OLE Automation: GetObject Function with Filename Opens File

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c

SYMPTOMS

In a Microsoft Visual Basic application, if you use the GetObject function with a filename to activate a file in Microsoft Excel, you may receive the following error message in Microsoft Excel:

   Book1.xls is already open. Reopening will cause your changes to be
   discarded. Do you want to reopen?

CAUSE

When you use the GetObject function with a filename to activate a workbook in Microsoft Excel, the file is opened, whether or not the file is already open. If the file is already open, and contains changes you have not saved, the above error message is returned.

WORKAROUND

To activate the workbook BOOK1.XLS as an object linking and embedding (OLE) Automation object and avoid opening BOOK1.XLS if it is already open, do the following:

1. Activate the Microsoft Excel Application object.

2. Check for an open workbook called BOOK1.XLS.

3. Activate BOOK1.XLS if it is open.

   -or-

   Open BOOK1.XLS if it is not open.

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   'Dimension variable xl as object type
   Dim xl As Object
   'Activate Microsoft Excel and assign to variable xl
   Set xl = GetObject(, "Excel.application.5")
   'Set n to number of open workbooks
   n = xl.Workbooks.Count
      'Loop through each open workbook
      For c = 1 To n
         'Test to see if workbook is BOOK1.XLS
         'If true, activate BOOK1.XLS and exit loop
         'BOOK1.XLS in this line of code must be capitalized
         If xl.Workbooks(c).Name = "BOOK1.XLS" Then
            xl.Workbooks("BOOK1.XLS").Activate
            Exit For
         End If
      Next c

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the Visual Basic GetObject function to access an OLE automation object and assign the object to an object variable. You can then use the object variable to reference the OLE automation object in your Visual Basic code.

For more information about the GetObject Function or OLE Automation, choose the Search button in Visual Basic Help and type:

   OLE Automation