Saving webpage as PDF to certain directory - vba

Question

I have it where it will open Internet Explorer give the user the save as box and then exit. However, I would prefer if instead of the user having to navigate to the correct folder, the directory comes from a cell in the worksheet and saves the webpage as a PDF. I have full Adobe installed. The code:
Sub WebSMacro()
Dim IE As Object
Dim Webloc As String
Dim FullWeb As String
Webloc = ActiveSheet.Range("B39").Value
FullWeb = "http://www.example.com=" & Webloc
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
IE.Visible = True
IE.Navigate FullWeb
Do While IE.Busy
Application.Wait DateAdd("s", 1, Now)
Loop
IE.ExecWB OLECMDID_PRINT, OLECMDEXECOPT_DONTPROMPTUSER
Application.Wait DateAdd("s", 10, Now)
IE.Quit
Set IE = Nothing
End Sub

Answer 1

Today, you win the Internet!
Since I wanted to learn this more in depth for my own personal benefit, I used the code in the 2nd link I referenced in my comment to get the code to work as you have defined it.
The code will enter the FilePath and Name (gathered from a Cell) into the SaveAs Dialog Box and save it to the entered location.
Here is the main sub (with comments):
Sub WebSMacro()
'set default printer to AdobePDF
Dim WSHNetwork As Object
Set WSHNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
WSHNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "Adobe PDF"
'get pdfSave as Path from cell range
Dim sFolder As String
sFolder = Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1") 'assumes folder save as path is in cell A1 of mySheets
Dim IE As Object
Dim Webloc As String
Dim FullWeb As String
Webloc = ActiveSheet.Range("B39").Value
FullWeb = "http://www.example.com" & Webloc
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
With IE
.Visible = True
.Navigate FullWeb
Do While .Busy
Application.Wait DateAdd("s", 1, Now)
Loop
.ExecWB 6, 2 'OLECMDID_PRINT, OLECMDEXECOPT_DONTPROMPTUSER
Application.Wait DateAdd("s", 3, Now)
Call PDFPrint(sFolder & Webloc & ".pdf")
.Quit
End With
Set IE = Nothing
End Sub
You will also need to place this two subs somewhere in your workbook (can be the same module as the main sub (or different one)):
Sub PDFPrint(strPDFPath As String)
'Prints a web page as PDF file using Adobe Professional.
'API functions are used to specify the necessary windows while
'a WMI function is used to check printer's status.
'By Christos Samaras
'http://www.myengineeringworld.net
Dim Ret As Long
Dim ChildRet As Long
Dim ChildRet2 As Long
Dim ChildRet3 As Long
Dim comboRet As Long
Dim editRet As Long
Dim ChildSaveButton As Long
Dim PDFRet As Long
Dim PDFName As String
Dim StartTime As Date
'Find the main print window.
StartTime = Now()
Do Until Now() > StartTime + TimeValue("00:00:05")
Ret = 0
DoEvents
Ret = FindWindow(vbNullString, "Save PDF File As")
If Ret <> 0 Then Exit Do
Loop
If Ret <> 0 Then
SetForegroundWindow (Ret)
'Find the first child window.
StartTime = Now()
Do Until Now() > StartTime + TimeValue("00:00:05")
ChildRet = 0
DoEvents
ChildRet = FindWindowEx(Ret, ByVal 0&, "DUIViewWndClassName", vbNullString)
If ChildRet <> 0 Then Exit Do
Loop
If ChildRet <> 0 Then
'Find the second child window.
StartTime = Now()
Do Until Now() > StartTime + TimeValue("00:00:05")
ChildRet2 = 0
DoEvents
ChildRet2 = FindWindowEx(ChildRet, ByVal 0&, "DirectUIHWND", vbNullString)
If ChildRet2 <> 0 Then Exit Do
Loop
If ChildRet2 <> 0 Then
'Find the third child window.
StartTime = Now()
Do Until Now() > StartTime + TimeValue("00:00:05")
ChildRet3 = 0
DoEvents
ChildRet3 = FindWindowEx(ChildRet2, ByVal 0&, "FloatNotifySink", vbNullString)
If ChildRet3 <> 0 Then Exit Do
Loop
If ChildRet3 <> 0 Then
'Find the combobox that will be edited.
StartTime = Now()
Do Until Now() > StartTime + TimeValue("00:00:05")
comboRet = 0
DoEvents
comboRet = FindWindowEx(ChildRet3, ByVal 0&, "ComboBox", vbNullString)
If comboRet <> 0 Then Exit Do
Loop
If comboRet <> 0 Then
'Finally, find the "edit property" of the combobox.
StartTime = Now()
Do Until Now() > StartTime + TimeValue("00:00:05")
editRet = 0
DoEvents
editRet = FindWindowEx(comboRet, ByVal 0&, "Edit", vbNullString)
If editRet <> 0 Then Exit Do
Loop
'Add the PDF path to the file name combobox of the print window.
