Copy Excel chart to PowerPoint with embedded data using VBA - excel

Question

After pasting a chart in from Excel, there's a "Smart Tag" that pops up in the bottom right of the chart, from which one can select "Excel chart (entire workbook)" (as opposed to the default "Chart (linked to Excel data)"). This has the effect of embedding the data in the chart so that the data can still be modified, but the chart is not linked to the Excel file. Has anyone been able to replicate this using VBA (using either in Excel-VBA or PowerPoint-VBA)?
I haven't found any way to programmatically access the "Smart Tag" from VBA. Moreover, the Paste Special options do not seem to have an option for this.
I'm using Office 2007.

Answer 1

Try this Tahlor:
Option Explicit
' ===========================================================================================
' Copy Specified chart to PowerPoint whilst maintaining a data link.
' Written by : Jamie Garroch of YOUpresent Ltd. (UK)
' Date : 08 JULY 2015
' For more amazing PowerPoint stuff visit us at from http://youpresent.co.uk/
' ===========================================================================================
' Copyright (c) 2015 YOUpresent Ltd.
' Source code is provide under Creative Commons Attribution License
' This means you must give credit for our original creation in the following form:
' "Includes code created by YOUpresent Ltd. (YOUpresent.co.uk)"
' Commons Deed # http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
' License Legal # http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode
' ===========================================================================================
' Macro Execution Environment : Designed to run in Excel VBA.
' ===========================================================================================
' You can use Early Binding (with the advantage that IntelliSense adds) by adding a reference
' to the PowerPoint Object Library and setting the compiler constant EARLYBINDING to True
' but delete it afterwards otherwise you will face a nightmare of compatibility!!!
' ===========================================================================================
#Const EARLYBINDING = False
Sub CopyPasteLinkedChartToPowerPoint()
#If EARLYBINDING Then
' Define Early Binding PowerPoint objects so you can use IntelliSense while debuggging
' Requires a reference (Tools/References) to the Microsoft PowerPoint XX.Y Object Library
Dim oPPT As PowerPoint.Application
Dim oPres As PowerPoint.Presentation
Dim oSld As PowerPoint.Slide
#Else
' Define Late Binding PowerPoint objects
' Remove the reference to the Microsoft PowerPoint Object Library
Dim oPPT As Object
Dim oPres As Object
Dim oSld As Object
Const ppLayoutTitle = 1
#End If
' Define Excel objects
Dim oWB As Workbook
Dim oWS As Worksheet
Dim oCHT As ChartObject
Set oPPT = CreateObject("PowerPoint.Application")
Set oPres = oPPT.Presentations.Add(msoTrue)
Set oSld = oPres.Slides.Add(1, ppLayoutTitle)
' Modify these lines according to how you want to selet the chart
Set oWB = ActiveWorkbook
Set oWS = oWB.Worksheets(1)
Set oCHT = oWS.ChartObjects(1)
oCHT.Select
ActiveChart.ChartArea.Copy
' Paste the chart to the PowerPoint slide with a data link
oSld.Shapes.PasteSpecial link:=msoTrue
' Clear objects
Set oPPT = Nothing: Set oPres = Nothing: Set oSld = Nothing
Set oWB = Nothing: Set oWS = Nothing: Set oCHT = Nothing
End Sub

Answer 2

This is probably really bad form (posting as an answer to my question the answer to Joel's question in his answer), but the code below should help you with your question Joel. This is designed to be run from PowerPoint, and will delete all of the sheets that the selected chart doesn't use. Porting this to Excel should be pretty straightforward, just make sure chart1 is the PowerPoint chart you just pasted in and not the Excel chart you copied over. In any event, be extra careful to make sure that the graphs are being pasted in with the data (as opposed to being linked to the original workbook), as this code will delete every extra sheet in whatever workbook the chart references.
This has not been tested thoroughly. Obviously, back everything up.
'Delete extra sheets of selected chart in PowerPoint
Sub delete_excess_sheets()
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Dim chart1 As Chart, used_sheets As Collection
Set chart1 = ActiveWindow.Selection.ShapeRange(1).Chart
chart1.ChartData.Activate
chart1.ChartData.Workbook.Application.DisplayAlerts = False
'Get sheets being used by chart
Set used_sheets = find_source(chart1)
For Each sht In chart1.ChartData.Workbook.worksheets 'this only loops through worksheets, not worksheet-charts
'note that you might first copy/paste values of the sheet supporting the data, if that sheet itself refers to other sheets
If Not InCollection(used_sheets, sht.Name) Then
sht.Delete
End If
Next
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
chart1.ChartData.Workbook.Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End Sub
'Determine which sheets are being used by the chart
Function find_source(search_cht As Object) As Collection
Dim strTemp As String, sheet_collection As New Collection
For Each mysrs In search_cht.SeriesCollection
first_part = Split(Split(mysrs.Formula, "!")(0), "=SERIES(")(1)
If (InStr(first_part, "'") = 1 And Right(first_part, 1) = "'") Then first_part = Mid(first_part, 2, Len(first_part) - 2)
sheet_collection.Add first_part, first_part
Next
Set find_source = sheet_collection
End Function
'Determine if object is in a collection
Public Function InCollection(col As Collection, key As String) As Boolean
Dim var As Variant
Dim errNumber As Long
InCollection = False
Set var = Nothing
err.Clear
On Error Resume Next
var = col.Item(key)
errNumber = CLng(err.Number)
On Error GoTo 0
'5 is not in, 0 and 438 represent incollection
If errNumber = 5 Then ' it is 5 if not in collection
InCollection = False
Else
InCollection = True
End If
End Function