Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 30, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
You can cause Excel to run a procedure automatically whenever a particular workbook is opened. For instance, when the workbook is opened, you might want to run a procedure that asks the users if they want to perform some task, such as saving the previous day's data to another file.
In reality, Excel provides two different ways you can run a procedure when a workbook is opened. In both cases, all you need to do is provide a special name for the macro; that is the clue that tells Excel you want to run the procedure when opening. You can, if desired, name the procedure Auto_Open and place it in a regular macro module. You can also define a procedure called Workbook_Open within the ThisWorkbook object.
As an example, consider the following code:
Sub Auto_Open() Dim sMsg As String Dim iBoxType As Integer Dim iUpdate As Integer Dim sDefault As String Dim sOldFile As String Dim iStatusState As Integer sMsg = "Do you want to save yesterday's transactions?" iBoxType = vbYesNo + vbQuestion iUpdate = MsgBox(sMsg, iBoxType, "Automatic Backup") If iUpdate = vbYes Then sMsg = "Which filename would you like use?" sDefault = "OLD.DAT" sOldFile = InputBox(sMsg, "Automatic Backup", sDefault) iStatusState = Application.DisplayStatusBar Application.DisplayStatusBar = True Application.StatusBar = "Updating past months..." UpdateYesterday(sOldFile) Application.StatusBar = False Application.DisplayStatusBar = iStatusState End If End Sub
(Remember that this procedure is an example; it won't run properly on your system because it calls a function called UpdateYesterday, which does the actual updating.)
This macro runs automatically whenever the workbook to which it is attached is opened. You could also modify the code and place it within the ThisWorkbook object simply by changing the first line to this:
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8451) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Running a Procedure when a Workbook is Opened.
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