If editRet <> 0 Then
SendMessage editRet, WM_SETTEXT, 0&, ByVal " " & strPDFPath
keybd_event VK_DELETE, 0, 0, 0 'press delete
keybd_event VK_DELETE, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0 ' release delete
'Get the PDF file name from the full path.
On Error Resume Next
PDFName = Mid(strPDFPath, WorksheetFunction.Find("*", WorksheetFunction.Substitute(strPDFPath, "\", "*", Len(strPDFPath) _
- Len(WorksheetFunction.Substitute(strPDFPath, "\", "")))) + 1, Len(strPDFPath))
On Error GoTo 0
'Save/print the web page by pressing the save button of the print window.
Sleep 1000
ChildSaveButton = FindWindowEx(Ret, ByVal 0&, "Button", "&Save")
SendMessage ChildSaveButton, BM_CLICK, 0, 0
'Sometimes the printing delays, especially in large colorful web pages.
'Here the code checks printer status and if is idle it means that the
'printing has finished.
Do Until CheckPrinterStatus("Adobe PDF") = "Idle"
DoEvents
If CheckPrinterStatus("Adobe PDF") = "Error" Then Exit Do
Loop
'Since the Adobe Professional opens after finishing the printing, find
'the open PDF document and close it (using a post message).
StartTime = Now()
Do Until StartTime > StartTime + TimeValue("00:00:05")
PDFRet = 0
DoEvents
PDFRet = FindWindow(vbNullString, PDFName & " - Adobe Acrobat")
If PDFRet <> 0 Then Exit Do
Loop
If PDFRet <> 0 Then
PostMessage PDFRet, WM_CLOSE, 0&, 0&
End If
End If
End If
End If
End If
End If
End If
End Sub
Function CheckPrinterStatus(strPrinterName As String) As String
'Provided the printer name the functions returns a string
'with the printer status.
'By Christos Samaras
'http://www.myengineeringworld.net
Dim strComputer As String
Dim objWMIService As Object
Dim colInstalledPrinters As Variant
Dim objPrinter As Object
'Set the WMI object and the check the install printers.
On Error Resume Next
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery("Select * from Win32_Printer")
'If an error occurs in the previous step, the function will return error.
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
CheckPrinterStatus = "Error"
End If
On Error GoTo 0
'The function loops through all installed printers and for the selected printer,
'checks it status.
For Each objPrinter In colInstalledPrinters
If objPrinter.Name = strPrinterName Then
Select Case objPrinter.PrinterStatus
Case 1: CheckPrinterStatus = "Other"
Case 2: CheckPrinterStatus = "Unknown"
Case 3: CheckPrinterStatus = "Idle"
Case 4: CheckPrinterStatus = "Printing"
Case 5: CheckPrinterStatus = "Warmup"
Case 6: CheckPrinterStatus = "Stopped printing"
Case 7: CheckPrinterStatus = "Offline"
Case Else: CheckPrinterStatus = "Error"
End Select
End If
Next objPrinter
'If there is a blank status the function returns error.
If CheckPrinterStatus = "" Then CheckPrinterStatus = "Error"
End Function
And finally Declare these constants and functions in a module as well (can be the same module as the main sub (or different one).
Option Explicit
Public Declare Sub Sleep Lib "kernel32" _
(ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)
Public Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" _
(ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Public Declare Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _
(ByVal hWnd1 As Long, ByVal hWnd2 As Long, ByVal lpsz1 As String, ByVal lpsz2 As String) As Long
Public Declare Function SetForegroundWindow Lib "user32" _
(ByVal hWnd As Long) As Long
Public Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _
(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long
Public Declare Function SendMessageByString Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _
(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As String) As Long
Public Declare Function PostMessage Lib "user32" Alias "PostMessageA" _
(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long
Public Declare Sub keybd_event Lib "user32" _
(ByVal bVk As Byte, ByVal bScan As Byte, ByVal dwFlags As Long, ByVal dwExtraInfo As Long)
'Constants used in API functions.
Public Const SW_MAXIMIZE = 3
Public Const WM_SETTEXT = &HC
Public Const VK_DELETE = &H2E
Public Const KEYEVENTF_KEYUP = &H2
Public Const BM_CLICK = &HF5&
Public Const WM_CLOSE As Long = &H10