Pause VBA Script While Links Update - excel

Question

This is my second post about this macro. Although the first post received a few responses, none of the responses solved the problem (thank you for responding though).
Scenario:
I have about 20 sub-spreadsheets with links to external sources. The number of links per spreadsheet varies from about 500 to 10,000. A master spreadsheet calls macros to open each sub-spreadsheet in turn and update the links.
Each sub-spreadsheet has a dashboard that tells me how many links remain to be updated. This is done by counting the number of “N/A” values in each tab, then summing these counts in cell A20. As the links are updated, the value in A20 counts down to zero.
Sub Sub01()
Dim NAtotal As Integer
Set ActiveWKB = Workbooks.Open("Sub01.xlsm")
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
Application.Calculation = xlAutomatic
Application.CalculateFull
ActiveWorkbook.UpdateLink Name:=ActiveWorkbook.LinkSources
NAtotal = Worksheets("Dashboard").Cells(20, "C").Value
MsgBox (NAtotal) 'Tells me how many cells remain to be updated – starts off at 4450.
NAtotal = 100 'Debugging effort to let me know that NAtotal does adjust.
MsgBox (NAtotal)
Do Until NAtotal = 0
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
MsgBox (NAtotal) 'Another debugging effort to monitor NAtotal. Starts at 100, then jumps to (and remains at) 4450 on the second loop and all subsequent loops.
NAtotal = Worksheets("Dashboard").Cells(20, "C").Value 'Resets NAtotal to the value in C20. This never changes, but remains at 4450.
DoEvents
Loop
Application.Calculation = xlManual
MsgBox ("Done")
Sheets("Dashboard").Activate
Range("B1").Select
ActiveWorkbook.Save
ActiveWindow.Close
End Sub`
The macro should continue to loop until cell A20 hits zero, and then stop.
Cell A20 does count down, but variable NAtotal remains at its initial value.
Any guidance/recommendations are appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi the code below worked for me. Try use the same method instead of using a loop. The schedule will trigger every second until the NATotal = 0 logically anyway. Just update the code to fit your references.
Public firstOpen As Boolean
Sub testForm()
Dim cellCount As Integer
Dim s1 As Sheet1
Set s1 = Sheet1
Dim cellCol As Integer
Dim activeWbk As Workbook
Dim ws As Worksheet
If firstOpen = False Then
firstOpen = True
Set activeWbk = Workbooks.Open("C:\Example\Link2.xlsm")
Set ws = activeWbk.Sheets("Sheet1")
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationAutomatic
Application.CalculateFull
activeWbk.UpdateLink Name:=ActiveWorkbook.LinkSources
CreateNewSchedule
Exit Sub
Else
Set activeWbk = Workbooks("Link2.xlsm")
Set ws = activeWbk.Worksheets("Sheet1")
End If
cellCount = ws.Range("N2").Value
If cellCount = 0 Then
MsgBox ("Done...")
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
firstOpen = false
Else
Debug.Print cellCount
CreateNewSchedule
End If
'Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
End Sub
Sub CreateNewSchedule()
Application.OnTime Now + TimeValue("00:00:01"), Procedure:="testForm", Schedule:=True
End Sub