Programmatically Update Linked Named Range of excel object in MS Word (2007)

Question

First question, excuse me if this has already been solved, but I've searched thoroughly and cannot find an answer:

I have linked several named ranges into a word document. This word doc (and the related excel workbook with named ranges) is a template: it's for a coworker who will make many copies of these templates (of both the word doc and the excel workbook).

I would like to include a command button in the word doc that, when clicked, will update the sources for the linked named ranges. Specifically, I want it to set the workbook with the same name as the worddoc, as the source.

The issue is that it does not like the named range I have entered. I get the:

Run-time error '6083': Objects in this document contain links to files that cannot be found. The linked information will not be updated.`

However, I have quadrupled-checked my excel doc, the named range exists. AND, when I hit Alt+F9 in word, I clearly see the link contains the named range!

{LINK Excel.Sheet.8 C:\\Users\\Marc\\Documents\\WIP_SSS.xlsm CED \\a \\p}

Here is my code:

Public Sub ChangeSource()
Dim filename As Variant
Dim fieldcount As Integer
Dim x As Integer

filename = Left(Application.ActiveDocument.Name, Len(Application.ActiveDocument.Name) - 4) & "xlsm"
fieldcount = ActiveDocument.Fields.Count

For x = 1 To fieldcount
'Debug.Print ActiveDocument.Fields(x).Type
If ActiveDocument.Fields(x).Type = 56 Then
    ActiveDocument.Fields(x).LinkFormat.SourceFullName = ActiveDocument.Path & "\" & _
    filename & "!CED"
End If
Next x

End Sub

If I don't enter the named range at all, the macro works, but it embeds the entire excel worksheet (which I do not want it to do). Any ideas on how/ why it is not liking the named range?

Thanks, Marc

UPDATE: With help from Bibadia, I found a solution; in addition, I want to document some strange behavior exhibited by Word VBA:

First off, the solution code:

Public Sub ChangeSource()
Dim filename As Variant
Dim fieldcount As Integer
Dim x As Integer

filename = ThisDocument.Path & "\" & Left(Application.ActiveDocument.Name, Len(Application.ActiveDocument.Name) - 4) & "xlsm"
fieldcount = ActiveDocument.Fields.Count
For x = 1 To fieldcount
On Error Resume Next
    If ActiveDocument.Fields(x).Type = 56 Then
        ActiveDocument.Fields(x).Delete
    End If
Next x

ActiveDocument.Bookmarks("R1").Range.InlineShapes.AddOLEObject filename:=filename & "!Range1", LinkToFile:=True
End Sub

I first deleted all type 56 fields (linked object, or more technically, "wdfieldlinked" ). Then, I added OLEObjects at pre-set bookmark locations. Interestingly, just as Bibadia noted, the key was to input the LinkToFile:=True code. It seems Word will not accept the object if it is embedded: if I remove that line, I get the error Word Cannot obtain the data for the C:\\...\\document!NamedRange link.

Finally, I found one other odd behavior: When trying to simply replace the link, using this code,

ActiveDocument.Fields(1).LinkFormat.SourceFullName = filepath+name & _
"!CED" 'that is the named range

it would work once, when I changed both the word document's and the excel workbook's filenames (see original message for context). So, when the new filepath+name DID NOT match the existing filepath+name, Word VBA accepted the change. However, once initially updated, if I tried to run the macro again, I would get:

run-time error '6083': Objects in this document contain links to files that cannot be found. The linked information will not be updated.

I would get this error even if I changed the named range to another named range in the same worksheet (and obviously same workbook). So it appears that Word VBA does not like "updating" filepath+name when the filepath+name does not change.

Just so anyone who didn't know (like me) now knows. Sorry for the long update, I just wanted to be thorough.

Answer 1

I am not completely sure of this, but it is a little too long for a comment.

As far as I know, you can only set LinkFormat.FullSourceName to the name of a file, not a fullname + subset name, which is what you are trying to do when appending the "!CED". Although you can read the subset name (CED) from OleFormat.Label, you can't modify it as it's a read-only property.

So if you actually need to modify the subset name (CED), AFAICS the only way to do it is to delete and reinsert the LINK field. If you reinsert using Fields.Add, you just specify the text of the field, so you can get the file name and Subset name right. What is slightly confusing is that if you insert a LINK using InlineShapes.AddOleObject, you can specify fullname+subset name in exactly the way that you are trying to do in your code.

However, I do not think you are trying to modify the Subset name. So let's assume that you already have a LINK field along the lines of

{ LINK Excel.SheetMacroEnabled.12 "the full pathname of a .xlsm file" CED \a f 0 \p }

Word will only be able to update that link if the path+filename is valid (ie there's a .xlsm at that location, the workbook has a Range Name called CED, and the Range Name is in the first Sheet. Otherwise, you have to specify a Sheet name as well, eg

{ LINK Excel.SheetMacroEnabled.12 "the full pathname of a .xlsm file" Sheet2!CED \a f 0 \p }

It's just a guess, but if your code is trying to connect to a Workbook where the range defined by CED is not in the first sheet, you would see the error you describe.

Further, the scope of the CED Range Name has to be either "workbook" or the name of the first sheet. Otherwise, if the scope is the first sheet but the range is actually in another sheet, or vice versa, I do not think Word can make the connection whatever subset name you provide (my guess is that Word never really caught up with Excel after Excel introduced multi-sheet workbooks).

If CED can reference sheets other than the first one, I think you will probably have to use the Excel object model to discover which sheet its Range is in, construct the appropriate Subset name, and delete/re-insert the LINK field.