VBA - Pull data from MS Word table into MS Excel Worksheet (NOT special Paste)

Question

I have a standard word document that contains a few tables of data (name, dob, address, etc).

I am wanting to have a set up so when data is newly entered or altered within the word document it automatically filters through into my excel document. I know this can be done using "Special Paste" but am wondering if it's possible to do any other way. I know basic VBA as I can get the spreadsheet to open and save from a button within my Word doc.... but that's it.

Any advice is greatly welcome.... been struggling with this for a while now. It might just be the company I am working for being old fashioned.

So to recap the word doc is the central hub of info and the excel doc needs to grab updated info from the word doc.

Answer 1

This is further to my above comment. What this code does is loops through each cell in the table row and extracts the text which can be directly put into the Excel cell thereby negating the need to use Copy-Paste

I have commented the code so you shouldn't have any problem understanding it. Still if you do then simply post back.

You need to paste this code in a module and run it every time you want to export the Table data to Excel.

It goes unsaid that I haven't completely tested this code.

Sub Sample()
    Dim wrdTbl As Table
    Dim RowCount As Long, ColCount As Long, i As Long, j As Long

    '~~> Excel Objects
    Dim oXLApp As Object, oXLwb As Object, oXLws As Object

    '~~> Set your table
    Set wrdTbl = Selection.Tables(1)

    '~~> Get the word table Row and Column Counts
    ColCount = wrdTbl.Columns.Count
    RowCount = wrdTbl.Rows.Count

    '~~> Create a new Excel Applicaiton
    Set oXLApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")

    '~~> Hide Excel
    oXLApp.Visible = False

    '~~> Open the relevant Excel file
    Set oXLwb = oXLApp.Workbooks.Open("C:\Sample.xls")
    '~~> Work with Sheet1. Change as applicable
    Set oXLws = oXLwb.Sheets(1)

    '~~> Loop through each row of the table
    For i = 1 To RowCount
        '~~> Loop through each cell of the row
        For j = 1 To ColCount
            '~~> This gives you the cell contents
            Debug.Print wrdTbl.Cell(i, j).Range.Text

            '~~> Put your code here to export the values of the Word Table
            '~~> cell to Excel Cell. Use the .Range.Text to get the value
            '~~> of that table cell as shown above and then simply put that
            '~~> in the Excel Cell
            With oXLws
                '~~> EXAMPLE
                ' .Cells(1, 1).Value = wrdTbl.Cell(i, j).Range.Text
            End With
        Next
    Next

    '~~> Close and save Excel File
    oXLwb.Close savechanges:=True

    '~~> Cleanup (VERY IMPROTANT)
    Set oXLws = Nothing
    Set oXLwb = Nothing
    oXLApp.Quit
    Set oXLApp = Nothing

    MsgBox "DONE"
End Sub

Answer 2

I did that once, here are the basics, sorry for the code is in portuguese, but I'll comment it in english. The main feature here is the easyness to get table values by their titles and names. (there's no need for code translating)

'opens word and loads tables
Sub AbreWordDatabase()

    Set WordApp = CreateObject("Word.Application")  'creates word application in a variable declared as global outside this method
    WordApp.Visible = True                          'shows word

    'opens dialog box
    If WordApp.Dialogs(80).Show = -1 Then        'shows fileopendialog
        Set Doc = WordApp.Documents(1)           'sets the open document to a previously declared variable
        WordApp.WindowState = 2                  'minimizes o word (2 = wdWindowStateMinimize)
        LoadDataBase                             'takes desired values in file
    Else
        MsgBox "Word file wasnt open, operation was canceled."
    End If

    WordApp.Quit
    Set WordApp = Nothing

End Sub

---

Sub LoadDataBase()  'Takes values in word file        

    SelectTabela "Title"                            'selects a table below the passed title
    Plan3.Range("NamedRange").Value = PegaValor("Some variable name - Line", "Some column name")    'Puts in excel table the value of first column after the passed variable name
    Plan3.Range("NamedRange2").Value = PegaValor("Another variable", "Another column name")    

End Sub

---

'Selects in Word the table below "Titulo"
Sub SelectTabela(Titulo As String, Optional NumTabela As Integer = 1)

    'Titulo = Title that comes before the desired table in word file
    'NumTabela = defines if the desired table is the first below title, or second, third.... 

