[vba] How to copy data from another workbook (excel)?

I already have a macro that creates sheets and some other stuff. After a sheet has been created do I want to call another macro that copies data from a second excel (its open) to first and active excel file.

First I want to copy to headers, but I cant get that to work - keep getting errors.

Sub CopyData(sheetName as String)
  Dim File as String, SheetData as String

  File = "my file.xls"
  SheetData = "name of sheet where data is"

  # Copy headers to sheetName in main file
  Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").Select  # fails here: Method Select for class Range failed
  Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight)).Select
  Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Selection.Copy ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)
End Sub

What is wrong ?

I really want to avoid having to make "my file.xls" active.

Edit: I had to give it up and copy the SheetData to target file as a new sheet, before it could work. Find and select multiple rows

Would you be happy to make "my file.xls" active if it didn't affect the screen? Turning off screen updating is the way to achieve this, it also has performance improvements (significant if you are doing looping while switching around worksheets / workbooks).

The command to do this is:

    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

Don't forget to turn it back to True when your macros is finished.

I was in need of copying the data from one workbook to another using VBA. The requirement was as mentioned below 1. On pressing an Active X button open the dialogue to select the file from which the data needs to be copied. 2. On clicking OK the value should get copied from a cell / range to currently working workbook.

I did not want to use the open function because it opens the workbook which will be annoying

Below is the code that I wrote in the VBA. Any improvement or new alternative is welcome.

Code: Here I am copying the A1:C4 content from a workbook to the A1:C4 of current workbook

    Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
        Dim BackUp As String
        Dim cellCollection As New Collection
        Dim strSourceSheetName As String
        Dim strDestinationSheetName As String
        strSourceSheetName = "Sheet1" 'Mention the Source Sheet Name of Source Workbook
        strDestinationSheetName = "Sheet2" 'Mention the Destination Sheet Name of Destination Workbook


        Set cellCollection = GetCellsFromRange("A1:C4") 'Mention the Range you want to copy data from Source Workbook

        With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen)
            .AllowMultiSelect = False
            .Show
            '.Filters.Add "Macro Enabled Xl", "*.xlsm;", 1

            For intWorkBookCount = 1 To .SelectedItems.Count
                Dim strWorkBookName As String
                strWorkBookName = .SelectedItems(intWorkBookCount)
                For cellCount = 1 To cellCollection.Count
                    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
                    BackUp = Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount))
                    Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = GetData(strWorkBookName, strSourceSheetName, cellCollection.Item(cellCount))
                    Dim strTempValue As String
                    strTempValue = Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)).Value
                    If (strTempValue = "0") Then
                        strTempValue = BackUp
                    End If
Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = strTempValue 
ErrorHandler:
                    If (Err.Number <> 0) Then
                            Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = BackUp
                        Exit For
                    End If
                Next cellCount
            Next intWorkBookCount
        End With

    End Sub

    Function GetCellsFromRange(RangeInScope As String) As Collection
        Dim startCell As String
        Dim endCell As String
        Dim intStartColumn As Integer
        Dim intEndColumn As Integer
        Dim intStartRow As Integer
        Dim intEndRow As Integer
        Dim coll As New Collection

        startCell = Left(RangeInScope, InStr(RangeInScope, ":") - 1)
        endCell = Right(RangeInScope, Len(RangeInScope) - InStr(RangeInScope, ":"))
        intStartColumn = Range(startCell).Column
        intEndColumn = Range(endCell).Column
        intStartRow = Range(startCell).Row
        intEndRow = Range(endCell).Row

        For lngColumnCount = intStartColumn To intEndColumn
            For lngRowCount = intStartRow To intEndRow
                coll.Add (Cells(lngRowCount, lngColumnCount).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False))
            Next lngRowCount
        Next lngColumnCount

        Set GetCellsFromRange = coll
    End Function

    Function GetData(FileFullPath As String, SheetName As String, CellInScope As String) As String
        Dim Path As String
        Dim FileName As String
        Dim strFinalValue As String
        Dim doesSheetExist As Boolean

