Activate different workbook to run macro - excel

Question

I created a macro in my workbook using an active worksheet from another workbook. I would now like to run my macro, but use yet another different active workbook to get my data.
I have this line 20 times in my macro...
Windows("IFS_round_1").Activate
...so I do not want to change it (ex. IFS_round_2) each time I open a new workbook to run the macro. Is there something I can add so the macro just uses whichever active workbook I have open?
Thanks!

Answer 1

Create a variable to refer to the workbook. For example:
Sub Macro1()
Dim wb as Workbook
Set wb = ActiveWorkbook
wb.Activate
'DO CODE HERE
End Sub
Does this help?

Answer 2

I don't know if you are opening the other workbook programatically, but this solution works. basically you just save the handle to the other workbook as soon as you open it.
sother_filename = "IFS_round_1"
'saves the name of the current workbook
curr_workbook = ActiveWorkbook.Name
'opens the new workbook, this automatically returns the handle to the other
'workbook (if it opened it successfully)
other_workbook = OpenWorkbook(sother_filename)
But what fun is that? one more solution to automatically get the workbook name when there are only two workbooks open and then simply use that to call the other workbook
Function GetOtherWBName()
GetOtherWBName = ""
'if we dont have exactly two books open
'we don't know what to do, so just quit
If (Workbooks.Count) <> 2 Then
Exit Function
End If
curr_wb = ActiveWorkbook.Name
'if the active workbook has the same name as workbook 1
If (StrComp(curr_wb, Workbooks(1).Name) = 0) Then
'then the other workbook is workbook 2
GetOtherWBName = Workbooks(2).Name
Else
'then this is the other workbook
GetOtherWBName = Workbooks(1).Name
End If
End Function
So now in the workbook that has the macro make a button and assign a macro to it similar to this
Sub ButtonClick()
'first we save the current book, so we can call it easily later
curr_wb = ActiveWorkbook.Name
other_wb = GetOtherWBName()
If Len(other_wb) = 0 Then
MsgBox ("unable to get other wb")
Exit Sub
End If
'now to call the other workbook just use
Workbooks(other_wb).Activate
'all the rest of your code
End Sub