How do I download a file using VBA (without Internet Explorer) - api

Question

I need to download a CSV file from a website using VBA in Excel. The server also needed to authenticate me since it was data from a survey service.
I found a lot of examples using Internet Explorer controlled with VBA for this. However, it was mostly slow solutions and most were also convoluted.
Update:
After a while I found a nifty solution using Microsoft.XMLHTTP object in Excel. I thought to share the solution below for future reference.

Answer 1

This solution is based from this website:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/bd0ee306-7bb5-4ce4-8341-edd9475f84ad/excel-2007-use-vba-to-download-save-csv-from-url
It is slightly modified to overwrite existing file and to pass along login credentials.
Sub DownloadFile()
Dim myURL As String
myURL = "https://YourWebSite.com/?your_query_parameters"
Dim WinHttpReq As Object
Set WinHttpReq = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
WinHttpReq.Open "GET", myURL, False, "username", "password"
WinHttpReq.send
If WinHttpReq.Status = 200 Then
Set oStream = CreateObject("ADODB.Stream")
oStream.Open
oStream.Type = 1
oStream.Write WinHttpReq.responseBody
oStream.SaveToFile "C:\file.csv", 2 ' 1 = no overwrite, 2 = overwrite
oStream.Close
End If
End Sub

Answer 2

Declare PtrSafe Function URLDownloadToFile Lib "urlmon" Alias "URLDownloadToFileA" _
(ByVal pCaller As Long, ByVal szURL As String, ByVal szFileName As String, _
ByVal dwReserved As Long, ByVal lpfnCB As Long) As Long
Sub Example()
DownloadFile$ = "someFile.ext" 'here the name with extension
URL$ = "http://some.web.address/" & DownloadFile 'Here is the web address
LocalFilename$ = "C:\Some\Path" & DownloadFile !OR! CurrentProject.Path & "\" & DownloadFile 'here the drive and download directory
MsgBox "Download Status : " & URLDownloadToFile(0, URL, LocalFilename, 0, 0) = 0
End Sub
Source
I found the above when looking for downloading from FTP with username and address in URL. Users supply information and then make the calls.
This was helpful because our organization has Kaspersky AV which blocks active FTP.exe, but not web connections. We were unable to develop in house with ftp.exe and this was our solution. Hope this helps other looking for info!

Answer 3

A modified version of above to make it more dynamic.
Public Function DownloadFileB(ByVal URL As String, ByVal DownloadPath As String, ByRef Username As String, ByRef Password, Optional Overwrite As Boolean = True) As Boolean
On Error GoTo Failed
Dim WinHttpReq As Object: Set WinHttpReq = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
WinHttpReq.Open "GET", URL, False, Username, Password
WinHttpReq.send
If WinHttpReq.Status = 200 Then
Dim oStream As Object: Set oStream = CreateObject("ADODB.Stream")
oStream.Open
oStream.Type = 1
oStream.Write WinHttpReq.responseBody
oStream.SaveToFile DownloadPath, Abs(CInt(Overwrite)) + 1
oStream.Close
DownloadFileB = Len(Dir(DownloadPath)) > 0
Exit Function
End If
Failed:
DownloadFileB = False
End Function

Answer 4

I was struggling for hours on this until I figured out it can be done in one line of powershell:
invoke-webrequest -Uri "http://myserver/Reports/Pages/ReportViewer.aspx?%2fClients%2ftest&rs:Format=PDF&rs:ClearSession=true&CaseCode=12345678" -OutFile "C:\Temp\test.pdf" -UseDefaultCredentials
I looked into doing it purely in VBA but it runs to several pages, so I just call my powershell script from VBA every time I want to download a file.
Simple.

Answer 5

Public Sub Test_DownloadFile()
Dim URLStr As String, DLPath As String, UName As String, PWD As String, DontOverWrite As Boolean
URLStr = "http.."
DLPath = Environ("USERPROFILE") & "\Downloads\TEST.PDF"
UName = ""
PWD = ""
DontOverWrite = False
Call DownloadFile(URLStr, DLPath, UName, PWD, DontOverWrite)
End Sub
Public Sub DownloadFile(ByVal URLStr As String, ByVal DLPath As String, Optional ByVal UName As String, Optional ByVal PWD As String, Optional DontOverWrite As Boolean)
On Error GoTo Failed
Dim WinHttpReq As Object
Set WinHttpReq = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
WinHttpReq.Open "GET", URLStr, False, UName, PWD
WinHttpReq.send
If WinHttpReq.status = 200 Then
Set oStream = CreateObject("ADODB.Stream")
oStream.Open
oStream.Type = 1
oStream.Write WinHttpReq.responseBody
Dim OWrite As Integer
If DontOverWrite = True Then
OWrite = 1
Else
OWrite = 2
End If
oStream.SaveToFile DLPath, OWrite
oStream.Close
Debug.Print "Downloaded " & URLStr & " To " & DLPath
Exit Sub
End If
Failed:
Debug.Print "Failed to DL " & URLStr
End Sub

Answer 6

A modified version of above solution to make it more dynamic.
Private Declare Function URLDownloadToFile Lib "urlmon" Alias "URLDownloadToFileA" (ByVal pCaller As Long, ByVal szURL As String, ByVal szFileName As String, ByVal dwReserved As Long, ByVal lpfnCB As Long) As Long
Public Function DownloadFileA(ByVal URL As String, ByVal DownloadPath As String) As Boolean
On Error GoTo Failed
DownloadFileA = False
'As directory must exist, this is a check
If CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject").FolderExists(CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject").GetParentFolderName(DownloadPath)) = False Then Exit Function
Dim returnValue As Long
returnValue = URLDownloadToFile(0, URL, DownloadPath, 0, 0)
'If return value is 0 and the file exist, then it is considered as downloaded correctly
DownloadFileA = (returnValue = 0) And (Len(Dir(DownloadPath)) > 0)
Exit Function
Failed:
End Function