Where Exactly To Store VBA - vba

We receive Excel files daily from our field offices which I have to clean and re-format (about 110 columns and 500 rows-worth) using VBA.
I need to save my VBA as a macro so we can use it to clean up all the workbook we receive by running the macro and saving the edited sheet as a new worksheet by getting the name from UserForm Combobox items.
Where exactly should I store the VBA snippets? I mean when I open the Visual Basic panel, I have these three options:
Running The Code From Microsoft Excel Object :Sheets1(Sheet1)
Running the Code From An Inserted Module
Running the Code From User Form
If I am supposed to use options 1 or 2, how can I call the UserForm for saving the sheet?

I Recomend you to use modules (Option B)
Option C goes with option B, ill explain, you can create a sub in a module in option B, then you can do:
UserForm1.show
In Option B I would writte this code, but before trying this i recomend you to understand a bit more of vba
sub ClearWBs()
'opening workbook
Workbooks.Open Filename:="c:\book1.xls"
'your code
'your code
'below code for saving and closing the workbook
Workbooks("book1.xls").Activate
ActiveWorkbook.Save
ActiveWorkbook.Close
end sub

Use Module:
If your VBA code focusses on data summarization and manipulation I suggest you use a Module.(example is what you have described in your question).
Use Form:
If what you wan't to do requires a GUI(Graphical User Interface) then you'll have to resort to Form where you can design your GUI. (example is if you have many fields that the user needs to fill-up with distinct values in which you provide the choices)
Use Excel Object:
If what you wan't to do has something to do with events happening on Worksheet and/or Workbook, like for example whenever you add sheet the macro runs, or when you open or close the workbook the macro runs then you will have to write the macro in the Excel Object.
This is basically what i have in mind, hope this helps.

If you receive files that do not contain VBA and you need to apply the same code on those files all the time then I propose that you either save that code in your personal workbook.
You can see how to do that here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/excel-help/copy-your-macros-to-a-personal-macro-workbook-HA102174076.aspx
This is nice because you can also tie it to keyboard shortcut or just have it always ready for you to use.
The disadvantage is that it will only be set up per user session per computer. What you can do is have that code all set up in a module and then import it into your personal workbook if you change session or if someone else has to do it.
Once it's done, you will not have to include the module in your files your receive again.