        Path = FileFullPath
        Path = StrReverse(Path)
        FileName = StrReverse(Left(Path, InStr(Path, "\") - 1))
        Path = StrReverse(Right(Path, Len(Path) - InStr(Path, "\") + 1))

        strFinalValue = "='" & Path & "[" & FileName & "]" & SheetName & "'!" & CellInScope
        GetData = strFinalValue
    End Function

Two years later (Found this on Google, so for anyone else)... As has been mentioned above, you don't need to select anything. These three lines:

Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").Select
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight)).Select
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Selection.Copy ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)

Can be replaced with

Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData). _
Range("A1"), Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").End(xlToRight)).Copy _
Destination:=ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)

This should get around the select error.

Best practice is to open the source file (with a false visible status if you don't want to be bother) read your data and then we close it.

A working and clean code is avalaible on the link below :

http://vba-useful.blogspot.fr/2013/12/how-do-i-retrieve-data-from-another.html

I don't think you need to select anything at all. I opened two blank workbooks Book1 and Book2, put the value "A" in Range("A1") of Sheet1 in Book2, and submitted the following code in the immediate window -

Workbooks(2).Worksheets(1).Range("A1").Copy Workbooks(1).Worksheets(1).Range("A1")

The Range("A1") in Sheet1 of Book1 now contains "A".

Also, given the fact that in your code you are trying to copy from the ActiveWorkbook to "myfile.xls", the order seems to be reversed as the Copy method should be applied to a range in the ActiveWorkbook, and the destination (argument to the Copy function) should be the appropriate range in "myfile.xls".

Best practice is to open the source file (with a false visible status if you don't want to be bother) read your data and then we close it.

A working and clean code is avalaible on the link below :

http://vba-useful.blogspot.fr/2013/12/how-do-i-retrieve-data-from-another.html

Would you be happy to make "my file.xls" active if it didn't affect the screen? Turning off screen updating is the way to achieve this, it also has performance improvements (significant if you are doing looping while switching around worksheets / workbooks).

The command to do this is:

    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

Don't forget to turn it back to True when your macros is finished.

I don't think you need to select anything at all. I opened two blank workbooks Book1 and Book2, put the value "A" in Range("A1") of Sheet1 in Book2, and submitted the following code in the immediate window -

Workbooks(2).Worksheets(1).Range("A1").Copy Workbooks(1).Worksheets(1).Range("A1")

The Range("A1") in Sheet1 of Book1 now contains "A".

Also, given the fact that in your code you are trying to copy from the ActiveWorkbook to "myfile.xls", the order seems to be reversed as the Copy method should be applied to a range in the ActiveWorkbook, and the destination (argument to the Copy function) should be the appropriate range in "myfile.xls".

I was in need of copying the data from one workbook to another using VBA. The requirement was as mentioned below 1. On pressing an Active X button open the dialogue to select the file from which the data needs to be copied. 2. On clicking OK the value should get copied from a cell / range to currently working workbook.

I did not want to use the open function because it opens the workbook which will be annoying

Below is the code that I wrote in the VBA. Any improvement or new alternative is welcome.

Code: Here I am copying the A1:C4 content from a workbook to the A1:C4 of current workbook

    Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
        Dim BackUp As String
        Dim cellCollection As New Collection
        Dim strSourceSheetName As String
        Dim strDestinationSheetName As String
        strSourceSheetName = "Sheet1" 'Mention the Source Sheet Name of Source Workbook
        strDestinationSheetName = "Sheet2" 'Mention the Destination Sheet Name of Destination Workbook


        Set cellCollection = GetCellsFromRange("A1:C4") 'Mention the Range you want to copy data from Source Workbook

        With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen)
            .AllowMultiSelect = False
            .Show
            '.Filters.Add "Macro Enabled Xl", "*.xlsm;", 1

