Way to run Excel macros from command line or batch file?

Question

I have an Excel VBA macro which I need to run when accessing the file from a batch file, but not every time I open it (hence not using the open file event). Is there a way to run the macro from the command line or batch file? I'm not familiar with such a command.

Assume a Windows NT environment.

Answer 1

you could write a vbscript to create an instance of excel via the createobject() method, then open the workbook and run the macro. You could either call the vbscript directly, or call the vbscript from a batch file.

Here is a resource I just stumbled accross: http://www.codeguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376401

Answer 2

If you're more comfortable working inside Excel/VBA, use the open event and test the environment: either have a signal file, a registry entry or an environment variable that controls what the open event does.

You can create the file/setting outside and test inside (use GetEnviromentVariable for env-vars) and test easily. I've written VBScript but the similarities to VBA cause me more angst than ease..

[more]

As I understand the problem, you want to use a spreadsheet normally most/some of the time yet have it run in batch and do something extra/different. You can open the sheet from the excel.exe command line but you can't control what it does unless it knows where it is. Using an environment variable is relatively simple and makes testing the spreadsheet easy.

To clarify, use the function below to examine the environment. In a module declare:

Private Declare Function GetEnvVar Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetEnvironmentVariableA" _
    (ByVal lpName As String, ByVal lpBuffer As String, ByVal nSize As Long) As Long

Function GetEnvironmentVariable(var As String) As String
Dim numChars As Long

    GetEnvironmentVariable = String(255, " ")

    numChars = GetEnvVar(var, GetEnvironmentVariable, 255)

End Function

In the Workbook open event (as others):

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    If GetEnvironmentVariable("InBatch") = "TRUE" Then
        Debug.Print "Batch"
    Else
        Debug.Print "Normal"
    End If
End Sub

Add in active code as applicable. In the batch file, use

set InBatch=TRUE

Answer 3

The simplest way to do it is to:

1) Start Excel from your batch file to open the workbook containing your macro:

EXCEL.EXE /e "c:\YourWorkbook.xls"

2) Call your macro from the workbook's Workbook_Open event, such as:

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    Call MyMacro1          ' Call your macro
    ActiveWorkbook.Save    ' Save the current workbook, bypassing the prompt
    Application.Quit       ' Quit Excel
End Sub

This will now return the control to your batch file to do other processing.

Answer 4

You can launch Excel, open the workbook and run the macro from a VBScript file.

Copy the code below into Notepad.

Update the 'MyWorkbook.xls' and 'MyMacro' parameters.

Save it with a vbs extension and run it.

Option Explicit

On Error Resume Next

ExcelMacroExample

Sub ExcelMacroExample() 

  Dim xlApp 
  Dim xlBook 

  Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application") 
  Set xlBook = xlApp.Workbooks.Open("C:\MyWorkbook.xls", 0, True) 
  xlApp.Run "MyMacro"
  xlApp.Quit 

  Set xlBook = Nothing 
  Set xlApp = Nothing 

End Sub 

The key line that runs the macro is:

xlApp.Run "MyMacro"