Reading a specific column from an excel sheet based on an MS-word VBA macro

Question

I would like to highlight specific words given in a specific column of an excel sheet in a word document.

I have a working solution (see below) that reads the words from a word file but I can not get it running to do the same thing using a specific column from an excel file. Essentially I want to do what the following python code does (but for VBA):

import pandas as pd
all = pd.read_excel("list.xlsx")
docRef = all(all["MY COLUMN NAME"])

... and the docRef should be used in the code below. I just cant get it running ...

Sub highlightWords()

Dim sCheckDoc As String
Dim docRef As Document
Dim docCurrent As Document
Dim wrdRef As Object

sCheckDoc = "list.docx"
Set docCurrent = Selection.Document
Set docRef = Documents.Open(sCheckDoc)
docCurrent.Activate

Options.DefaultHighlightColorIndex = wdRed
With Selection.Find
    .ClearFormatting
    .Replacement.ClearFormatting
    .Replacement.Highlight = True
    .Replacement.Text = "^&"
    .Forward = True
    .Format = True
    .MatchWholeWord = True
    .MatchCase = False
    .MatchWildcards = False
End With

For Each wrdRef In docRef.Words
    If Asc(Left(wrdRef, 1)) > 32 Then
        With Selection.Find
            .Wrap = wdFindContinue
            .Text = wrdRef
            .Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
        End With
    End If
Next wrdRef

docRef.Close
docCurrent.Activate
End Sub

Code modified from here .

Answer 1

In order to control Excel from within Word you should set a reference to the Excel library in the Word VBA editor : Tools, References, scroll down to Microsoft Excel and tick it.

Then you need to open Excel, and load the workbook

   Dim XL as new Excel.Application
   Dim wb as Excel.Workbook
   Set wb = xl.Workbooks.open("path and name of file list.xlsx")
   For Each wordref in wb.Sheets(1).Range("a1:A" & wb.Sheets(1).usedrange.rows.count)