In order to head off a storm of "comment it out" replies, here is my situation:
I have a process is normally run 1 iteration by 1 iteration. A user manually hits a button that calls a macro which, upon completion, pops up a message box that reports the total time length the macro ran for. It's pretty handy for diagnosing issues. This code is locked down and I cannot modify it.
I am trying to do this at scale. Because the code in the main spreadsheet and workbook are locked, I have a separate workbook open in the same instance of excel with a macro that operates the locked down workbook. Rather than 1 by 1, I've got a set of 300 I'm trying to run through. Right now I have to babysit the thing and hit space to get past the MsgBox. Does anyone know of any tricks to prevent me having to monitor the thing? Either disabling the pop-ups or some way to make them non-modal. Maybe a trick to make the mouse click?
You're right in knowing that the best way to fix the issue is to correct the code. In which case you would probably make the pop-ups toggle-able.
However, I wrote this for you which could be used as a potential work around. It utilizes VBScript to "sort-of" simulate multithreading so that you can send a key to the modal Msgbox. Assuming you can do what you want to do via code, simply call SendDelayedKeys before the action that will cause a Msgbox. You may have to tinker with the Delay based upon your circumstances as 100 milliseconds may not be enough. To change the Delay, just call like this: SendDelayedKeys 500 for 500 milliseconds.
Sub SendDelayedKeys(Optional Delay As Long = 100, Optional keys As String = """ """)
Dim oFSO As Object
Dim oFile As Object
Dim sFile As String
sFile = "C:\SendKeys.vbs" 'Make this a valid path to which you can write.
'Check for the .vbs file.
If Not Len(Dir$(sFile)) Then
'Create the vbs file.
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set oFile = oFSO.CreateTextFile(sFile)
oFile.WriteLine "Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(""WScript.Shell"")"
oFile.WriteLine "WScript.Sleep CLng(WScript.Arguments(0))"
oFile.WriteLine "WshShell.SendKeys WScript.Arguments(1)"
oFile.Close
End If
Shell "wscript C:\SendKeys.vbs " & Delay & " " & keys
End Sub
Sub ProofOfConcept()
'Using default parameters which sends a space after 100 milliseconds
SendDelayedKeys
MsgBox "I disappear on my own!"
End Sub
A word of warning: Any solution that utilizes SendKeys is a fragile solution and should be avoided when possible. However, when your options are limited and you need to avoid a manual process, sometimes it's your only option.
Since SiddhartRout rightly pointed out that this could be solved using API calls: here's a link with C# code that would close your msgbox every second.
The problem here really isn't strictly a problem more code can (or indeed should) solve.
There are a great many things to consider and any solution will be more complex AND less reliable than the problem it is initially trying to solve. But lets look at your options...
SendKeys is not reliable for that kind of use, what happens if the dialogue says "would you like me to save this workbook?" just after making a change that was meant to be temporary or "would you like to play global thermonuclear war?" Plus with a batch process like that you want to get on with something else while you wait, even if it's only to come here to downvote trolls. If nothing else you may not be in control of this code so what kind of mess will it cause when the maintainers realise msgbox is bad UX and kill it?
FindWindow API calls would let you check the content in the window to make sure it says what you're expecting but then you're potentially asking some bit of quick & dirty vbscript to go into a race condition until the right window comes up. Can you guarantee that the threads won't lock up?. What about platform issues - what happens if someone wants to run your code on their shiny new surface? What happens when your 64 bit modal Excel dialogue window can't be seen by the 32-bit api calls you were making? What about a new version of office that doesn't present modal dialogues in the same way? None of those problems are insurmountable but each adds complexity (aka opportunity for failure.)
The best solution is fix the actual problem you have identified from the outset which is that the original code throws up an unnecessary modal dialogue. Someone needs to fix that - it doesn't have to be you but if you estimate how much time that modal dialogue wastes in lost productivity that should get you a solid business case for getting it sorted.
Related
I want to detect when user clicks File >> Print or CTRL+P inside ms word or excel and use this detection to run a batch file using vba code, is this possible?
This code should self start along with the program.
I tried to find similar code but was unable to find anything useful to my need.
Any help would greatly appreciated.
Thanks
The way your question is written seems ambiguous to me. At first read, it seems like you are trying to distinguish between these two methods of telling a file to print. I know of no way to do this in vba.
However, you can intercept the print event or command.
Another possible meaning is that you want your procedure to run whenever the user attempts to print. See Intercepting Events Like Save or Print by Word MVPs Dave Rado and Jonathon West. See also Application.WorkbookBeforePrint Event.
Note, this does not block screenshots or saving to another file. Do you mind sharing why you are trying to do this? What you hope to accomplish?