Related

Secure Excel Workbook (with VBA) from reuse with different data

I have created an Excel Workbook with a lot of VBA code for a customer. The customer will provide me with data. I will import that data into the VBA laden template, Save it as an xlsm, and deliver it to the customer. I get paid by the Workbook so I need to prevent them from trying to copy new data into the existing workbook and reusing it.
How can I somehow prevent the customer from reusing a workbook by just entering in new data on the main Worksheet, then saving as a new Workbook, and getting the use of the VBA code for free. (Alternately they could copy the file in windows then enter new data on the copied version.) I need to detect a significant change in data from the initial imported data.
The data on the main sheet is fairly static (perhaps even totally static on many known columns). I'm thinking about randomly sampling some of the cell data on import (perhaps 10 random cells, or number of rows, etc.), and storing that data somewhere. If, say, 50% of the cells change data, I could just disable (or short-circuit) the public entry points in the code...or something else?
I'd like to allow for some flexibility on the part of the customer, but prevent abuse.
Is there a better way than my general idea, above?
Where could I store that data (it should be part of the sheet, but not changeable by the customer). Perhaps a hidden sheet with password locked cells?
Is there some accepted way of doing this that I'm unaware of?
Perhaps Time-expire the functionality in your code
So thank you for this question. Thank you for setting a bounty. It is a very interesting question given your desire to monetise the VBA code, as a VBA programmer I generally resign myself to not being able to monetise VBA code. It is good that you insist and I will contribute an attempt at an answer.
Firstly, let me join the chorus of answers that say VBA is easily hacked. The password protection can be broken. I would join the chorus of respondents who say you should pick a compiled language as the vessel for your code. Why not try C# or VB.NET housed in a Visual Studio Tools For Office (VSTO) .NET assembly?
VSTO will associate a compiled assembly with a workbook. This mechanism is worth knowing because if you insist on VBA we can use the same mechanism (see later). Each workbook has a CustomDocumentProperties collection where one can set custom properties (it says Document not Spreadsheet because the same can be found in Word so Document is the generalised case).
Excel will look at the workbook's CustomDocumentProperties collection and search for "_AssemblyName" and "_AssemblyLocation"; if _AssemblyName is an asterisk then it knows it needs to load a .NET/VSTO assembly, the _AssemblyLocation provides a lookup to the file to load (you'll have to dig in on this, I forget the details). Reference
Anyway, I'm reminded of VSTO CustomDocumentProperties mechanism because if you insist on using VBA then I suggest storing a value in the CustomDocumentProperties collection that helps you time expire the functionality of your code. Note do not use the BuiltInDocumentProperties("Creation Date") because it is easily identifiable; instead use a codeword, say "BlackHawk". Here is some sample code.
Sub WriteProperty()
ThisWorkbook.BuiltinDocumentProperties("Creation Date") = CDate("13/10/2016 19:15:22")
If IsEmpty(CustomDocumentPropertiesItemOERN(ThisWorkbook, "BlackHawk")) Then
Call ThisWorkbook.CustomDocumentProperties.Add("BlackHawk", False, MsoDocProperties.msoPropertyTypeDate, Now())
End If
End Sub
Function CustomDocumentPropertiesItemOERN(ByVal wb As Excel.Workbook, ByVal vKey As Variant)
On Error Resume Next
CustomDocumentPropertiesItemOERN = wb.CustomDocumentProperties.Item(vKey)
End Function
Sub ReadProperty()
Debug.Print "ThisWorkbook.BuiltinDocumentProperties(""Creation Date""):=" & ThisWorkbook.BuiltinDocumentProperties("Creation Date")
Debug.Print "CustomDocumentPropertiesItemOERN(ThisWorkbook, ""BlackHawk""):=" & CustomDocumentPropertiesItemOERN(ThisWorkbook, "BlackHawk")
End Sub
So you could set CustomDocumentProperty "BlackHawk" to the workbook's initial creation time and then allow the client to use the code for 24 hours, or even 48 hours (careful with weekends, create Friday work through to Tuesday) and then afterwards the code can refuse to operate and instead throw a message saying pay LimaNightHawk more money!
P.S. Good luck with your revenue model.
P.P.S. I read your profile, thanks for your military service.
Whatever you do it will be feasible to crack it (VBA code is easy to crack). However:
there is the contract so... that's not legal for them to do it
you can put part of the code on a FTP server and control physically what is being executed
Very nices ideas here though
Compile Excel file to EXE. Google for that.
Concern 1 seems to be basic re-use of the file. You could create a sub in the ThisWorkbook module to destroy code located in other modules in the event that save-as is selected.
Concern 2 seems to be someone hacking your password protection. A similar tactic could be employed such as using "opening the developer window" as your event instead of save as.
I have experimented with save events to log user entries with great success using the ThisWorkbook module. I am not certain how/if one could detect if the developer tab is opened.
Here's what I've done. Perhaps there is a entirely better approach, or there are tweeks to the below that will make it better:
From the VBA Tools menu > VBAProject Properties > Protection (tab), I Locked the project for viewing with a password.
I created a new "License" sheet.
This sheet is hidden from the user. If you hide the sheet via code like this:
Me.Visible = xlSheetVeryHidden
then then sheet cannot be un-hidden by the user (it requires running vba code to unhide).
On initial import I sample:
Number of imported rows
x number of randomly selected cells *from the columns I know won't/shouldn't change. (There are columns they are allowed to change freely.)
I store these on the "License" sheet in Address / Value pairs.
When the workbook is opened, the Workbook_Open event fires and then does a quick comparison of the current number of rows, and the current values for the addresses stored on the "License" sheet. I then do a percentage calculation: If the rows are more than x% different, or the number of changed values is more that y% then I
Sheets(1).Protect LOCKOUT_PASSWORD
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
Application.EnableEvents = False
There is also a method for unlocking the sheets if necessary.
This might be too simple of an answer, but sometimes we fail to think of the simplest solutions:
Why don't you simply provide the customer with only a copy of the output? You could run their data through your macro-enabled workbook, copy the output sheet into a new workbook, and then break all links so that there's no formulas, updating, or ties to your workbook.
I would create another workbook that contains the code and then reference the customers wb from that one.

