R
Ripper
How do I import a file to Excel with a set of specifications? I don't want
to have to set the fixed length every time I want to import the file.
to have to set the fixed length every time I want to import the file.
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D
Dave Peterson
Saved from a previous post:
Start a new workbook
Start recording a macro that will be stored in this macro workbook.
File|Open your text file that needs to be imported. Format it the way you
like. Insert columns, add headers, freeze panes, widen columns, add filters, do
the page setup--everything you can think of.
When you're done, save that workbook with the macro.
I like to put a big button from the Forms toolbar on the only worksheet in that
macro workbook and assign this macro to that big button. I'll add a few
instructions to that sheet, too.
If the file name to open is always the same and in the same location, then I'm
about done. If the location or file name changes, I'll tweak the code to ask
for the file.
My tweaked code could look a little like:
Option Explicit
Sub Testme01()
Dim myFileName As Variant
myFileName = Application.GetOpenFilename(filefilter:="Text Files, *.Txt", _
Title:="Pick a File")
If myFileName = False Then
MsgBox "Ok, try later" 'user hit cancel
Exit Sub
End If
Workbooks.OpenText Filename:=myFileName '....rest of recorded code here!
End Sub
Start a new workbook
Start recording a macro that will be stored in this macro workbook.
File|Open your text file that needs to be imported. Format it the way you
like. Insert columns, add headers, freeze panes, widen columns, add filters, do
the page setup--everything you can think of.
When you're done, save that workbook with the macro.
I like to put a big button from the Forms toolbar on the only worksheet in that
macro workbook and assign this macro to that big button. I'll add a few
instructions to that sheet, too.
If the file name to open is always the same and in the same location, then I'm
about done. If the location or file name changes, I'll tweak the code to ask
for the file.
My tweaked code could look a little like:
Option Explicit
Sub Testme01()
Dim myFileName As Variant
myFileName = Application.GetOpenFilename(filefilter:="Text Files, *.Txt", _
Title:="Pick a File")
If myFileName = False Then
MsgBox "Ok, try later" 'user hit cancel
Exit Sub
End If
Workbooks.OpenText Filename:=myFileName '....rest of recorded code here!
End Sub
R
RobN
Dave,
How do I modify/add to this code so that once the text file has been opened
I can go back and forth to it not knowing the name of the file until after
it's been selected?
ie I think I need to declare a different variable for the name of the file I
just opened. The "myFileName" refers to the full path and I think I just
want the name of the file.
eg in my code I have
Windows("SupporterStats.txt").Activate
But I want to use the code, below, to open any text file and then run some
more code, before acting again on the unknown name text file.
Rob
How do I modify/add to this code so that once the text file has been opened
I can go back and forth to it not knowing the name of the file until after
it's been selected?
ie I think I need to declare a different variable for the name of the file I
just opened. The "myFileName" refers to the full path and I think I just
want the name of the file.
eg in my code I have
Windows("SupporterStats.txt").Activate
But I want to use the code, below, to open any text file and then run some
more code, before acting again on the unknown name text file.
Rob
D
Dave Peterson
I'd stay away from using the filename and I'd stay away from using the windows
collection, too. You can make a couple more variables that represent the
worksheet and workbook that holds the imported data.
Option Explicit
Sub Testme01()
Dim myFileName As Variant
dim wks as worksheet
dim wkbk as workbook
myFileName = Application.GetOpenFilename(filefilter:="Text Files, *.Txt", _
Title:="Pick a File")
If myFileName = False Then
MsgBox "Ok, try later" 'user hit cancel
Exit Sub
End If
Workbooks.OpenText Filename:=myFileName '....rest of recorded code here!
'while the .txt file is the activesheet
set wks = activesheet
set wkbk = activeworkbook 'or wks.parent
'then you can use:
with wks
.range("a1").value = "hi there"
end with
End Sub
collection, too. You can make a couple more variables that represent the
worksheet and workbook that holds the imported data.
Option Explicit
Sub Testme01()
Dim myFileName As Variant
dim wks as worksheet
dim wkbk as workbook
myFileName = Application.GetOpenFilename(filefilter:="Text Files, *.Txt", _
Title:="Pick a File")
If myFileName = False Then
MsgBox "Ok, try later" 'user hit cancel
Exit Sub
End If
Workbooks.OpenText Filename:=myFileName '....rest of recorded code here!
'while the .txt file is the activesheet
set wks = activesheet
set wkbk = activeworkbook 'or wks.parent
'then you can use:
with wks
.range("a1").value = "hi there"
end with
End Sub
Dave,
How do I modify/add to this code so that once the text file has been opened
I can go back and forth to it not knowing the name of the file until after
it's been selected?
ie I think I need to declare a different variable for the name of the file I
just opened. The "myFileName" refers to the full path and I think I just
want the name of the file.
eg in my code I have
Windows("SupporterStats.txt").Activate
But I want to use the code, below, to open any text file and then run some
more code, before acting again on the unknown name text file.
Rob
R
RobN
Thanks Dave, very useful as usual!
Could you explain though why, as you say, "I'd stay away from using the
filename and I'd stay away from using the windows
collection, too"?
I've done that a lot in various codes I've created and also from code I've
gleaned here, without a problem.
Could you also please explain the dot that proceeds lines of code within
With & End With statements. What are the general rules with that?
Rob
Could you explain though why, as you say, "I'd stay away from using the
filename and I'd stay away from using the windows
collection, too"?
I've done that a lot in various codes I've created and also from code I've
gleaned here, without a problem.