You can use the DocumentBeforePrint and WorkbookBeforePrint Events. Below quoted from linked pages on Intercepting Events and WorkBookBeforePrint documentation.
A DocumentBeforePrint event procedure looks like this:
Private Sub oApp_DocumentBeforePrint(ByVal Doc As Document, _
Cancel As Boolean)
'Your code here
End Sub
If you want to prevent printing from occurring in certain
circumstances, you can set the Cancel variable to True, e.g.:
Private Sub oApp_DocumentBeforePrint(ByVal Doc As Document, _
Cancel As Boolean)
Dim Result As Long
Result = MsgBox("Have you checked the " & "printer for letterhead paper?", vbYesNo)
If Result = vbNo Then Cancel = True
End Sub
From Excel documentation
This example recalculates all worksheets in the workbook before
printing anything.
Private Sub App_WorkbookBeforePrint(ByVal Wb As Workbook, _
Cancel As Boolean)
For Each wk in Wb.Worksheets
wk.Calculate
Next
End Sub
End Quoted Material
Intercepting the Command instead of the Event
Another, less effective, method is to Intercept the actual commands. You could name your procedure PrintPreviewAndPrint and have another called FilePrintQuick that calls your procedure PrintPreviewAndPrint. Earlier versions use FilePrint and FilePrintDefault. Thank #Timothy Rylatt for the command names. He adds: Note that neither of these will intercept the backstage command accessed via File | Print. For that you need to use an event.
Sub PrintPreviewAndPrint()
' Your code here
End Sub
Sub FileQuick()
FilePreviewAndPrint
End Sub
In Word, these would go in your template or in a Global Template.
In Word, you make a template a Global Template by placing it in your Word Startup Folder.
Dealing with making this Global in Excel
My understanding of how Excel handles global macros is far poorer than that for Word. To assist with this, I asked my own question in the Microsoft Answers Excel Programming forum. Here is a link to that question and the answers I received. Andreas Klinger, who is engaged in that thread, is an experienced and knowledgeable Excel programmer, which I am not.
Cleanly cancelling a long API-Ridden procedure is hellish, and I'm attempting to work out the best way to navigate the hellishness.
I'm using excel 2016 (with manual calculations and no screen updates) - I may take some time to attempt to run the procedure on 2010 to see if any issues resolve in the coming days (I'm aware of the slowdowns).
Over time, my procedure LongProcedure has lost its ability to successfully use its cancel feature (presumably due to increasing complexity). It was initially inconsistent and required significant spam-clicking to cancel, and now it fails altogether
Here's the setup:
First, LongProcedure is in a class module LongClass with a public property checked against for early cancelling, allowing it to clean up.
Public Sub LongProcedure()
' [Set up some things] '
For Each ' [Item In Some Large Collection (Est. 300 Items)] '
' [Some Code (ETA 5 Seconds) Sprinkled with 3-4 DoEvents] '
' [Export workbook (ETA 10 Seconds)] '
If (cancelLongProcedure) Then Exit For
Next
' [Clean up some things] '
GeneratorForm.Reset ' Let the UserForm know we're finished
End Sub
Second, I have a UserForm shown from a macro, which instantiates the procedure class, and runs the procedure. It contains a run button, a status label, and a cancel button.
Private MyLong As LongClass
Public Sub ButtonRunLongProcedure_Click()
Set myLong = New LongClass
myLong.LongProcedure()
End Sub
So the issue overall is twofold.
The ExportAsFixedFormat call opens a "Publishing..." progress bar which freezes excel for around ten seconds - fine. In all of my efforts, I haven't found a single way to process user input while this is happening.
On top of this, the DoEvents calls seemingly no longer do anything to allow the cancel button to be clicked. The process inconsistently freezes excel, tabs into other open programs, and (when not freezing) updates the status label.
I've Tried:
Appending DoEvents to the SetStatusLabel method instead of sprinkling - while the form still often freezes, it otherwise updates the status label consistently (while still not allowing the cancel button)
Using winAPI Sleep in place of, and in addition to DoEvents with delays of 1, 5, 10, 50, and 250ms - The form simply stopped updating at all without doevents, and with both it froze more.
Using a Do While loop to run DoEvents constantly for one second (Froze)
Overriding QueryClose to cancel the form. This one helped significantly. For some reason, the close [x] button can be clicked far more consistently than the userform buttons - Still not as consistently as I'd like. The problem? during publishing, Excel stops responding, and as such, modern windows will end the process if you click the close button twice... without cleanup.
Using Application.OnTime to regularly call DoEvents. Didn't seem to improve the situation overall
Alt-Tabbing. No, really. for some reason, while alt-tabbing occasionally just makes the UserForm freeze harder, sometimes it makes it stop freezing and update.
