Excel - VBA switching workbooks

Question

I have 3 workbooks

source workbook

target workbook

reference workbook - (Containing the macro which visible across all workbooks)

Is it possible to change switch between Active workbook ( target workbook) and ( source workbook which was active workbook).

• Activate doesn't seem to help me, I do not if this is a bug or what it is. I have stopped in this step for quite sometime now.

• This workbook function takes me back to reference workbook.

Hope my question is clear. Appreciate your help.

' My code is in a test macroworkbook
' I am having a workbook opened 1.xlsx
' Opening a workbook countrypricelist.xls
'running the code from 

Dim sourcewb As Workbook
Dim targetWorkbook As Workbook
Dim filter As String
Dim filter2 As String
Dim rw As Long
Dim x As Range
Dim y As Range


Set sourcewb = ActiveWorkbook
Set x = sourcewb.Worksheets(1).Range("A:F")
Dim sourceSheet As Worksheet
Set sourceSheet = sourcewb.Worksheets(1)
MsgBox sourceSheet.Name
x.Select

MsgBox sourceSheet.Name

x.Select


MsgBox sourcewb.Name ' This gives me sourceworkbook name.


filter = "(*.xls),*.xls"


Caption = "Please Select an input file "


Application.ScreenUpdating = False


Filename = Application.GetOpenFilename(filter, , Caption)

Set targetWorkbook = Application.Workbooks.Open(Filename)

Set y = targetWorkbook.Worksheets(1).Range("A:F")

y.Select

Dim targetSheet As Worksheet

Set targetSheet = targetWorkbook.Worksheets(1)

MsgBox targetSheet.Name


Set targetWorkbook = ActiveWorkbook  


 MsgBox targetWorkbook.Name 'This gives me target workbook name


y.Select
sourcewb.Activate

MsgBox sourcewb.Name ' Source workbook becomes same as targeworkbook.
x.Select 

MsgBox sourcewb.Name & " This is the source workbook "
MsgBox targetWorkbook.Name & " This is the target workbook "


With sourcewb.Worksheets(1)
For rw = 2 To Cells(Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row
    Cells(rw, 3) = Application.VLookup(Cells(rw, 2).Value2, x, 3, False)
    Cells(rw, 4) = Application.VLookup(Cells(rw, 2).Value2, x, 4, False)
    Cells(rw, 5) = Application.VLookup(Cells(rw, 2).Value2, x, 5, False)
Next rw
End With


MsgBox "All required columns from source mapped to target file "

MsgBox "Trying to map from target to source "

Set sourcewb = ActiveWorkbook
MsgBox ActiveWorkbook.Name

Application.ScreenUpdating = False

So If I change the line sourcewb = Thisworkbook my reference is changed to source code to workbook which is not my desired workbook as it contains many other macros for other activities. Hope this is code is fine.

Answer 1

The Excel Workbook Object allows you to programatically open, edit and close any workbook, not just the currently 'Activated' one.

Example:

Dim wb as Excel.Workbook, otherwb as Excel.Workbook
Dim ws as Excel.Worksheet, otherws as Excel.Worksheet
Set wb = Workbooks.Open "somefile.xlsx"
Set otherwb = Workbooks.Open "otherfile.xlsx"
Set ws = wb.Sheets(1)
Set otherws = otherwb.Sheets(1)

' do stuff
ws.Cells(1,1) = otherws.Cells(1,1)

'save changes
wb.Save