Importing comboboxes from excel

[phonic]

Hi, I have about a hundred excel spreadsheets with comboboxes and textboxes which have been populated. Each spreadsheet's format is the same, just the content varies.

I want to upload these into access, and I'm assuming the only way to do this is via VBA. How do I do this? How can I take the value of a combobox from an excel spreadsheet, and put it in a table in access?

So, my end result should be one master table in access, which I can create reports from.

Thanks! Sheetal

[NeoPa]

I'm not sure what you mean by populated ComboBoxes and TextBoxes in Excel. Data in Excel is stored in cells.

Perhaps you should give us the whole story (the relevant bits at least).

[GazMathias]

You could do this:

Start by importing one sheet as a new table, by right clicking Tables, and then selecting Import.

Drop the "Files of Type" box down and find "Microsoft Excel (*.xls)" in the list.

Follow the wizard and view your table, to see if it looks right.

Create a new module and place in it this code:

'***************** Code Start **************
'This code was originally written by Ken Getz.
'It is not to be altered or distributed,
'except as part of an application.
'You are free to use it in any application,
'provided the copyright notice is left unchanged.
'
' Code courtesy of:
' Microsoft Access 95 How-To
' Ken Getz and Paul Litwin
' Waite Group Press, 1996

Type tagOPENFILENAME
    lStructSize As Long
    hwndOwner As Long
    hInstance As Long
    strFilter As String
    strCustomFilter As String
    nMaxCustFilter As Long
    nFilterIndex As Long
    strFile As String
    nMaxFile As Long
    strFileTitle As String
    nMaxFileTitle As Long
    strInitialDir As String
    strTitle As String
    Flags As Long
    nFileOffset As Integer
    nFileExtension As Integer
    strDefExt As String
    lCustData As Long
    lpfnHook As Long
    lpTemplateName As String
End Type

Declare Function aht_apiGetOpenFileName Lib "comdlg32.dll" _
    Alias "GetOpenFileNameA" (OFN As tagOPENFILENAME) As Boolean

Declare Function aht_apiGetSaveFileName Lib "comdlg32.dll" _
    Alias "GetSaveFileNameA" (OFN As tagOPENFILENAME) As Boolean
Declare Function CommDlgExtendedError Lib "comdlg32.dll" () As Long

Global Const ahtOFN_READONLY = &H1
Global Const ahtOFN_OVERWRITEPROMPT = &H2
Global Const ahtOFN_HIDEREADONLY = &H4
Global Const ahtOFN_NOCHANGEDIR = &H8
Global Const ahtOFN_SHOWHELP = &H10
' You won't use these.
'Global Const ahtOFN_ENABLEHOOK = &H20
'Global Const ahtOFN_ENABLETEMPLATE = &H40
'Global Const ahtOFN_ENABLETEMPLATEHANDLE = &H80
Global Const ahtOFN_NOVALIDATE = &H100
Global Const ahtOFN_ALLOWMULTISELECT = &H200
Global Const ahtOFN_EXTENSIONDIFFERENT = &H400
Global Const ahtOFN_PATHMUSTEXIST = &H800
Global Const ahtOFN_FILEMUSTEXIST = &H1000
Global Const ahtOFN_CREATEPROMPT = &H2000
Global Const ahtOFN_SHAREAWARE = &H4000
Global Const ahtOFN_NOREADONLYRETURN = &H8000
Global Const ahtOFN_NOTESTFILECREATE = &H10000
Global Const ahtOFN_NONETWORKBUTTON = &H20000
Global Const ahtOFN_NOLONGNAMES = &H40000
' New for Windows 95
Global Const ahtOFN_EXPLORER = &H80000
Global Const ahtOFN_NODEREFERENCELINKS = &H100000
Global Const ahtOFN_LONGNAMES = &H200000

Function TestIt()
    Dim strFilter As String
    Dim lngFlags As Long
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "Access Files (*.mda, *.mdb)", _
                    "*.MDA;*.MDB")
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "dBASE Files (*.dbf)", "*.DBF")
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "Text Files (*.txt)", "*.TXT")
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "All Files (*.*)", "*.*")
    MsgBox "You selected: " & ahtCommonFileOpenSave(InitialDir:="C:\", _
        Filter:=strFilter, FilterIndex:=3, Flags:=lngFlags, _
        DialogTitle:="Hello! Open Me!")
    ' Since you passed in a variable for lngFlags,
    ' the function places the output flags value in the variable.
    Debug.Print Hex(lngFlags)
End Function