Where to save excel vba function to be able to access the function in other workbooks

I've created a function and I would like to be able to open any excel file and use this function just by typing into a cell '=function'. Is this possible and how do I do this? Where do I save the function?
Save the workbook containing the function as an add-in (either .xlam or .xla depending on your Excel version). You can then install it via the Add-in manager and call it from any workbook.
Note: you don't technically have to save it as an add-in - you can use a regular workbook - but then you will have to prefix the function name with the name of the workbook whenever you call it (e.g. =Personal.xlsb!some_function), and you will have to remember to open the workbook each time (or put it in your XLSTART or other startup folder).
I'm going to provide an answer with the example of Workbook A as wbCompany and Workbook B as wbEmployee.
From what I understood is that you have a function in wbCompany.getEmployeeCount() and you want to use this function in wbEmployee.
Firstly, rename the VBA Projects of both files to prevent duplicate project name. So we will rename the VBA Projects as vbaPrjEmp and vbaPrjCmp for wbEmployee and wbCompany workbooks respectively.
Secondly, you need to add wbCompany as reference to wbEmployee.
In wbEmployee, open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
Select Tools > References.
In the References dialog that appears, click on Browse.
In the Add Reference dialog that appears, select Microsoft Excel Files from the Files of type box, select the file that you want to call (in this case wbCompany), and click on Open.
Choose OK to close the References dialog.
Finally in wbEmployee you can now refer/call the function from wbCompany in the following manner:
Sub compareEmpCount()
msgbox vbaPrjCmp.ThisWorkbook.getEmployeeCount
End Sub
You can store it either in your Personal.xlsb workbook or in an Excel add-in (.xlam). Search for either of these two to get you on the right track.
Well, first of all, you have to enable macros in Excel.
After that, you can open Excel VBA editor with Alt+F11, and create your function there.
Finally, you can use your function in a cell with '=function'.
Anyway, you can try this link to help you with your first vba function: http://www.fontstuff.com/vba/vbatut01.htm
Note: I've already created some functions on Excel, and it always worked for me. But always remember: you must enable macros in Excel.
You can read about macros here: https://support.office.com/en-nz/article/Enable-or-disable-macros-in-Office-documents-7b4fdd2e-174f-47e2-9611-9efe4f860b12

Unhide, unprotect and run macro from another spreadsheet

I am currently teaching myself VBA. I work with Excel 2010 a lot but only know the basics of VBA.
To help teach myself, I have set a project for myself which is to create a dashboard in Excel where I can click a button and it opens three reports I run each morning at work and runs a macro on each. The process of each report is to
1 - open report
2 - unhide worksheet (worksheet = "Control Sheet")
4 - run macro on the unhidden sheet (macro = "ButtonClick")
5 - hide worksheet
5 - Save and close report
I have managed to get 1 report to open using:
Sub EasierRun()
Dim Location As String
Location = "location/filename.xlsm"
Workbooks.Open(Location).RunAutoMacros (xlAutoOpen)
End Sub
I copied the 2nd to last line from the internet but it doesn't run any macro, it just opens the file. No error messages display. I understand that I need to be specific about the worksheet and macro I want to work with but I'm not sure how to proceed from here. Also, I'm not sure if I need to tell it to unhide the worksheet in the VBA? Finally, would I need to write individual code for each report to open or do I declare the files all at once and then the remainder of the code works universally?
I've googled and read a lot but I can't manage to adapt what I am finding to fit what I need.
Thanks for any guidance.
Unfortunately, for security purposes, you can't force a workbook to enable macros without explicit input from the user.

A private subroutine in VBA is being activated by other workbooks -- Why?

