VBScript - How do I get these workbooks to talk? - vba

Question

I posted earlier about getting my VBScript to wait until a process had finished before continuing (further info: VBScript - How to make program wait until process has finished?.
I was given an adequate answer after some discussion. However, it seems that I am now going in a new direction with the code as the solution presented another problem that I am hoping you may be able to help me with.
Basically I have some code which I have provided below. It takes in 4 arguments, one of which is a PATH to a folder containing many files which I want to use along with the other three in my VBA macro.
If WScript.Arguments.Count = 4 Then
' process input argument
Set args = WScript.Arguments
arg1 = args.Item(0)
arg2 = args.Item(1)
arg3 = args.Item(2)
arg4 = args.Item(3)
' Create a WshShell instance
Dim WShell
Set WShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
' Create an Excel instance
Dim x1
Set x1 = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
' Disable Excel UI elements
x1.DisplayAlerts = False
x1.AskToUpdateLinks = False
'x1.AlertBeforeOverwriting = False
x1.FeatureInstall = msoFeatureInstallNone
' Open the Workbooks specified on the command-line
Dim x1WB
Dim x2WB
Dim x3WB
Dim x4WB
Dim strWB1
Dim strWB2
Dim strWB3
Dim strWB4
Dim FSO
Dim FLD
Dim FIL
Dim strFolder
strWB1 = arg1
Set x1WB = x1.Workbooks.Open(strWB1)
' Show the workbook/Excel program interface. Comment out for silent running.
x1WB.Application.Visible = True
strWB2 = arg2
Set x2WB = x1.Workbooks.Open(strWB2)
' Show the workbook/Excel program interface. Comment out for silent running.
x2WB.Application.Visible = True
strWB3 = arg3
Set x3WB = x1.Workbooks.Open(strWB3)
' Show the workbook/Excel program interface. Comment out for silent running.
x3WB.Application.Visible = True
'To hold the string of the PATH to the multiple files
strFolder = arg4
Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'Get a reference to the folder I want to search
set FLD = FSO.GetFolder(strFolder)
Dim strMyMacro
strMyMacro = "my_excel_sheet_with_vba_module.xlsm!Sheet1.my_vba_macro"
'loop through the folder and get the file names
For Each Fil In FLD.Files
WshShell.run """C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\EXCEL.exe"" " & Fil, 1, true
x1.Run strMyMacro
'~~> Problem - How do I get the macro to run before opening the above file but run after it has opened (due to setting the bWaitOnReturn to true)
'~~> Problem - How do I get the file on current iteration to close after the macro has completed?
'~~> Problem - If this is not the issue, can you identify it?
Next
x1WB.close
x2WB.close
x3WB.close
'x4WB.close
' Clean up and shut down
Set x1WB = Nothing
Set x2WB = Nothing
Set x3WB = Nothing
Set x4WB = Nothing
Set FSO = Nothing
Set FLD = Nothing
x1.Quit
Set x1 = Nothing
Set WshShell = Nothing
WScript.Quit 0
Else
WScript.Quit 1
End If
The script works like this:
4 arguments are passed to the script. The 3rd argument is a .xlsm file which contains my VBA macro. The last argument is a PATH to a folder containing multiple files.
It then opens up the first three Excel files.
Then I run a loop to iterate through the files Fil in the folder that was specified as the 4th argument. AFAIK this has to be done via a WScript.shell using the .run method so that the rest of the script will hang until the Excel file it is processing finishes before closing it and opening up the next file in the folder.
After opening up file Fil, I then run the macro (albeit at this moment in time unsuccessfully).
I was tempted to simply open up all of the Excel files using the WScript.shell object however AFAIK I would not be able to run the macro this way.
Hopefully I have been able to define my aims of this piece of VBScript though if I haven't let me know and I shall clarify. Can you help?
Thanks,
QF.

Answer 1

Something along these lines might work for you (in Excel). A few things I'm not clear on though:
Where is your existing VBA macro - I'm guessing it's in one of the 3 files you're opening?
What types of files are in the folder you're looping through? I guessed Excel.
How is the vbscript being run? It looks like you're shelling out from your HTA, but why not include it directly in the HTA? That would save you from having to shell out and pass arguments...
Option Explicit
Dim wb1 As Workbook, wb2 As Workbook
Sub ProcessFolder(path1, path2, sFolder)
Dim wb As Workbook
Dim s
Set wb1 = Workbooks.Open(path1)
Set wb2 = Workbooks.Open(path2)
If Right(sFolder, 1) <> "\" Then sFolder = sFolder & "\"
s = Dir(sFolder & "*.xls*", vbNormal)
Do While Len(s) > 0
Set wb = Workbooks.Open(sFolder & s)
ProcessFile wb
wb.Close False
s = Dir()
Loop
wb1.Close False
wb2.Close False
End Sub
Sub YourExistingMacro(wb As Workbook)
'do stuff with wb and presumably the other 3 open files...
End Sub