Create subroutines in one workbook that work on another - vba

Question

I've created a button on one workbook that opens another macro-less workbook. transposeDataMatrices is the sub that will be run on the worksheets in the workbook that is opened:
Private Sub CommandButton21_Click()
Set BEEBook = ThisWorkbook
FileSelect = Application.GetOpenFilename(FileFilter:="Excel Files (*.xl*), *.xl*", Title:="Please select the report to import")
If FileSelect = "False" Then Exit Sub
Set ReportBook = Workbooks.Open(FileSelect)
transposeDataMatrices
End Sub
Within transposeDataMatrices is the following, heavily truncated code (ReportBook is a global variable for the workbook being worked on in trasposeDataMatrices; cArray is a global array):
Public Sub transposeDataMatrices()
ReportBook.Activate
rowCounter = finWkst.UsedRange.Rows.Count
For ii = 1 To wsCount
Worksheets(ii).Activate
pullModelData (ii) ' just pulls some data, off ii worksheet in ReportBook
ReDim indexIDArray(0 To 504) As Integer
Dim j as Integer: j = 0
For Each catName In cArray
Dim totRange As Range
Set catTitle = Worksheets(ii).UsedRange.Find(catName)
If Not catTitle Is Nothing Then
catTitle.Offset(2, 0).Offset(0, 1).Select
ReportBook.Worksheets(ii).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight).Offset(0, -1)).Select
ReportBook.Worksheets(ii).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlDown)).Select
Set totRange = Selection
Else
Set totRange = Cells("A1")
EndIf
indexIDArray(j) = j
Next
equipModelVersion rowCounter, indexIDArray
rowCounter = finWkst.UsedRange.Rows.Count
Next ii
End Sub
Sub equipModelVersion(rowCounterDummy As Integer, indexArrayDummy() As String)
ReportBook.Activate
finWkst.Activate
iCol = 1:
Set indexRange = Range(Cells(rowCounterDummy + 1, iCol), Cells(rowCounterDummy + 1 + UBound(valueArrayDummy, 1), iCol))
Dim j As Integer: j = 0
For I = rowCounterDummy + 1 To rowCounterDummy + 1 + UBound(valueArrayDummy, 1)
Cells(I, iCol) = indexArrayDummy(j)
j = j + 1
Next
End Sub
Sub initializeWorkspace()
ReportBook.Activate
finWkst.Activate
Range("A1").Value = "IndexID"
Range("B1").Value = "ModelID"
Range("C1").Value = "UserVersion"
Range("D1").Value = "Equipment"
Range("E1").Value = "Date"
For ii = LBound(cArray) To UBound(cArray)
Cells(1, ii + 5).Value = cArray(ii)
Next
End Sub
I have two questions:
Firstly, when equipModelVersion gets run, it stores the values in the cells of the workbook on the worksheet where the button is located, rather than the workbook that is opened, in a sheet created to store the values.
How do I rectify that?
I tried activating that specific worksheet, using a with statement, and some other quick things I found on Stack Overflow, but nothing worked.
Secondly, when I was debugging the transposeDataMatrices and had it separately, the following line worked:
Set totRange = Range(Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight).Offset(0, -1)), Selection.End(xlDown))
In the macro that I transferred into the workbook with the button, it no longer works, so I had to work around it with:
ReportBook.Worksheets(ii).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight).Offset(0, -1)).Select
ReportBook.Worksheets(ii).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlDown)).Select
Set totRange = Selection
Just looks bad.
Why is VBA being so dumb about it, when the code is EXACTLY IDENTICAL, but expanded?

Answer 1

VBA is not smart, it will only do what you tell it to do not what you think you told it to do.
My guess is that somewhere the ReportBook.Worksheets(ii) is losing focus.
It is good practice to always declare the parent when using objects. The easy way is to declare that parent object is as a variable.
in this case:
Dim ws as worksheet
set ws = ReportBook.Worksheets(ii)
then the with the two lines in question use a with statment
with ws
Set totRange =.Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlDown))
end with
You should avoid using the .select command. See here for great information on that. Using it only dirties the code and makes it harder to find the errors.