I have a private subroutine in Workbook A that is running any time I open or close and save other unrelated workbooks. I'm trying to understand why that occurs so I can capture all potential errors that may occur.
The subroutine is an ActiveX ComboBox named TabProg that is supposed to run when the value is changed. I have currently added in a check to see if the active sheet trying to run the code is the "Program Loading" sheet to try and divert any potential errors. See snippet below.
Private Sub TabProg_Change()
MsgBox "Whomp!", vbOKOnly + vbExclamation
If ActiveSheet.Name <> "Program Loading" Then 'do nothing
Else
'Run desired actions on "Program Loading" sheet
End If
End Sub
Any known reasons why this is occurring or other ways to catch it would be helpful. Thanks!
Edit 1: I do not see this problem occur when I open other workbooks in new instances of Excel.
Edit 2: I have modified the code to include a message box whenever the code tries to run, now shown above. It is occurring every time I open or close and save any Excel file, including the file itself. The drop down list in the ActiveX ComboBox is a list of names that correspond to 10 sheets within Workbook A. If I delete the sheet that ComboBox is currently set to, the error will disappear. If I change the ComboBox to a different sheet, the error will reappear.
From what you've wrote in your question, I don't think that your problem can be replicated. I think that your Excel file got corrupted. I had an experience like this: had a file for experimenting with macros, one of the macros used Excel Speech object to say "This is a test file" on opening that particular file. The macro was (as all other macros from this file) not part of my PERSONAL workbook, it was assigned to ThisWorkbook in the bespoke file. At some point a funny thing happened: this "This is a test file" private subroutine got activated every time I opened any Excel file. I did not find any solutions, I just deleted the file where the subroutine was stored. This resolved the problem, but I have no explanation for this. I am afraid the same thing may apply to your file, but maybe other folks have a better idea... maybe it's something in the system registry??? I don't know. Can you manually copy elements / code from this file to a newly created file and just delete the original?

Copy Method of Worksheet class fails with .xlam file

CONTEXT: I have created an Excel Add-In in which there is a worksheet named "Mother". When the user clicks a button from any workbook in which the Add-In is installed, I would like the worksheet "Mother" to be copied inside its same workbook and being renamed. In code:
ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Mother").Copy After:=ThisWorkbook.Sheets(ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Count)
WHAT I EXPECT: being the line of code above placed into the .xlam code, I know that ThisWorkbook refers to the Add-In and this is observable through a watcher as well:
So, I expect that a copy of "Mother" will be added to the workbook, at the end.
WHAT HAPPENS: the method simply fails, returning the error Copy Method of Worksheet class failed.
WHAT I HAVE TRIED: By simply looking for the name of the error online I have figured out that, apparently, I cannot copy a hidden worksheet and that's why the method fails. So I have tried:
1) To change the visibility with ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Mother").Visible = True... No success;
2) To activate the workbook before/after to change the visibility, so ThisWorkbook.Activate... No success.
I'm not being able to find much documentation online about this, so I'm almost wondering if it's actually possible to edit/show the workbook.xlam, something that I would really need to do for my project.
A BIT MORE OF CONTEXT: The reason why I need to both add the worksheet and show it to the user is that the Add-In, which basically consists in a custom function =myFunction(), needs to be fed by user-inputs for make its calculus.
In particular, neither I can write the data in the sheet before to distribute the Add-In (because I don't know the user inputs in advance), nor I can prepare a user-form where to insert the data and show it at running-time (because the user-inputs are usually a big amount of data that can be copied-pasted easily into an Excel spreadsheet, but not inserted manually into a form nor in the function parameters themselves). So:
MY QUESTION: Is it possible to copy (duplicate) a worksheet within a .xlma workbook and activate it after to allow the user data insertion? If yes, where am I being wrong on the above?
Looks like this link would help: http://forums.techguy.org/business-applications/1120165-add-extra-sheet-xlam-file.html.
The operation cannot be performed on add-in workbook, hence you just need to set it as "not add in":
ThisWorkbook.IsAddIn = False
'your copy operation
This Workbook.IsAddIn = True