Function GetOpenFile(Optional varDirectory As Variant, _
    Optional varTitleForDialog As Variant) As Variant
' Here's an example that gets an Access database name.
Dim strFilter As String
Dim lngFlags As Long
Dim varFileName As Variant
' Specify that the chosen file must already exist,
' don't change directories when you're done
' Also, don't bother displaying
' the read-only box. It'll only confuse people.
    lngFlags = ahtOFN_FILEMUSTEXIST Or _
                ahtOFN_HIDEREADONLY Or ahtOFN_NOCHANGEDIR
    If IsMissing(varDirectory) Then
        varDirectory = ""
    End If
    If IsMissing(varTitleForDialog) Then
        varTitleForDialog = ""
    End If

    ' Define the filter string and allocate space in the "c"
    ' string Duplicate this line with changes as necessary for
    ' more file templates.
    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, _
                "Access (*.mdb)", "*.MDB;*.MDA")
    ' Now actually call to get the file name.
    varFileName = ahtCommonFileOpenSave( _
                    OpenFile:=True, _
                    InitialDir:=varDirectory, _
                    Filter:=strFilter, _
                    Flags:=lngFlags, _
                    DialogTitle:=varTitleForDialog)
    If Not IsNull(varFileName) Then
        varFileName = TrimNull(varFileName)
    End If
    GetOpenFile = varFileName
End Function

Function ahtCommonFileOpenSave( _
            Optional ByRef Flags As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal InitialDir As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal Filter As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal FilterIndex As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal DefaultExt As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal FileName As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal DialogTitle As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal hwnd As Variant, _
            Optional ByVal OpenFile As Variant) As Variant
' This is the entry point you'll use to call the common
' file open/save dialog. The parameters are listed
' below, and all are optional.
'
' In:
' Flags: one or more of the ahtOFN_* constants, OR'd together.
' InitialDir: the directory in which to first look
' Filter: a set of file filters, set up by calling
' AddFilterItem. See examples.
' FilterIndex: 1-based integer indicating which filter
' set to use, by default (1 if unspecified)
' DefaultExt: Extension to use if the user doesn't enter one.
' Only useful on file saves.
' FileName: Default value for the file name text box.
' DialogTitle: Title for the dialog.
' hWnd: parent window handle
' OpenFile: Boolean(True=Open File/False=Save As)
' Out:
' Return Value: Either Null or the selected filename
Dim OFN As tagOPENFILENAME
Dim strFileName As String
Dim strFileTitle As String
Dim fResult As Boolean
    ' Give the dialog a caption title.
    If IsMissing(InitialDir) Then InitialDir = CurDir
    If IsMissing(Filter) Then Filter = ""
    If IsMissing(FilterIndex) Then FilterIndex = 1
    If IsMissing(Flags) Then Flags = 0&
    If IsMissing(DefaultExt) Then DefaultExt = ""
    If IsMissing(FileName) Then FileName = ""
    If IsMissing(DialogTitle) Then DialogTitle = ""
    If IsMissing(hwnd) Then hwnd = Application.hWndAccessApp
    If IsMissing(OpenFile) Then OpenFile = True
    ' Allocate string space for the returned strings.
    strFileName = Left(FileName & String(256, 0), 256)
    strFileTitle = String(256, 0)
    ' Set up the data structure before you call the function
    With OFN
        .lStructSize = Len(OFN)
        .hwndOwner = hwnd
        .strFilter = Filter
        .nFilterIndex = FilterIndex
        .strFile = strFileName
        .nMaxFile = Len(strFileName)
        .strFileTitle = strFileTitle
        .nMaxFileTitle = Len(strFileTitle)
        .strTitle = DialogTitle
        .Flags = Flags
        .strDefExt = DefaultExt
        .strInitialDir = InitialDir
        ' Didn't think most people would want to deal with
        ' these options.
        .hInstance = 0
        '.strCustomFilter = ""
        '.nMaxCustFilter = 0
        .lpfnHook = 0
        'New for NT 4.0
        .strCustomFilter = String(255, 0)
        .nMaxCustFilter = 255
    End With
    ' This will pass the desired data structure to the
    ' Windows API, which will in turn it uses to display
    ' the Open/Save As Dialog.
    If OpenFile Then
        fResult = aht_apiGetOpenFileName(OFN)
    Else
        fResult = aht_apiGetSaveFileName(OFN)
    End If

    ' The function call filled in the strFileTitle member
    ' of the structure. You'll have to write special code
    ' to retrieve that if you're interested.
    If fResult Then
        ' You might care to check the Flags member of the
        ' structure to get information about the chosen file.
        ' In this example, if you bothered to pass in a
        ' value for Flags, we'll fill it in with the outgoing
        ' Flags value.
        If Not IsMissing(Flags) Then Flags = OFN.Flags
        ahtCommonFileOpenSave = TrimNull(OFN.strFile)
    Else
        ahtCommonFileOpenSave = vbNullString
    End If
End Function

Function ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter As String, _
    strDescription As String, Optional varItem As Variant) As String
' Tack a new chunk onto the file filter.
' That is, take the old value, stick onto it the description,
' (like "Databases"), a null character, the skeleton
' (like "*.mdb;*.mda") and a final null character.

