Running VBA macros in documents created using template - vba

I have macro-enabled templete (.dotm) wich has number of macros generally connected with adding and deleting parts of document using custom building blocks stored in the template.
When I execute macros at the actual template file everything works smooth.
But when I try to execute them in documents created using this template macros stop working after one run of the particular function (attached to checkbox).
Additionally in some cases checkboxes turn into pictures when saving documents as .docx files.
What could be wrong with this document?

The problem was solved by recreating problem checkbox.

Related

How do I create a Word VBA personal VBA code library as I have done in Microsoft Excel..?

How do I create a Word VBA personal code library as I have done in Microsoft Excel..? I had this working, but today it broke and I cannot make it work again. I originally did this because my Normal.dot file blew up and I lost all my macros. I found a blog post that described how to do it, but I cannot find my way back there. I've Google this extensively, but not found a solution.
There are some twists & turns here, as described below...
In Microsoft Excel, one can easily create a "code library project". This is simply a standard XLSB file with VBA modules in it, saved in the ..\Excel\STARTUP folder alongside the PERSONAL.XLSB file.
When the VBA editor is open in any other XLSX/B file, the modules in the code library file are always visible. And thre's not a requirement to create a VBA project reference to see them. The library modules can be natively edited as if they were an integral part of any other file, without requiring the library file to be open in another window to do so, as shown in the picture...
However...in Microsoft Word, it seems to work differently, and...strangely. If the same is done: create a DOCM file with custom code modules, and save it in the ..\Word\Startup\ folder, those modules are not visible in the VBA Project Explorer.
Following along the chain of logic from Excel to Word, and do as others have done...save the DOCM as a DOTM instead, and save it in the ..\Templates folder with the Normal.dotm file. Still, it is not visible in Project Explorer.
It's not until Normal.dotm is opened for editing and the library DOTM is added as a VBA Project Reference that it finally appears in the Project Explorer, but only while Normal is open. Plus...it opens the code library file for editing in another window..! If Normal is saved with that reference, and a new document is created from it, the library code cannot be edited and displays the error "project is unviewable"...
It's not until the library DOTM file is opened for editing in a second window that it's code becomes editable, and it does so in all Word VBA windows on all documents at the same time.
There is one glimmer of hope: if I create a new blank DOC from the library DOTM instead of Normal.DOTM, it works..! Any document created from the library retains a link to the code modules there, including any new or edited ones, and they can be edited natively right there in the Project Explorer. And this includes the code modules in Normal.DOTM too.
It seems the "editability" is one way: documents created from any other template can see & edit both their own code and those in Normal.DOTM, but not the other way around: documents created from Normal.DOTM can only see their own code.
How can this connection be made two-way for all documents, regardless of what template they were created from..??
I've been trying to wrap my head around the possibility it may be a security/malware issue, but I can't come up with one. If macros are already enabled in the Trust settings, malware is already 99% on the way to controlling a machine anyways. The only step left is enabling VBIDE.
A very similar question on Microsoft Answers:
Is there a startup or template file in Words that allows one to store "personal macros", i.e. macros that one wants to have always available while editing documents (I am seeking the equivalent to the PERSONAL.XLSB file in Excel, where I can store macros that then are available in all sheets that I open).
And the solution given:
Word uses the default template Normal.dotm for this purpose. Macros stored in Normal.dotm will be available in all documents. Apart from that, Normal.dotm also serves as the default document template, and it also stores the user's formatted AutoCorrect entries.
Just like Personal.xlsb, Normal.dotm doesn't exist in a clean new installation, but it will be created when needed.
The location for Normal.dotm is
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates
AppData is a hidden folder, so you must display hidden files and folders in order to see it in Windows Explorer.
Similar questions (also on answers.microsoft.com) have been offered same type of solution.
Macros that should be globally available can be stored in Normal.dotm or in a template located in the Startup folder for Word. See also:
And:
In Word, personal settings (those that aren't stored in the Registry) are stored in the Normal template, Normal.dotm. When you change and save settings or create macros, they are automatically saved in Normal.dotm unless you choose to save them in another template. Normal.dotm is automatically loaded when you start Word, and new Blank Documents are based on Normal.dotm.