This is an issue I'm willing to do significant refactor work for, including smashing up the idea of the long procedure into separate methods, performing setup initially, and cleanup on class termination. I'm looking for something that provides consistent results. - I'll accept anything from excel versions to excel settings to refactors to winAPI calls.
Thanks for any insight into this one.
As it turns out simply combining together some of the useful improvements, along with a new one, made all the difference.
QueryClose is up to personal preference. Leave it in to catch more terminations, leave it out to ensure users use the new solution
Stick to sprinkling doEvents in places you feel are logical (not just when the status bar updates - like before and after an Application.Calculate call)
Optimize the long-running process as best you can, avoiding excel calls
And, most significantly
The integrated cancel key feature (CTRL+Break by default) is significantly more responsive than UserForm buttons and the form close button, without the chance of accidentally ending the excel task.
Here's the process to polish that for a finished product
First, set up a debugMode, or the inverse handleErrors, module-level variable to control whether to implement break-to-cancel and error handling. (Error handling will make your code harder to debug, so you'll appreciate the switch)
If your process is handling errors, you'll set Application.EnableCancelKey to xlErrorHandler, and On Error GoTo [ErrorHandlingLabel]. The error handling label should be directly before cleanup, and immediately set EnableCancelKey to xlDisabled to avoid bugs. Your handler should check the stored Err.Number and act accordingly, before continuing on to the cleanup steps.
Ensure that if you defer to any other complex vba in your script (such as using Application.Calculate on a sheet with UDFs), you set On Error GoTo 0 beforehand, and On Error GoTo [ErrorHandlingLabel] after, to avoid catching cellbound errors.
Unfortunately, the drawback is that for the UX to be consistently readable, you'll have to leave the cancel key on xlDisabled until the form is closed.
And in code:
Public Sub LongProcedure()
If handleErrors Then
On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
Application.EnableCancelKey = xlErrorHandler
End If
' [Set up some things] '
For Each ' [Item In Some Large Collection (Est. 300 Items)] '
' [Some Code (ETA 5 Seconds) Sprinkled with 3-4 DoEvents] '
' [Export workbook (ETA 10 Seconds)] '
Next
ErrorHandler:
If handleErrors Then
Application.EnableCancelKey = xlDisabled
If (Err.Number <> 0 And Err.Number <> 18) Then
MsgBox Err.Description, vbOKOnly, "Error " & CStr(Err.Number)
End If
Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0
End If
' [Clean up some things] '
GeneratorForm.Reset ' Let the UserForm know we're finished
End Sub
and in the UserForm
Private Sub UserForm_QueryClose(Cancel As Integer, CloseMode As Integer)
If MyLong.handleErrors Then Application.EnableCancelKey = xlInterrupt
End Sub
A small note that this method will likely generate a few bugs you weren't expecting to encounter because the execution jumps directly to the specified label. Your cleanup code will need to have required variables instantiated from the start.
Overall, once these issues are fixed, this setup ensures that the user can click CTRL+Break as many times as they could possibly want without causing crashes or popups.
I have an app I coded in Excel that suits the needs of my project; it serves the purpose of keeping track of quite a lengthy process and prerequisites and such.
It feeds off of a certain number of tables in my file.
The thing is, only one user can currently work on that file; and since we have multiple teams working on different parts in parallel, it would be nice to host that somehow in a way that would remove the single-user restriction.
Do any of you have an idea of how I could work around this?
I worked on a solution for a very similar project of keeping track of a hospital's labor utilization (nursing employee census, if you will) on a day-to-day basis across every nursing-based department in the hospital system. This solution relies on a couple conditions:
That it will be unlikely two or more people will need to save data to the final file at the same time (meaning within seconds of each other).
All the various users of the file will have access to at least one commonly-shared network drive or location.
In our case, we created a new file each day, but it wouldn't be difficult to adjust the data-writing code to append data, rather than create a new file and dump data into that new file.
The rough outline of the process is this:
Create a read-only destination file (.xlsx in our case) in a network location that contains tables of data split between n worksheets.
Create an interactive form (.xlsm) that allows user input and then on form submission, opens the destination .xlsx file and saves the form data to it, then closes it. This interactive .xlsm file can be placed in the same network location, with shortcuts created on as many peoples' desktops (or departmental shares, for example) as necessary.
With the speed of Excel and VBA, this means you're only "opening" the destination file for a second or two to write the form data, no matter how long one user may have a copy of the form open.
