I want to call a .reg File out of my VBA script. I'm using Office/Excel 2013.
I know Excel can't run these files by itself, so i need to call the file via shell. The code i wrote doesn't work:
Sub deactivateHyperlinkWarnings()
Dim x
x = Shell("cmd /C C:\TEMP\DisableHyperlinkWarnings.reg")
End Sub
I found this piece of code somewhere on the web, but its not working. I don't even get an error message. The .reg File is located in C:\TEMP
What do i need to write to make it work?
Plus: Is it possible to suppress the MessageBoxes that are displayed when i run the .reg-File? When i start the file manually, i need to Hit "OK" like 3 Times. The people who are working with the Excelsheet later on shouldn't be seeing these things.
Instead of running cmd try to run reg. So in your case it should be x = Shell("reg import C:\TEMP\DisableHyperlinkWarnings.reg")
More info here
Related
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"""
I am writing a macro for a Solidworks PDM Task.
I have manage to write into the script in the Task, that it should start a specified macro. This works.
In the macro I would like to open a PcSchematic file (.pro) and the run a .cmd file, which will ask PcSchematic to convert the file into a PDF. And then close the program.
I am novice in VBA - I have found and edited this macro, which opens PcSchematic, but not the file and I don't know how to proceed.
Sub Auto_Open()
Dim x As Variant
Dim Path As String
' Set the Path variable equal to the path of your program's installation
Path = "C:\Pcselcad\Pcselcad.exe"
x = Shell(Path, vbNormalFocus)
End Sub
Right now we use a Dispatch to do the trick, with a Shell execute:
Where the commandline says: C:\Pcselcad\Pcselcad.exe "%PathToSelectedFile%" C:\ODIN\administration\Dispatch\SaveAsPDF.cmd
This method is working, but it is not closing down the PcSchematics when it is done. And I would like to start it with a task, which gives me some other benefits, this is why I want to do it with a macro.
I'm trying to save all lines from the output window into a log-file. That works fine when I enter the command directly into the immediate window. However, I need a way to enter the command line by code.
I searched for a way to enter a command into the immediate window so the log-file I want will be created and filled with data. That's not happening and I don't know if this is even possible. Searching Google didn't help so far.
My command line is:
> Tools.LogCommandWindowOutput C:\Users\user\AppData\test.log
And I try to get it into the immediate window by
Debug.Print("> Tools.LogCommandWindowOutput C:\Users\user\AppData\test.log")
The command line works fine when put directly into the immediate window (either by typing it in or pasting it in). When I try to do that by code, nothing happens. Is there a way to do that or do I have to try another option and if so, what option is it?
EDIT:
I've tried the solution provided by RobertBaron with the following changes:
'Dim dummy = $"C:\\log\\outputfileAddOn_{Date.Now:yyyy_MM_dd_HH_mm_ss}.log"
'cmdWindow.SendInput($"Tools.LogCommandWindowOutput {dummy}", True)
cmdWindow.SendInput("Tools.LogCommandWindowOutput C:\log\outputfile_AddOn.log", True)
(I want a new file to be written every time, so I tried to add the date at the end to have unique file names)
It creates the file but doesn't log anything in it. What do I do wrong?
Another solution I have found was to add a command parameter in project-properties-debug-command parameter:
> C:\log\outputfile.log
This creates the file and inserts all of the data from the output window. The only problem that I have now is that this file will be overwritten every time the program is started. Is there a way I can set the logging from the second, third, … start at the end of the file? (adding /on at the end of the command Parameter didn't help) Or can I provide something like "outputfile_yyyy_MM_dd_HH_mm_ss.log" (for example: outputfile_2019_07_23_15_47_45.log)?
Thank you for your help!
You need to create a Visual Studio Extension project.
Add a new Custom Command item to the VSIX project.
This will create the Command1.vb. This is where you implement the code that you want to execute inside Visual Studio. The code executes whenever you select the entry Invoke Command1 from the Tools menu.
At the bottom of the Command1.vb file, there is the Execute() Sub. It displays a message just to show that the command is working. You can remove this eventually. But for now, just run the project. Another instance of Visual Studio will start. This is where you can test and debug your code. Once the second instance of Visual Studio has started, go to its Tools menu, and select the Invoke Command1 entry. A message box will display. Stop execution.
Now we want to modify the Execute() Sub so that our code gets executed when Invoke Command1 is selected. Here is the Sub that will execute the command that you want. Add it to the Command1 class.
Public Sub ExecCommandWindow()
Dim dte As EnvDTE.DTE = CType(Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Package.GetGlobalService(GetType(Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.SDTE)), EnvDTE.DTE)
Dim cmdWindow As CommandWindow = CType(dte.Windows.Item(EnvDTE.Constants.vsWindowKindCommandWindow).Object, CommandWindow)
'Display some text in the command window
cmdWindow.OutputString("Executing command from the automation OM...")
'Send some command strings to the command window and execute them...
'This command will start logging all input/output in the command window to the specified file
cmdWindow.SendInput("Tools.LogCommandWindowOutput cmdwindow.log", True)
''Open a file in a code editor:
'' 1. We use an alias, 'of', for the File.OpenFile command
'' 2. This command takes quote-delimited parameters (in this case,
'' the name of the editor to load the file in)
'Dim cmd As String = "of "
'cmd = (cmd + """""C:\Contoso\ContosoCommonFramework\Integration.cs""""")
'cmd = (cmd + "/e:""""CSharp Editor""""")
'cmdWindow.SendInput(cmd, True)
'cmdWindow.SendInput("Edit.Find MessageTrxId", True)
'Turn off logging
cmdWindow.SendInput("Tools.LogCommandWindowOutput /off", True)
End Sub
Change the Execute() Sub to call ExecCommandWindow().
