How to copy data from another workbook (excel)? - vba

Question

I already have a macro that creates sheets and some other stuff. After a sheet has been created do I want to call another macro that copies data from a second excel (its open) to first and active excel file.
First I want to copy to headers, but I cant get that to work - keep getting errors.
Sub CopyData(sheetName as String)
Dim File as String, SheetData as String
File = "my file.xls"
SheetData = "name of sheet where data is"
# Copy headers to sheetName in main file
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").Select # fails here: Method Select for class Range failed
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight)).Select
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Selection.Copy ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)
End Sub
What is wrong ?
I really want to avoid having to make "my file.xls" active.
Edit: I had to give it up and copy the SheetData to target file as a new sheet, before it could work.
Find and select multiple rows

Answer 1

Two years later (Found this on Google, so for anyone else)... As has been mentioned above, you don't need to select anything. These three lines:
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").Select
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight)).Select
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Selection.Copy ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)
Can be replaced with
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData). _
Range("A1"), Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").End(xlToRight)).Copy _
Destination:=ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)
This should get around the select error.

Answer 2

Best practice is to open the source file (with a false visible status if you don't want to be bother) read your data and then we close it.
A working and clean code is avalaible on the link below :
http://vba-useful.blogspot.fr/2013/12/how-do-i-retrieve-data-from-another.html

Answer 3

Would you be happy to make "my file.xls" active if it didn't affect the screen? Turning off screen updating is the way to achieve this, it also has performance improvements (significant if you are doing looping while switching around worksheets / workbooks).
The command to do this is:
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Don't forget to turn it back to True when your macros is finished.

Answer 4

I don't think you need to select anything at all. I opened two blank workbooks Book1 and Book2, put the value "A" in Range("A1") of Sheet1 in Book2, and submitted the following code in the immediate window -
Workbooks(2).Worksheets(1).Range("A1").Copy Workbooks(1).Worksheets(1).Range("A1")
The Range("A1") in Sheet1 of Book1 now contains "A".
Also, given the fact that in your code you are trying to copy from the ActiveWorkbook to "myfile.xls", the order seems to be reversed as the Copy method should be applied to a range in the ActiveWorkbook, and the destination (argument to the Copy function) should be the appropriate range in "myfile.xls".

Answer 5

I was in need of copying the data from one workbook to another using VBA. The requirement was as mentioned below 1. On pressing an Active X button open the dialogue to select the file from which the data needs to be copied. 2. On clicking OK the value should get copied from a cell / range to currently working workbook.
I did not want to use the open function because it opens the workbook which will be annoying
Below is the code that I wrote in the VBA. Any improvement or new alternative is welcome.
Code: Here I am copying the A1:C4 content from a workbook to the A1:C4 of current workbook
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
Dim BackUp As String
Dim cellCollection As New Collection
Dim strSourceSheetName As String
Dim strDestinationSheetName As String
strSourceSheetName = "Sheet1" 'Mention the Source Sheet Name of Source Workbook
strDestinationSheetName = "Sheet2" 'Mention the Destination Sheet Name of Destination Workbook
Set cellCollection = GetCellsFromRange("A1:C4") 'Mention the Range you want to copy data from Source Workbook
With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen)
.AllowMultiSelect = False
.Show
'.Filters.Add "Macro Enabled Xl", "*.xlsm;", 1
For intWorkBookCount = 1 To .SelectedItems.Count
Dim strWorkBookName As String
strWorkBookName = .SelectedItems(intWorkBookCount)
For cellCount = 1 To cellCollection.Count
On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
BackUp = Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount))
Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = GetData(strWorkBookName, strSourceSheetName, cellCollection.Item(cellCount))
Dim strTempValue As String
strTempValue = Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)).Value
If (strTempValue = "0") Then
strTempValue = BackUp
End If
Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = strTempValue
ErrorHandler:
If (Err.Number <> 0) Then
Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = BackUp
Exit For
End If
Next cellCount
Next intWorkBookCount
End With
End Sub
Function GetCellsFromRange(RangeInScope As String) As Collection
Dim startCell As String
Dim endCell As String
Dim intStartColumn As Integer
Dim intEndColumn As Integer
Dim intStartRow As Integer
Dim intEndRow As Integer
Dim coll As New Collection
startCell = Left(RangeInScope, InStr(RangeInScope, ":") - 1)
endCell = Right(RangeInScope, Len(RangeInScope) - InStr(RangeInScope, ":"))
intStartColumn = Range(startCell).Column
intEndColumn = Range(endCell).Column
intStartRow = Range(startCell).Row
intEndRow = Range(endCell).Row
For lngColumnCount = intStartColumn To intEndColumn
For lngRowCount = intStartRow To intEndRow
coll.Add (Cells(lngRowCount, lngColumnCount).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False))
Next lngRowCount
Next lngColumnCount
Set GetCellsFromRange = coll
End Function
Function GetData(FileFullPath As String, SheetName As String, CellInScope As String) As String
Dim Path As String
Dim FileName As String
Dim strFinalValue As String
Dim doesSheetExist As Boolean
Path = FileFullPath
Path = StrReverse(Path)
FileName = StrReverse(Left(Path, InStr(Path, "\") - 1))
Path = StrReverse(Right(Path, Len(Path) - InStr(Path, "\") + 1))
strFinalValue = "='" & Path & "[" & FileName & "]" & SheetName & "'!" & CellInScope
GetData = strFinalValue
End Function