Close all Instances of Excel

[Tod]

I guess this is more of a vbscript question, but what
would be the best code to close all open instances of
Excel?

 

[Guest]

This script will close all instances of Excel and will NOT save any changes
made to the active workbookof each session: type the code in a file with
extension VBS, locate it in Explorer & double click.

CloseExcel
SUB CloseExcel()
on error resume next
set xl =getobject(,"Excel.Application")
xl.activeworkbook.saved = true
xl.Quit
set xl = nothing
call CloseExcel
End Sub

 

[Guest]

That's pretty cool. I didn't know you could do something like that. Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Another question: Is there a way to call that script from inside VBA?

 

[Tod]

This script works great for instances that are open and visible. Is
there a way to close all instances that are only onen in memory?

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

Were these created through code?

If so, it sounds like your code is faulty as they shouldn't exist. You
won't be able to close them through automation - they are being held open by
an unreleased reference. Until the reference is released (or overpowered),
then they will remain.

 

[Tod]

Okay. Actually there are a few dozen excel applications being open (not
all at once of course) and updated through scheduled tasks. I didn't
write them, but am having to contend with the mess that many of them
leave behind. I'm fixing the code in them as I go, but was hoping for
an interim way of closing these open instance of Excel before they
totally hose the memory on the server.

 

[Tod]

Oh also, would there at least be some kind of code I could use to get
information about an open instance of Excel? What workbook is open,
etc?

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

Perhaps you can start with this:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;176391
How To Programmatically Close a Single Instance of a Windows-Based Program

I expect that you will have to use the terminateprocess function it
describes and says to use with caution. But I don't know. Then again,
these processes may not have windows (but I think they would).

This may have some useful information although not directly applicable:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;231844
How To Detect If an Application Has Stopped Responding

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

maybe by reading the caption of the childwindow if it has any. Since these
sound like partially closed versions of excel, I am not sure what you can do
with them. If GetObject doesn't find them, I am not sure how useable they
are.

This certainly isn't something I am an expert on, so someone else may have a
better idea.