPathFile As String
Dim myFile As Variant
On Error GoTo errHandler
Set wbA = ActiveWorkbook
Set wsA = ActiveSheet
strTime = Format(Now(), "yyyymmdd\_hhmm")
'get active workbook folder, if saved
strPath = wbA.Path
If strPath = "" Then
strPath = Application.DefaultFilePath
End If
strPath = strPath & "\"
'replace spaces and periods in sheet name
strName = Replace(wsA.Name, " ", "")
strName = Replace(strName, ".", "_")
'create default name for savng file
strFile = strName & "_" & strTime & ".pdf"
strPathFile = strPath & strFile
'use can enter name and
' select folder for file
myFile = Application.GetSaveAsFilename _
(InitialFileName:=strPathFile, _
FileFilter:="PDF Files (*.pdf), *.pdf", _
Title:="Select Folder and FileName to save")
'export to PDF if a folder was selected
If myFile <> "False" Then
wsA.ExportAsFixedFormat _
Type:=xlTypePDF, _
Filename:=myFile, _
Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
IncludeDocProperties:=True, _
IgnorePrintAreas:=False, _
OpenAfterPublish:=False
'confirmation message with file info
MsgBox "PDF file has been created: " _
& vbCrLf _
& myFile
End If
exitHandler:
Exit Sub
errHandler:
MsgBox "Could not create PDF file"
Resume exitHandler
End Sub
End Sub
Sub mySyb()
Dim ws As Worksheet: Set ws = Worksheets("report")
Dim r As Range: Set r = PickedActualUsedRange(ws)
r.Rows.AutoFit
ws.PageSetup.PrintArea = r.Address
PDFSheet (ws)
End Sub

Answer 1

To fit it the easiest way with your current code, here's how you would setup the print area:
ActiveSheet.PageSetup.PrintArea = Selection.address
And you can call your routines in order
PickedActualUsedRange
Selection.Rows.AutoFit
ActiveSheet.PageSetup.PrintArea = Selection.address
PDFActiveSheet
On a final note, your code uses unqualified ranges and counts a lot on Select, Selection, ActivateSheet etc... which is usually considered bad practice (code will be difficult to maintain). You'd better change it to get rid of these and use explicit sheet names and qualified ranges.
EDIT
' Function to give the actual data range from a given worksheet
Function PickedActualUsedRange(ws as Worksheet) as Range
Set PickedActualUsedRange = ws.Range("A1").Resize(ws.Cells.Find(What:="*", SearchOrder:=xlRows, _
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious, LookIn:=xlValues).Row, _
ws.Cells.Find(What:="*", SearchOrder:=xlByColumns, _
SearchDirection:=xlPrevious, LookIn:=xlValues).Column)
End Function
Sub PDFSheet(wsA As Worksheet)
'www.contextures.com
'for Excel 2010 and later
Dim strTime As String, strName As String, strPath As String, strFile As String, strPathFile As String
Dim myFile As Variant
On Error GoTo errHandler
strTime = Format(Now(), "yyyymmdd\_hhmm")
'get active workbook folder, if saved
strPath = wsA.Parent.Path & "\"
'replace spaces and periods in sheet name
strName = Replace(wsA.Name, " ", "")
strName = Replace(strName, ".", "_")
'create default name for savng file
strFile = strName & "_" & strTime & ".pdf"
strPathFile = strPath & strFile
myFile = Application.GetSaveAsFilename _
(InitialFileName:=strPathFile, _
FileFilter:="PDF Files (*.pdf), *.pdf", _
Title:="Select Folder and FileName to save")
'export to PDF if a folder was selected
If myFile <> "False" Then
wsA.ExportAsFixedFormat _
Type:=xlTypePDF, _
Filename:=myFile, _
Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
IncludeDocProperties:=True, _
IgnorePrintAreas:=False, _
OpenAfterPublish:=False
'confirmation message with file info
MsgBox "PDF file has been created: " _
& vbCrLf _
& myFile
End If
exitHandler:
Exit Sub
errHandler:
MsgBox "Could not create PDF file"
Resume exitHandler
End Sub
Sub myMacro
Dim ws as worksheet: Set ws = Worksheets("report")
Dim r as range: Set r = PickedActualUsedRange(ws)
r.Rows.AutoFit
ws.PageSetup.PrintArea = r.address
PDFSheet ws
End Sub
Put all this in a code module (i.e. Module1) and call the myMacro through ALT
+ F8