You can change the name of the command by changing its title in the Command1 class.
The Visual Studio extension needs to be installed by each user. Just distribute the .vsix file. To install, double-click it.
It's not the best solution, but it works (for now):
adding
>> C:\log\outputfile.log
(with two '>' before the path for the log file) attaches every log at the end of the file. So I get all Information and nothing is being overwritten.
As I want to know if there is a better solution, I will keep this thread open if that is permitted.
So I am using this code in excel to read environment parameters on startup:
Dim ExcelArgs As String
Dim arg As String
ExcelArgs = Environ("ExcelArgs")
MsgBox ExcelArgs
If InStr(UCase(ExcelArgs), "CREO") >= 0 Then
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
If Len(ExcelArgs) > Len("CREO") Then
arg = Split(ExcelArgs, ",")(1)
Call Creo.addNewPartToPartslist(arg)
End If
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End If
and this line in my batch script:
echo "Launch excel"
Set "ExcelArgs=CREO,DXFWITHOUTDRW
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\OFFICE16\Excel.exe" /r "%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART\PERSONAL.XLSB"
exit 0
The problem is that if i run the batch file once, keep excel open change the excelargs to CREO,wqhatever in batch file and rerun batch file the excelargs, dos not get updated!!!
So my theory is that excel either caches out the environment variable or that if it is being used by one instance the batch script can not set it
link with some info about passing arguments to excel:
https://superuser.com/questions/640359/bat-file-to-open-excel-with-parameters-spaces
Usually excel sees if there is a previous instance running and let this instance handle the file opening.
Is this important? Yes, in your case both requests to open the file are handled by the same excel process.
How does it make a difference? Environment variables are not shared. Each process has it own environment block that is initialized when the process is created (can be a customized block or a copy of the environment of the parent process) and once the environment is created for a process, only this process can change its environment.
In your case, when you start excel the new process gets a copy of the environment block of the cmd process. Later, when you change the cmd environment, the already running excel instance sees no changes in environment and, as the new request to open excel is converted to a request to the previous process, there is not a new process with a new copy of the cmd environment with the changes.
The only way I see to make it work is to force excel to start a new process (that will inherit the changes in the cmd instance) instead of reusing the previous one.
But this depends on the excel version. As far as I know, the 2013 version includes an /x switch to force separate process usage. For previous versions, maybe this question, or this one could help you.
Excel is open
Then i start the batch script:
The it does not open it as read only by default, but prompt me instead, not a big issue but a bit annoying, and it also make it impossible to loop through to run the batch several times for different input parameters.
A bit unsure how I should post this, couldnt paste images in comments, and to edit the the original question, which was how to start excel with enviroment variable in new instance (/x did the trick), but now /r does not work, Should I post as new question and refer to this one or can I leave it as an answer?
I have a PowerPoint VBA function that opens presentations, copies slides into the active presentation, then closes the source presentation. It worked fine in 2010, but fails in 2013 (all on Windows 7) if it tries to open the same presentation more than once. It appears to me that after the presentation.close command is issued, the window is closed, but the file remains locked open until the VBA code exits. So if the code attempts to open that file again it returns the error:
"Method 'Open' of object 'Presentations' failed"
Here's a simplified form of the function I'm running that behaves the same way. I've had a colleague test this again in PowerPoint 2010 and it runs fine. I've also had a colleague test it under his 2013 to make sure it's not something with my particular installation.
Sub testopen()
Dim ppFile As Presentation
Dim i As Integer
Const fpath = "C:\test.pptx"
For i = 1 To 2
Set ppFile = Application.Presentations.Open(fpath)
ppFile.Close
Set ppFile = Nothing
Next i
End Sub
The file test.pptx is just a blank presentation. In debug mode I can see the file opens and closes on the first loop, then on the second loop the open command fails and I can see in Windows explorer that the hidden temporary file still exists, indicating the file is still open, until I exit the VBA code. I also verified that the file is held open by adding in a function to check the file open status.
I've spent probably an hour googling this and cannot find any other descriptions of this problem. I'm sure I can implement a workaround but it's driving me crazy that I can't find any other reports of seemingly such a simple issue. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks.
The Best way that I have achieved this is to simply create a VBS file and in the VBS file I call out the desired VBA code. It's little more hassle than to write the VBA code, but it's the solution that worked for me.
For example in the VBS file:
Dim args, objPP
Set args = WScript.Arguments
Set objPP = CreateObject("Powerpoint.Application")
objPP.Open "C:\path\to\file.ppx"
objPP.Visible = True
objPP.Run "The_Macro"
objPP.Save
objPP.Close(0)
objPP.Quit
Or better yet, have the entire code within the VBS file and have it copy the desired slides.
Hope this helps you achieve your result.
Setting the file as Read Only resolved the issue. The open command is now:
Set ppFile = Application.Presentations.Open(fpath, msoTrue)
Also, saving the file before closing it resolved the issue. For that, add:
ppFile.Save
Interestingly, I had already tried setting the Saved property to True (ppFile.Saved = msoTrue), which does NOT work. Thanks to Michael for his suggestion on the VBS script. That does work and I had never run an external VBS script so I learned something new. In this case, I'd prefer to stick with a VBA solution.