Word formatting macro that calls another macro on a networked drive

I already have .docm files that have simple formatting macros embedded in them. The macros work. However I have 100+ different .docm files that use basically the same macro. Instead of changing the macros on all 100+ .docm files when I need to change a format, I would like to place the macro in a separate text file in a stable location on a network drive and have the macro code in each .docm file reference that text file.
I tried a Call Shell(AppName,1) statement where the AppName contains the path of the txt file, but the compiler won't work with a colon.
I researched creating a macro to change other macros embedded within each document, but was advised against it due to virus scanners.
It's not possible to run a macro from a text file, the way you imagine. (Cool idea, but a security risk, I think.)
Better would be to bring all the macros together in a single template (dotm), which you put in your STARTUP folder. When Word loads, it will load this template (with all its Ribbon customizations and macros) as an "add-in". (See also the Developer/Add-ins dialog box, which is where these can be managed.)
In this way, your code can be managed centrally - but you do have to explicitly open the template in order to make changes to the code. It can't be done just over the loaded add-in (that's only possible with Normal.dotm).
You can also have macros in this add-in template that you call from other macros. This can be done using the Applicaton.Run method.

VBA code in a template

In a Word template I have a command button with VBA code behind it.
The problem is that the code gets lost when a document is created using that template. The button is still visible, but the VBA code behind it disappears for some reason. This causes the button just to be clickable without performing any action.
The documents are saved in .docx format.
How can I 'glue' the button to its code so it doesn't get lost ?
First, make sure your VBA code is saved in the .dotm template that you make available to everyone (and not in your personal normal.dot/dotm template — this is only available on your machine).
Then, make sure the documents generated from the template are saved as .docm (not .docx).
.docx documents cannot contain VBA code. Anything saved in .dotx or .docx format will, by definition, lose all VBA code.
In a comment you say
"this doenst matter, as the document is just used for the macro."
This is incorrect; it does very much matter. .docx documents can't "be used for" macros because they can't contain macros.
For the macro to be always available, you need to store the macro in the normal template.
For example when recording a macro, select All Documents (Normal.dot) on Store Macro in.

Placing a bitmap into a Powerpoint Add-In

All:
I am writing a PowerPoint add-in that will allow a user to drop specific safety related images onto a map. I've written the code that copies the images and places them on the slide and I would like to place it into an add-in. Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to either:
a) place the images into the add-in
b) reference images if I were able to place them in the add-in
The alternative approach is to require the user to start with a special template that includes all of the images and then load the add-in to get the menu functionality. I would much rather have a single file that contains both the code and bitmap images.
With best regards,
Walt
PPA files contain only code, not presentation content like images. As an alternative, you could distribute a PPT/PPTX that you open invisibly and extract the image you need.
After quite a bit of looking around I found a solution that resolves the problem adequately. Using Microsoft's Custom UI Editor, I created an XML entry in the PowerPoint Presentation that performs the Auto_Open function that would have been part of the Add-In. This allows me to add the menu functions that will be responsible for loading the specific images.
I've added a reference page at the beginning of the presentation that contains instructions on how to use the template... This page also contains all of the images that are used by the visual basic code. The 'Visible' flag on these images are set to False so the user does not see them. As they are copied from the reference page into the presentation, the Visible flag is set to True and they are pasted onto the current slide.
It is not a perfect solution, but it is adequate...

How to Create VBA Add-In with Shared Codes for All Excels?

I'm writing VBA codes for multiple Excel spreadsheets, which will be shared with others from time to time. At some point I find there are lots of duplications in my works. So I want to find a way to share codes in a sort of Excel add-in, like the .xla file.
But when I tried to save the Excel file containing shared codes as .xla file, I got some problems:
The file cannot be edit anymore after I save it in the default add-in folder
If I move the .xls file to a folder other than the add-in folder, and open it directly - I cannot use its classes - which creates problems for sharing the codes
Any ideas to create add-ins in a flexible and powerful way please?
Thanks a lot for the help
Not completely sure this is what you're looking for, but ...
(1) save the .xla/.xlam code by clicking the save icon in the VBA editor. HOWEVER, the thing that saves is the thing currently selected in the Project Explorer pane, which lists all open VB Projects and which is usually on the left. Even if you are staring at your just-edited VBA code, clicking the save icon will not save your code unless it is also selected in the Project Explorer pane. You won't get feedback that anything was saved - but you can verify by checking the file timestamp in a separate window.
(2) if you have an *.xls file which (via the formula bar) refers to VBA functions from your *.xla / *.xlam file, then if you open the *.xls file without opening the .xla,.xlam file first, Excel may create external links to resolve the formulas (i.e. referring to a file which is not open). If you have moved or renamed the *.xla file you can get stuck with those "mangled formulas" and need to edit out the pathname links that Excel inserted using a global substitute. If you arrange to open the .xla,.xlam prior to any *.xls file that uses it, you shouldn't have a problem (e.g. by using the default folder).