How to make folder path universal? - excel

Question

New to VBA and have an assignment to create a sub that pastes from one workbook into a new workbook. A requirement for saving the file is that "the folder path be universal so other people can create this folder too". What amendment would I make to the ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs method to fulfill this? Thanks
Sub pasteTable()
Dim formatting As Variant 'create variable to hold formatting2 workbook path
formatting = Application.GetOpenFilename() 'user is prompted and selects path to formatting2 workbook and assigns to formatting variable
Workbooks.Open formatting 'formatting2 workbook is now active
Worksheets("Formatting").Range("B3:R13").Copy 'copies table from formatting2 workbook
Workbooks.Add 'add new workbook
Worksheets(1).Range("B3:R13").Select 'selects range on worksheet of new workbook to paste table
Selection.PasteSpecial xlPasteAll 'pastes table
Columns("B:R").ColumnWidth = 20 'ensures table has proper row and column heights/widths
Rows("3:13").RowHeight = 25
Worksheets(1).Name = "Table Data" 'renames worksheet
ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs "C:\Users\name\Desktop\names Excel Assessment VBA\names Excel Assessment VBA " & Format(Date, "dd/mmm/yyyy"), FileFormat:=xlOpenXMLWorkbookMacroEnabled
'saves workbook according to desired specifications
End Sub

Answer 1

Change your Save line to this:
ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs "C:\Users\" & Environ("Username") & "\Desktop\Excel Assessment VBA\Excel Assessment VBA " & Format(Date, "dd-mmm-yyyy") & ".xlsm", FileFormat:=xlOpenXMLWorkbookMacroEnabled
The Username system variable will adjust depending on the Windows account that is in use. Just make sure each user has those folders existing on their desktop too, or you will get an error. I also removed names from the folder names as i assume you were trying to do something with the username there as well. You can adjust that to your needs.
Your Date format needed to change too as it was including illegal characters.
You also forgot to include a file extension, so I added that as well.
There is a lot going on with that line, including a lot of mistakes, so you are going to have to play with it a bit until you get exactly what you need. You may want to simplify it a bit until you get the hang of all those things.

Answer 2

I think you have to add some more checks
The script expects the name of the tool-path-folder as constant ToolFolder.
Plus a second constant ToolBaseFolder that could be set to the parent-path `ToolFolder, e.g. a network path. If the const is empty, users desktop will be used.
If this path does not yet exist it will be created.
Option Explicit
Private Const ToolBaseFolder As String = "" 'if ToolBaseFolder is an empty string desktop will be used instead
Private Const ToolFolder As String = "MyNameForToolFolder"
Public Sub testWbToToolFolder()
'this is just for testing
Dim wb As Workbook: Set wb = ActiveWorkbook
saveWbToToolFolder wb, "test.xlsx"
End Sub
Public Sub saveWbToToolFolder(wb As Workbook, filename As String)
'you don't need this sub - but have the same code line in your main routine
wb.SaveAs getToolFolder & filename
End Sub
Public Function getToolFolder() As String
'this returns the toolfolder e.g. C:\Users\xyz\Desktop\MyNameForToolFolder
Dim basepath As String
basepath = ToolBaseFolder & "\"
If existsFolder(basepath) = False Then
If LenB(ToolBaseFolder) > 0 Then
MsgBox ToolBaseFolder & " does not exist." & vbCrLf & _
"File will be saved to " & ToolFolder & " on desktop ", vbExclamation
End If
basepath = getDesktopFolderOfUser
End If
Dim fullpath As String
fullpath = basepath & ToolFolder & "\"
If existsFolder(fullpath) = False Then
makeFolder fullpath
End If
getToolFolder = fullpath
End Function
Private Function existsFolder(path As String) As Boolean
If Len(path) < 2 Then Exit Function 'can't be a valid folder
existsFolder = LenB(Dir(path, vbDirectory)) > 0
End Function
Private Function getDesktopFolderOfUser() As String
getDesktopFolderOfUser = CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SpecialFolders("Desktop") & "\"
End Function
Private Function makeFolder(path As String)
'https://stackoverflow.com/a/26934834/16578424 plus comment from rayzinnz
CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run "cmd /c mkdir """ & path & """", 0, True
End Function