How to open word file in background using vb.net? - vb.net

I am working on creating multiple documents from source document.
I am using:
objWordApp.Documents.Open("D:\Template\Aptletter.doc")
I modify the above document and save in another folder.
While creating documents, word files are opening and closing multiple times. So user unable to do another work on the same PC.
How to stop open file or Is there any method to modify document without above method?
So please suggest
Thanks in Advance
DEV

The visibility of a word document being controlled via interop can be set using the WordApplication.Visible attribute.
This attribute is, as you can see, at the Application level. If you've already opened a document using that WordApplication, you can't suddenly make the application invisible using the attribute.
What you can do, though, is create another instance of WordApplication. Call it InvisibleWordApplication for clarity, and set InvisibleWordApplication.Visible = false right from the start. Then open your document using that application, and you should be set.

Related

How to navigate to specific contents of madcap flare's document from vb.net code?

We have been using PDF file as a part of help docs in our vb.net desktop application. In PDF, we would traverse to the certain chapter in the PDF doc.
Now we have decided to use MadCap Flare as documentation tool. We have a menu item in vb.net form for documentation. On click of the link, we want to open the specific chapter of the Flare documentation.
You know managing content with single-source XML authoring is possible when using MapCad Flare (I'm not using Flare!). You can publish content to an increasing number of formats including HTML5, WebHelp, PDF, Word, XHTML, Clean XHTML, EPUB, DITA and more by MapCad Flare.
So, you may continue using PDF and the way connecting your vb.net desktop application help.
Using HTML based topics maybe another solution for your needs by creating Help for a form, a dialog or control with HTML files (See also: Help for controls with VB .NET).
Properties to display help (HTML file - local)
Activate the hlpProvider component hlpHtmlLocal and set the HelpNameSpace property of hlpHtmlLocal to the file name you want to work with.
We open a local HTML file with the dialog using the little button to the right.
The next step is to set the HelpNavigator property of a control (e.g. button) to a value of the HelpNavigator enumeration (see table below). Here we use Topic.
When the application is running click the HelpButton to enable "What's this .." Help. The cursor changes. Now click the button or press F1 when the button has focus. This will open the single HTML file in your browser.
It seems you can't use anchor names to jump to a specific part of your HTML file.
Properties to display help (HTML file - Server http://..)
Activate the hlpProvider component and set the HelpNameSpace property of hlpHtmlServer to the file name you want to work with. Here we use a http:// address of a single HTML file. If you provide the file on your company server, you don't have to update the help file with the customer.
The next step is to set the HelpNavigator property of a control (e.g. button) to a value of the HelpNavigator enumaration (see table below). Here we use Topic. Then we set the HelpKeyword on hlpHtmlSever property to e.g. "anchor3". Don't add a leading "#". Leave it empty if you want to open a HTML file without anchors. The Help Handles cmdControl2.Click Dim sHelpFile As String Dim sStartupPath As String '--- Initialize context-sensitive help --- Keyword property provides the key information to retrieve the help associated with the control.
When the application is running click the HelpButton to enable "What's this .." Help. The cursor changes. Now click the button or press F1 when the button has focus. This will open the single HTML file over the Internet in your browser.