Could you also please explain the dot that proceeds lines of code within
With & End With statements. What are the general rules with that?
Rob
D
Dave Peterson
The easier one first.
You have to match the windows name exactly. So if the user does Window|New
window, you'll see something like: Textfile.txt:1 and textfile.txt:2.
So referring to windows("textfile.txt") will fail.
And (to me), it's more work to parse the name of the file than it is to just use
a variable that represents the workbook or worksheet.
In fact, I wouldn't use a workbook variable (well, sometimes). I'd just use:
dim wks as worksheet
workbooks.opentext ....
set wks = activesheet
Then if I need the workbook, I'd just use wks.parent.
And I think that using nice variable names makes the code easier to debug later
on:
TextWks.range("a1").value = "hi"
workbooks(filenamevariable).worksheets(1).range("a1").value = "hi"
You have to match the windows name exactly. So if the user does Window|New
window, you'll see something like: Textfile.txt:1 and textfile.txt:2.
So referring to windows("textfile.txt") will fail.
And (to me), it's more work to parse the name of the file than it is to just use
a variable that represents the workbook or worksheet.
In fact, I wouldn't use a workbook variable (well, sometimes). I'd just use:
dim wks as worksheet
workbooks.opentext ....
set wks = activesheet
Then if I need the workbook, I'd just use wks.parent.
And I think that using nice variable names makes the code easier to debug later
on:
TextWks.range("a1").value = "hi"
workbooks(filenamevariable).worksheets(1).range("a1").value = "hi"
Thanks Dave, very useful as usual!
Could you explain though why, as you say, "I'd stay away from using the
filename and I'd stay away from using the windows
collection, too"?
I've done that a lot in various codes I've created and also from code I've
gleaned here, without a problem.
Could you also please explain the dot that proceeds lines of code within
With & End With statements. What are the general rules with that?
Rob
R
RobN
Dave, Thanks, all makes good sense. I'll have to try the wks.parent
suggestion at some stage.
(I guess you're working on the other Q when you can. I hope I'm not wasting
your time. I can't seem to find what I'm looking for in Help.)
Rob
suggestion at some stage.
(I guess you're working on the other Q when you can. I hope I'm not wasting
your time. I can't seem to find what I'm looking for in Help.)
Rob
D
Dave Peterson
Oops. I didn't notice the last question.
I guess that there's a speed improvement when you use with/end with instead of
qualifying each reference explicitly, but the two biggest values I see is that
it makes the code easier to type and lots easier to read:
dim myRng as range
with worksheets("somesheetnamehere")
set myrng = .range(.cells(somerow,somecol), _
.cells(someotherrow, someothercolumn))
end with
is much easier to understand than this with all the extra clutter:
set myrng = worksheets("somesheetnamehere") _
.range(worksheets("somesheetnamehere").cells(somerow,somecol), _
worksheets("somesheetnamehere") _
.cells(someotherrow, someothercolumn))
And if I wanted to specify the workbook, things don't change much in this code.
with workbooks("someworkbookhere.xls").worksheets("somesheetnamehere")
set myrng = .range(.cells(somerow,somecol), _
.cells(someotherrow, someothercolumn))
end with
I'll leave it to you to do the second version!
=======
As for the leading dot, that means that the thing that follows the dot belongs
to the object in the previous with statement--just like you expected.
And you can nest them:
with workbooks("somename.xls")
with .worksheets("sheet1")
with .range("a1")
.numberformat = "General"
.value = "hi there"
end with
with .range("b33")
.numberformat = "General"
.value = "bye there"
end with
end with
'and you don't need to get out of all of them until you want
with workbooks("book2.xls").worksheets("sheet33")
.range("a1") = "xxx"
.range("b2") = "yyy"
end with
'back to somename.xls
with .worksheets("sheet2")
.range("c99").clearcontents
end with
end with
RobN wrote:
I guess that there's a speed improvement when you use with/end with instead of
qualifying each reference explicitly, but the two biggest values I see is that
it makes the code easier to type and lots easier to read:
dim myRng as range
with worksheets("somesheetnamehere")
set myrng = .range(.cells(somerow,somecol), _
.cells(someotherrow, someothercolumn))
end with
is much easier to understand than this with all the extra clutter:
set myrng = worksheets("somesheetnamehere") _
.range(worksheets("somesheetnamehere").cells(somerow,somecol), _
worksheets("somesheetnamehere") _
.cells(someotherrow, someothercolumn))
And if I wanted to specify the workbook, things don't change much in this code.
with workbooks("someworkbookhere.xls").worksheets("somesheetnamehere")
set myrng = .range(.cells(somerow,somecol), _
.cells(someotherrow, someothercolumn))
end with
I'll leave it to you to do the second version!
=======
As for the leading dot, that means that the thing that follows the dot belongs
to the object in the previous with statement--just like you expected.
And you can nest them:
with workbooks("somename.xls")
with .worksheets("sheet1")
with .range("a1")
.numberformat = "General"
.value = "hi there"
end with
with .range("b33")
.numberformat = "General"
.value = "bye there"
end with
end with
'and you don't need to get out of all of them until you want
with workbooks("book2.xls").worksheets("sheet33")
.range("a1") = "xxx"
.range("b2") = "yyy"
end with
'back to somename.xls
with .worksheets("sheet2")
.range("c99").clearcontents
end with
end with
RobN wrote:
R
RobN
Dave, you've been a great help. Thankyou so much for your time in
explaining this so well!
Rob
explaining this so well!
Rob
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