    If IsMissing(varItem) Then varItem = "*.*"
    ahtAddFilterItem = strFilter & _
                strDescription & vbNullChar & _
                varItem & vbNullChar
End Function

Private Function TrimNull(ByVal strItem As String) As String
Dim intPos As Integer
    intPos = InStr(strItem, vbNullChar)
    If intPos > 0 Then
        TrimNull = Left(strItem, intPos - 1)
    Else
        TrimNull = strItem
    End If
End Function
'************** Code End *****************

Then create a new unbound form and on it place a Text Box named txtFname and next to that a button called bttnBrowse.

Have the OnClick event of bttnBrowse run this:

Dim strFilter As String
Dim strInputFileName As String

    strFilter = ahtAddFilterItem(strFilter, "Excel Files (*.XLS)", "*.XLS")
    
    strInputFileName = ahtCommonFileOpenSave(InitialDir:="C:\", _
                Filter:=strFilter, OpenFile:=True, _
                DialogTitle:="Please select a file to import...", _
                Flags:=ahtOFN_HIDEREADONLY)

If strInputFileName <> "" Then
    Me.txtFname.Value = strInputFileName
Else
   MsgBox ("No file was selected...try again!")
End If

Place button called bttnRun and add this code to its OnClick event:

FileName = Me.txtFname.Value
DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet acImport, acSpreadsheetTypeExcel9, "[YourTableName]", FileName, True

You should end up with a new table to import into, and a form for importing the rest of the sheets.

[phonic]

Hi, Thanks, I will give it a try.

To give a more detailed version of the story, you can create comboboxes in excel, with the source data behind the boxes being in another location.

any idea on how I can attach items? I can show you a sample version of my excel spreadsheet.

[GazMathias]

Hi, Thanks, I will give it a try.

To give a more detailed version of the story, you can create comboboxes in excel, with the source data behind the boxes being in another location.

any idea on how I can attach items? I can show you a sample version of my excel spreadsheet.

You are talking about Data, Validation, List. As NeoPa stated, it is still just a cell value.

I should have asked, is your list source on the same sheet as the data, or is it read from a different sheet?

[phonic]

Hi, this is not the same as NeoPa stated

The source data is stored in a different sheet.

[NeoPa]

Data in Excel is stored in cells.

As NeoPa stated, it is still just a cell value.

Not exactly the same I suppose, but I can't help feeling you're splitting hairs.

Having that point confirmed was all I was tring to achieve before recommending along fundamentally the same lines as Gaz anyway. Not exactly the same perhaps ;)

It seems that Gaz has you covered here anyway, so I'll leave you in his capable hands.

[FishVal]

Hello, Sheetal.

Basically it could be done, though it requires some VBA coding skill as well as knowledge in Excel object model.

Let me outline the general logic of possible solution.

• VBA code in Access creates an instance of Excel application opens workbook to import from in this application instance and gets reference to the opened workbook. Check Application Automation howto for general procedure.
• Once you have a reference to the workbook you can iterate its Worksheets colection availble via Worksheets property.
  example
  [code=vb]
  For Each wks in <...object variable referencing workbook...>.Wo rksheets
  ............
  Next
  [/code]
• Embedded controls (including Comboboxes) are availble through OLEObjects property of Worksheet object. Thus you need to nest a cycle iterating OLEObjects collection. Each member of OLEObjects collection has OLEObject type, actual control object is availble via Object property.
• Thus you get to Control object which could be Combobox or any other control.Obvious ly the code needs to check whether the Control is Combobox (e.g. with TypeName() function.
• As soon as control was recognized as Combobox (BTW its library is MSForms), the code may access its properties in various ways.
  • List items of Combobox could be get using Column or List property.
  • Cell range could be get via OLEObject.ListF illRange property.
• Thus obtained data could be stored in Access table using Recordsets or TransferSpreads heet method depending on whether you get data from Combobox or get cell range from wrapping OLEObject (see above)

Once more - the object hierarchical chain you need to get to Combobox control is the following.
Excel.Applicati on.Workbooks(.. .).Worksheets(. ..).OLEObjects( ...).Object

With a basic VBA skills and using Object browser I guess you will be able to complete this little project.

Regards,
Fish