    Dim i As Integer

    PegaTexto(Titulo, Doc.Content, 12, True).Select 'Finds the title using the title formatting of table titles (customize this for your needs)
    For i = 1 To NumTabela                          'This loop finds below title the tables one by one until the desired number
        WordApp.Selection.GoToNext (2)              'goes to next table (2 = wdGoToTable)
    Next

End Sub

---

'Finds a value in table using variable name and passed column    
Function PegaValor(NomeVar As String, Coluna As Variant) As String

    'Parameters
        'NomeVar = name of the variable in the selected table corresponding to the desired value
        'Coluna = index of the column after the name of the variable, or the name of the column

    Dim LinVar As Integer, ColVar As Integer    'Row and column indices to find the line based on variable name
    Dim LinCol As Integer, ColCol As Integer    'Row and column indices to find the column based on column name
    Dim Tabela As Object                        'Word.Table object - table where the values will be searched

    Set Tabela = WordApp.Selection.Range.Tables(1)  'Takes selected table


    AchaLinhaColuna NomeVar, Tabela, LinVar, ColVar   'Gives LinVar and ColVar the indices of the cell where the variable name was found (NomeVar)
    If LinVar = 0 Or ColVar = 0 Then                    ' 'If row or column are zero, variable was not found in table
        MsgBox "The name """ & NomeVar & """ passed to function ""PegaValor"" wasn't found"
        Exit Function
    End If

    If VarType(Coluna) = vbString Then                          'Verifies if type of var in column is string

        AchaLinhaColuna Coluna, Tabela, LinCol, ColCol, ColVar  'Gives LinCol and Colcol the indices of the cell where "Coluna" is found. Remember the searched region is after "ColVar". Colvar is for the case there are repeated names in different columns, we want the values only after the desired name
        If LinVar = 0 Or ColVar = 0 Then                        'If line or column are zero, column wasn't found by name.
            MsgBox "The name of the column """ & Coluna & """ passed to the function ""PegaValor"" wasn't found"
            Exit Function
        End If

    Else
        ColCol = ColVar + Coluna                                'The value of the searched column is the column containing the variable name plus the quantity of columns after that, passed to this function
    End If


    PegaValor = Tabela.Cell(LinVar, ColCol).Range.Text  'Takes the text of the cell of row corresponding to var name and column corresponding to the passed column name or index
    PegaValor = Left(PegaValor, Len(PegaValor) - 2)     'Eliminates the two last characters, they are special characters coming from word table.

End Function

---

'Returns line and column in a table where given text is found
Sub AchaLinhaColuna(ByVal Texto As String, ByVal Tabela As Object, ByRef L As Integer, ByRef C As Integer, Optional ByVal StartC As Integer = 1)

    'Parameters consumed
        'Texto = desired text to be found in table
        'Tabela = table where text will be searched (Word.Table)
        'StartC = Start column from where value will be searched (for tables with repeated columns, starts the search in the desired column)

    'Parameters passed as results (marked byref)
        'L = line of the cell where text has been found
        'C = column of the cell where text has been found


    Dim j As Integer                'Loop indices
    Dim Linha As Object             'Table row (Word.Row)

    For Each Linha In Tabela.Rows   'For each table line
        For j = StartC To Linha.Cells.Count   'For each cell in that line starting from desired column (StartC)

            With Linha.Cells(j)         'With cell in row "Linha" and column j
                If UCase(PegaTexto(Texto, .Range).Text) = UCase(Texto) Then   'If text in cell is the desired text returns line and column
                    L = .Row.Index      'Row index
                    C = .Column.Index   'Column Index
                    Exit Sub
                End If
            End With

        Next
    Next
End Sub

---

'Finds and returns any text in Word file. May use formatting.
Function PegaTexto(Texto As String, FindWhere As Object, Optional FontSize As Integer = 0, Optional Negrito As Boolean = False) As Object '(Word.Range)

    'Parameters consumed
        'Texto = Desired text to find
        'FindWhere = Range of the word file where text will be searched. (Range: Word's API object containing parts of the document, beware, there are ranges in excel, they are different) (Word.Range)
        'FontSize = desired font size (if no value is passed, assume any size)
        'Negrito = defines if desired text is bold (if no value is passed, assumes any formatting)

    With FindWhere.Find     'Find: Word's API object that finds text

        .ClearFormatting    'At start clears all formatting
        .Text = Texto       'Sets the desired text to be found
        With .Font          'WIth the font of the Find object - sets the font and bold formatting

            If FontSize <> 0 Then   
                .Size = FontSize   
            End If
            If Negrito Then         
                .Bold = True        
            End If

        End With
        .Execute        'Executes the Find object

    End With

    Set PegaTexto = FindWhere  'The Find object transforms the FindWhere range, making it contain only the found text

End Function