Centralized VBA code for multiple Word files

I have multiple files with the same VBA code in them, which will most likely have to be changed over time. I don't want to go one by one and c/p the code, so one obvious idea that came to mind is to have one centralized document with the code (template?) that all files refer to.
I found a few topics here at stackoverflow, but none of them work for me or are inconclusive:
Run external vba-code in MS Word
Centralized VBA code (one file) for multiple workbooks
Calling an External VBA from VBScript
Any ideas?
Yes, your idea of centralizing the code in a template and attaching that template to the various Word docs will work. These pics are using Word 2007 but I think it's pretty similar for newer versions. First create a new document and put the code in a Module (named "CommonFunctions" in the picture):
Save the doc as a macro-enabled template:
Now make a new document, save it as a *.docm (necessary for it to run code because a *.docx is macro-free), and attach the document template as shown below. (An alternative is to put the *.dotm file in the startup directory C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP, which loads it automatically.) If you don't put it in the Startup, you'll see the name but it won't be loaded (ie, checked), but you can load it in code, as I'll show.
Make a user form in this document:
Put this code for the button's click event:
If AddIns("c:\_b\MasterDocWithFunctions.dotm").Installed = False Then
AddIns("c:\_b\MasterDocWithFunctions.dotm").Installed = True
End If
Application.Run "CommonFunctions.Test1"
Application.Run "CommonFunctions.Test2"
Notice how the code can load the AddIn for you, because it won't be automatically loaded unless you put it in the Startup directory. This pic shows how the AddIn is referenced but not loaded. You need the checkbox to be able to call code in it. If you don't load it using code and don't put it in the Startup, then the user will have to manually put a checkmark everytime the document opens.
Now the form should work when you click the button. Notice how it can call both public and private functions. The Private keyword definitely shields one module from another, but it seems like modules that are called from an AddIn are considered to be part of the same module, not sure why? Also if you don't put Public or Private at all then VBA considers it Public, I'm pretty sure.

Add a Document_Open vba script to document when created from a template?

I have a template, Template.dotm, which is taken by a server and populated with data, then saved to a .doc. A user is then passed a link to this document so they can download it. I want to run a VBA script on that document when the user opens it.
Is there a way to accomplish this from within the template's vba script? The script of course runs fine if I simply double click the template to open an instance of it, but since the server saves a copy first, the script is gone by the time the user sees the document.
It turns out since the file was stored locally to the template but was being opened over the network, Word was confused and severed the connection to the template. I now have a copy of the template in a shared network drive, which I set to the attached template in Document_New.
Not the nicest solution, but it's working and was easy to implement. Thought I'd post for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.

How to check for the active Application?

I made a VBA-Macro, activated via a Ribbon-Button for exporting selected Mails into a certain folder.
I'd like to make this Macro available in Word and Excel (for exporting doc/xls) into the same folder-structure.
Is it possible to check for the active application and then decide if a Mail(s)-Export or a simple Doc/Xls-Export should be done?
If you are working with multiple Applications probably the easiest way to identify one would be to use Application.Name property.
If you happen to have passed an object of some type that has the .Application property you can also call that. Refer to this post for details.
Also, with most MS-Office objects you can go up the hierarchy using the .Parent property to get all the way up to the Application, ie. .someObj.Parent.Parent.Parent.Application.Name

Word opens for real when trying to fill-in the blanks dynamically?

I'm currently using Word documents as templates where blanks have to be filled dynamically/programmatically in PwoerBuilder.
This has always worked fine until the company moves on Windows 7.
In short, the Word application is opened and made invisible.
Word.Application.Visible = false
Except that sometimes, and I don't know why, once the template is accessed, Word opens itself just as if I had double-clicked the template byself through the Explorer - but I didn't.
So, it asks whether I want to open it in read-only mode, since the application already has a handle on the file. And even if I click [Cancel] not to open the file, Word opens with no document, then the application crashes.
It reports PowerBuilder System Error 35.
Error Number 35.
Error text = Error calling external object function open at line 24 in function of_fusion of object n_cst_9999.
The external object that the application is trying to call a function against is Word.
oleobject lole_word
lole_word = create oleobject
lole_word = ConnectToNewObject("Word.Application")
lole_word.Documents.Open("templatefile.docx")
It may work for a few documents, and after a few, the problem comes up. This is the first time ever I meet with this issue.
I'll be glad to answer anyone's question who's trying to help.
Will, you may try setting DisplayAlerts and FeatureInstall properties on Word Application object.
That hid most of word alerts for us. (The code is from C# project and may not be exactly what you need)
Word.Application.DisplayAlerts = Word.WdAlertLevel.wdAlertsNone;
Word.Application.FeatureInstall = 0;
You may also try making a copy of the file before opening it to avoid accessing same .docx from different threads - if that may be the case.