One thing that will be necessary is to check if the file is open, and gracefully alert the user if they need to try again, which you can do with a function covering the related error codes, for example:
Function IsFileOpen(FileName As String)
Dim iFilenum As Long
Dim iError As Long
On Error Resume Next
iFilenum = FreeFile()
Open FileName For Input Lock Read As #iFilenum
Close iFilenum
iError = Err
On Error GoTo 0
Select Case iError
Case 0: IsFileOpen = False
Case 70: IsFileOpen = True
Case 53: IsFileOpen = "Not Found"
Case Else: Error iError
End Select
End Function
which can be called via some code like (pseudo code):
Private Sub UpdateData(ByVal thesheet As String)
Dim xlApp As New Excel.Application
Dim xlWkbk As New Excel.Workbook
If Not IsFileOpen(FileName) Then
Set xlWkbk = xlApp.Workbooks.Open(filename)
xlWkbk.Worksheets(theSheet).Activate
Else
MsgBox "Sorry, the file is currently in use. Please try again", vbOKOnly
Exit Sub
End If
End Sub
Or you could have it simply wait a few seconds (e.g. Wait 5) or more if the writing process doesn't cover that much data. The specific amount of seconds to wait would depend on testing write times based on your scenario and your data. That would be added as a nested If Not statement inside the previous one.
Then, when the result is that the file is not in use, simply write a series of subroutines to write the form data (stored as variables) to the destination sheet. End with something like
xlWkbk.Save
xlWkbk.Close
Set xlWkbk = Nothing
Set xlApp = Nothing
to save and close the workbook and clear your variables (memory cleanup and all that).
You may already be aware of this practice, but while you'll want to keep Excel visible during development, you'll definitely want to set Application.Visible = False on the production files for two reasons:
This will prevent users from getting confused by a lot of automation
It covers Application.Updating as well, which will really speed up data processing.
I am trying to make a macro that returns at least some partial control to the user when it runs. The macro behavior cannot be changed dangerously if the user edits cells, as there is few dependent content.
I am using this method to allow the user to occupy the execution thread and commit their cell changes before the macro gains control back and proceeds to the next statement:
Sub retCtrl(Optional ms As Long = 350)
Dim l As Long: l = Timer
Do While Timer - l < (0# + ms / 1000)
DoEvents
Loop
End Sub
I put this after some long statements and inside loops.
It's choppy, but functional, with only one problem:
if the user takes to long to edit the cell, the macro silently stops.
Can anyone explain why this happens? Is it because the timer elapses the threshold? I thought all macro execution stops when the workbook is in edit mode?
Any advice on how to handle this otherwise?
You can't & shouldn't return control to the user while code is running, and your issue is an example of why.
Excel expects certain elements to be in certain states, and when the user starts changing things, unexpected things can happen. For example, what would happen if the user tries to change data the same time Excel needs it? There is no multi-processing built in, "this isn't that kind of programming..."
So Excel ceases running the macro when it notices something happening. If you need to run a different process simultaneously, do it in a separate instance of Excel.
More Information:
Running Macros in the Background
Stack Overflow : How can I execute a long running process in VBA without making pc crawl?
Mr. Excel : Can VBA Run in the Background?
In Excel VBA, is it good practice to leave Debug.Print instructions in code that goes in "production" ? That is quite useful to debug the sheets realtime at the user's machine when something goes wrong. Does it affect performance when Visual Studio is closed ? If not, what would you advise ?
Debug.Print instruction DO have a small performance cost. So I would avoid them in loops that are executed a zillion times. Except for those cases, I think it's ok to keep them.
You could also use conditional compilation directives (#if) in combination with a compiler constant (#const) to enable/disable them globally without performance impact.
#CONST developMode = True
sub Xyz
#If developMode Then
Debug.Print "something"
#End If
End Sub
I usually have two versions; prod without debugging, and prod with debugging. That, combined with the catchall error handler logging, means that if a user experiences issues, I can deploy the debug version to them and they can run that up.
I have a macro that I run that comments out the debug.print statements, so it's not a real maintenance overhead.
The problem with running a debug version all the time (and, with Excel VBA it's not usually a performance thing) is that your app is constantly emitting information that it doesn't need too. In an environment with controlled spreadsheets, for example, this can be seen as a bad thing.
In terms of global error handling, you still need the On Error GoTo statement for every function you want error handling in. You can, however, pipe these to a common function:
Public Function HandleTheNastyErrors(E As ErrObject, ByVal writeLog As Boolean = True)
Select Case E.Number
Case xxx
...specific error handling...
Case Else
... Display a message to the user about how you dont know what happened....
End Select
If writeLog Then
...Log Writing Code...
End If
End Function
And then, OnError:
ErrorHandler:
Call HandleTheNastyErrors(Err, True)
Show do the trick