            For intWorkBookCount = 1 To .SelectedItems.Count
                Dim strWorkBookName As String
                strWorkBookName = .SelectedItems(intWorkBookCount)
                For cellCount = 1 To cellCollection.Count
                    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
                    BackUp = Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount))
                    Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = GetData(strWorkBookName, strSourceSheetName, cellCollection.Item(cellCount))
                    Dim strTempValue As String
                    strTempValue = Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)).Value
                    If (strTempValue = "0") Then
                        strTempValue = BackUp
                    End If
Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = strTempValue 
ErrorHandler:
                    If (Err.Number <> 0) Then
                            Sheets(strDestinationSheetName).Range(cellCollection.Item(cellCount)) = BackUp
                        Exit For
                    End If
                Next cellCount
            Next intWorkBookCount
        End With

    End Sub

    Function GetCellsFromRange(RangeInScope As String) As Collection
        Dim startCell As String
        Dim endCell As String
        Dim intStartColumn As Integer
        Dim intEndColumn As Integer
        Dim intStartRow As Integer
        Dim intEndRow As Integer
        Dim coll As New Collection

        startCell = Left(RangeInScope, InStr(RangeInScope, ":") - 1)
        endCell = Right(RangeInScope, Len(RangeInScope) - InStr(RangeInScope, ":"))
        intStartColumn = Range(startCell).Column
        intEndColumn = Range(endCell).Column
        intStartRow = Range(startCell).Row
        intEndRow = Range(endCell).Row

        For lngColumnCount = intStartColumn To intEndColumn
            For lngRowCount = intStartRow To intEndRow
                coll.Add (Cells(lngRowCount, lngColumnCount).Address(RowAbsolute:=False, ColumnAbsolute:=False))
            Next lngRowCount
        Next lngColumnCount

        Set GetCellsFromRange = coll
    End Function

    Function GetData(FileFullPath As String, SheetName As String, CellInScope As String) As String
        Dim Path As String
        Dim FileName As String
        Dim strFinalValue As String
        Dim doesSheetExist As Boolean

        Path = FileFullPath
        Path = StrReverse(Path)
        FileName = StrReverse(Left(Path, InStr(Path, "\") - 1))
        Path = StrReverse(Right(Path, Len(Path) - InStr(Path, "\") + 1))

        strFinalValue = "='" & Path & "[" & FileName & "]" & SheetName & "'!" & CellInScope
        GetData = strFinalValue
    End Function

Would you be happy to make "my file.xls" active if it didn't affect the screen? Turning off screen updating is the way to achieve this, it also has performance improvements (significant if you are doing looping while switching around worksheets / workbooks).

The command to do this is:

    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

Don't forget to turn it back to True when your macros is finished.

Two years later (Found this on Google, so for anyone else)... As has been mentioned above, you don't need to select anything. These three lines:

Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").Select
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Selection, Selection.End(xlToRight)).Select
Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Selection.Copy ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)

Can be replaced with

Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range(Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData). _
Range("A1"), Workbooks(File).Worksheets(SheetData).Range("A1").End(xlToRight)).Copy _
Destination:=ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Cells(1, 1)

This should get around the select error.

I don't think you need to select anything at all. I opened two blank workbooks Book1 and Book2, put the value "A" in Range("A1") of Sheet1 in Book2, and submitted the following code in the immediate window -

Workbooks(2).Worksheets(1).Range("A1").Copy Workbooks(1).Worksheets(1).Range("A1")

The Range("A1") in Sheet1 of Book1 now contains "A".

Also, given the fact that in your code you are trying to copy from the ActiveWorkbook to "myfile.xls", the order seems to be reversed as the Copy method should be applied to a range in the ActiveWorkbook, and the destination (argument to the Copy function) should be the appropriate range in "myfile.xls".

Would you be happy to make "my file.xls" active if it didn't affect the screen? Turning off screen updating is the way to achieve this, it also has performance improvements (significant if you are doing looping while switching around worksheets / workbooks).

The command to do this is:

    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

Don't forget to turn it back to True when your macros is finished.