How to convert a text file to PDF using VBA? - excel

Question

I want to convert a list of text files in a particular folder into PDF.
I have written logic to open a single text file from Word document to be saved in a PDF format but it is not saved as a PDF file.
This is Excel VBA.
Dim file As Variant
inp_dir = "C:\Users\HP\OneDrive\Desktop\vbatest\pdfconv\"
inp_file_name = Dir(inp_dir & "*.txt") 'txt path
inp_file = inp_dir & inp_file_name
Dim wdApp As New Word.Application, wdDoc As Word.Document
MsgBox (inp_file)
' Set wdDoc = Documents.Open(inp_file)
Set wdDoc = Documents.Open(Filename:=inp_file, ReadOnly:=True, _
AddToRecentFiles:=False, Format:=wdOpenFormatAuto, Visible:=False)
wdDoc.SaveAs2 Filename:="inp_file" & Replace(inp_file, ".txt", ".pdf"), _
FileFormat:=wdFormatPDF, AddToRecentFiles:=False
wdDoc.Close False

Answer 1

I guess you are close - you just have a small mistake in your destination file name: You write Filename:="inp_file" & Replace(inp_file, ".txt", ".pdf"), but the fixed string "inp_file" makes no sense and invalidates the filename.
I always advice to use intermediate variables, with that it gets much easier to debug and to find errors.
Some more small things:
You should use Option Explicit and declare all variables.
You have a variable file declared that is never used.
declare your path as Constant
Your code could look like:
Const inp_dir = "C:\Users\HP\OneDrive\Desktop\vbatest\pdfconv\"
Dim inp_file_name As String, inp_full_name As String
inp_file_name = Dir(inp_dir & "*.txt") 'txt path
inp_full_name = inp_dir & inp_file_name
Dim wdApp As New Word.Application, wdDoc As Word.Document
Set wdDoc = wdApp.Documents.Open(Filename:=inp_full_name, ReadOnly:=True, _
AddToRecentFiles:=False, Format:=wdOpenFormatAuto, Visible:=False)
Dim pdf_Filename As String
pdf_Filename = Replace(inp_full_name, ".txt", ".pdf")
Debug.Print pdf_Filename
wdDoc.SaveAs2 Filename:=pdf_Filename, FileFormat:=wdFormatPDF, AddToRecentFiles:=False
wdDoc.Close False
wdApp.Quit

Answer 2

Your code is very close to running. Basically you need to open Word using your wdApp object. This example shows how...
Option Explicit
Sub TxtToPDF()
Dim inp_dir As String
Dim inp_file_name As String
Dim inp_file As String
inp_dir = "C:\Temp\"
inp_file_name = Dir(inp_dir & "*.txt") 'txt path
Dim wordWasRunning As Boolean
wordWasRunning = IsMSWordRunning
Dim wdApp As Word.Application
Set wdApp = AttachToMSWordApplication
Do While Len(inp_file_name) > 0
inp_file = inp_dir & inp_file_name
Debug.Print "currently opening " & inp_file
Dim wdDoc As Word.Document
Set wdDoc = wdApp.Documents.Open(Filename:=inp_file, _
ReadOnly:=True, _
AddToRecentFiles:=False, _
Format:=wdOpenFormatAuto, _
Visible:=False)
Dim out_file As String
out_file = Replace(inp_file, ".txt", ".pdf")
Debug.Print "saving as " & out_file
wdDoc.SaveAs2 Filename:=out_file, _
FileFormat:=wdFormatPDF, AddToRecentFiles:=False
wdDoc.Close False
'--- get the next txt file
inp_file_name = Dir
Loop
If Not wordWasRunning Then
wdApp.Quit
End If
End Sub
Put this code in another module to use (from my personal library).
Option Explicit
Public Function IsMSWordRunning() As Boolean
'--- quick check to see if an instance of MS Word is running
Dim msApp As Object
On Error Resume Next
Set msApp = GetObject(, "Word.Application")
If Err > 0 Then
'--- not running
IsMSWordRunning = False
Else
'--- running
IsMSWordRunning = True
End If
End Function
Public Function AttachToMSWordApplication() As Word.Application
'--- finds an existing and running instance of MS Word, or starts
' the application if one is not already running
Dim msApp As Word.Application
On Error Resume Next
Set msApp = GetObject(, "Word.Application")
If Err > 0 Then
'--- we have to start one
' an exception will be raised if the application is not installed
Set msApp = CreateObject("Word.Application")
End If
Set AttachToMSWordApplication = msApp
End Function