WD97: Unable to Run Macro w/Multiple Command Line Switches

• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you use Word command-line switches to open a custom template and then run a macro that is stored in the custom template, the macro fails to run and you do not receive an error message.

For example, the following command line will not run the specified macro:

   "<Word path>\WinWord.exe" /t"<template path>\<template name>"
   /m<macroname>

WORKAROUND

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To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

Open the Template Directly

Use a command line that opens your custom template, instead of creating a document based on the template, and then runs a macro. In the following example, note the omission of the "/t" Switch.

   "<Word path>\WinWord.exe" "<template path>\<template>.dot" /m<macroname>

   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe"<space>
   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\MyTemplate.dot"<space>
   /mMyMacro

Your macro can issue a command to create a new document based on the custom template and then close your custom template. For example:

   Sub MyMacro()

      ' Create a new document based on your custom template.
      Documents.Add (ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate)

      ' Close your custom template.
      Documents(ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate).Close

      MsgBox "Other code goes here."

   End Sub

   ARTICLE-ID: Q173707
   TITLE     : OFF97: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Word listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Both Word 7.x and Word 97 have several command line switches that can control how Word starts. These switches include:

   /t<template name> - Starts Word with an alternate template (rather than
                       Normal.dot)

   /m<macroname> - Starts Word and runs the specified macro

   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe"<space>
   /t"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\MyTemplate.dot"<space>
   /mMyMacro

Word creates the new document based on MyTemplate, but does not run the macro.

If you remove the "/t" switch from the command line, Word opens the template rather than creating a new document based on the template. With this method, Word runs the specified macro.

NOTE: Microsoft Word versions 6.x and earlier do not support the "/t" command line switch.

For more information about startup switches, click Contents And Index on the Help menu, click the Index tab in Word Help, type the following text

   "startup switches"

REFERENCES

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for
               Applications