Excel VBA：另存为，然后杀死旧文件具有权限错误

Question

I have Excel VBA code, which I have distributed, to produce some reports. The code has errors, and I have now fixed them. I want to update the end users.

Assume that the code is in a macro workbook "software.xlsm", as is any data that they have entered.

What I have done is to create "software v1.0.1.xlsm". It checks for the presence of "software.xlsm" and copies all the data and parameters from it to itself. It then renames "software.xlsm" as "software v1.0.0.xlsm.old", and saves itself as "software.xlsm". At this point, Excel is quite happy that this is the new name for the workbook.

All that remains is to delete the "updater". But this is where I run into permission errors - Excel won't let me kill it. It is not in use anywhere else, and it seems as if Excel isn't letting go of the original file name.

This is my code:

set newWb = ActiveWorkbook
thisName = newWb.FullName                   ' get full name of updater
newWb.SaveAs newWb.Path & "\software.xlsm"  ' save updater as code file
Kill thisName                               ' delete updater <!! FAILS

I'm tearing my hair out here. I have checked here an online, and what I am doing should work - but it doesn't!

Thanks.

EDIT: I should mention that I have also tried SetAttr on the file, which also has no effect.

EDIT2: I am not sure I am being clear about what I want to do. I want to get rid of the updater once it has run, so as to not confuse the users. So I used "SaveAs" to save the updater with a new name, which left TWO files on the disk, and ONE file open in Excel. I am then trying to kill / delete the file that IS NO LONGER open in Excel (ie the updater before I saved it with a new name).

Answer 1

newWb.Close (you have to close it before you can delete it)

You can also try setting the variable to nothing.

Set newWb = Nothing

Answer 2

The error you are encountering is because you are trying to access the FullName of the workbook which has since changed after the SaveAs . For example. If I have a workbook with the FullName "SomeFilePath.foo" and I do a SaveAs with FullName & ".old" the FullName is now "SomeFilePath.foo.old" .

This makes sense, but the part you are getting tripped up on is your thisname variable. For example:

Dim thisName as String
thisName = ActiveWorkbook.FullName

Debug.Print thisName ' E.G "SomeFilePath.Foo"
ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs ActiveWorkbook.FullName & ".old" 

Debug.Print thisname ' Still "SomeFilePath.Foo"

The workbook by the old name simply doesn't exist anymore. It has been changed to the new name.

How do we fix this? You could find the new name and still Kill it, but you dont see Kill often for a reason, it is a bad practice.

The ideal would be to properly host, and reference, your workbook. For example:

thisName = thisWorkbook.FullName
thisWorkbook.SaveAs thisWorkbook.FullName & ".old"
thisWorkbook.Close(False)

We are almost there. We are saving the workbook and closing the current workbook, but this isnt actually what we want. What we need instead is:

thisWorkbook.SaveCopyAs thisWorkbook.FullName & ".old"
thisWorkbook.Close(False)

Instead of changing the FilePath of the updating workbook, just make a copy of it. Not only is it cleaner, but it allows us to not have to worry about the funky things that can happen when we mess with a file when it has code currently running.

Note though, you will want to chance the output file path to the path you actually intend. The ".old" is purely for example. Likewise, ThisWorkbook.Close(False) isn't ideal, but if you must close immediately after finishing then this will work best.

TLDR: The permission denied error is caused by referencing a workbook, by name, that no longer exists within the processes.