How to use embedded dotx in Word.Documents.Add() from Excel? - excel

Question

I want to embed a word template in an Excel workbook so that the user can click on a generate report button and have word open a new document using the word template.
The below code directly edits the dotx and allows changes to be made to the template, which is undesirable as the template contains formatting and markup that supports the auto-report generation.
Public Sub ExportReportEmbedded()
Set curSheet = ActiveSheet
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Dim wdApp As Word.Application, wdDoc As Word.Document
Set ole = Sheets("Report").Shapes("Object 4").OLEFormat
ole.Activate
' rather than activating it, I want to use the dotx in a new Word.Documents.Add().
' But how?
' wdApp.Documents.Add(ole.???)
curSheet.Activate
Set wdDoc = ole.Object.Object
Set q = Sheets("Report")
With wdDoc.ContentControls
For i = 1 To 62 Step 1
.Item(i).Range.Text = q.Range("b" & i)
Next
End With
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

Answer 1

The below code directly edits the dotx and allows changes to be made to the template, which is undesirable as the template contains formatting and markup that supports the auto-report generation.
To directly answer your question, you can open the embedded Dotx in the following way so that the template itself is not opened but another word document based on the template.
Hope this is what you wanted?
Sub Sample()
Dim shp As Shape
Set shp = Sheets("Report").Shapes.Range(Array("Object 4"))
shp.Select
Selection.Verb Verb:=xlPrimary
End Sub
FOLLOWUP
Try this. I am using the GetTempPath API to get the user's temp folder and then saving the embedded document to that folder. Once the document is saved then I am using the .Add to create the new file. Also I am using Late Binding with MS Word so you do not need to set any references to MS Word Object Library. Do let me know if you have any queries :)
Private Declare Function GetTempPath Lib "kernel32" _
Alias "GetTempPathA" (ByVal nBufferLength As Long, _
ByVal lpBuffer As String) As Long
Public Sub ExportReportEmbedded()
Dim oWordApp As Object, oWordDoc As Object, objWord As Object
Dim FlName As String
Dim sh As Shape
Dim objOLE As OLEObject
'~~> Decide on a temporary file name which will be saved in the
'~~> users temporary folder
FlName = GetTempDirectory & "\Template.dotx"
Set sh = Sheets("Report").Shapes("Object 4")
sh.OLEFormat.Activate
Set objOLE = sh.OLEFormat.Object
Set objWord = objOLE.Object
'~~> Save the file to the relevant temp folder
objWord.SaveAs2 fileName:=FlName, FileFormat:=wdFormatXMLTemplate
'~~> Establish an Word application object
On Error Resume Next
Set oWordApp = GetObject(, "Word.Application")
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
Set oWordApp = CreateObject("Word.Application")
End If
Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0
oWordApp.Visible = True
'~~> Create new document based on the template
Set oWordDoc = oWordApp.Documents.Add(Template:=FlName, NewTemplate:=False, DocumentType:=0)
'~~> Close the actual template that opened
objWord.Close savechanges:=False
'~~> Rest of the code
'~~> now you can work with oWordDoc. This will not save the actual template
'~~> In the end Clean Up (Delete the template saved in the temp directory)
Kill FlName
End Sub
'~~> Function to get the user's temp directory
Function GetTempDirectory() As String
Dim buffer As String
Dim bufferLen As Long
buffer = Space$(256)
bufferLen = GetTempPath(Len(buffer), buffer)
If bufferLen > 0 And bufferLen < 256 Then
buffer = Left$(buffer, bufferLen)
End If
If InStr(buffer, Chr$(0)) <> 0 Then
GetTempDirectory = Left$(buffer, InStr(buffer, Chr$(0)) - 1)
Else
GetTempDirectory = buffer
End If
End Function