Way to run Excel macros from command line or batch file?

you could write a vbscript to create an instance of excel via the createobject() method, then open the workbook and run the macro. You could either call the vbscript directly, or call the vbscript from a batch file.

Here is a resource I just stumbled accross: http://www.codeguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376401

You can launch Excel, open the workbook and run the macro from a VBScript file.

Copy the code below into Notepad.

Update the 'MyWorkbook.xls' and 'MyMacro' parameters.

Save it with a vbs extension and run it.

Option Explicit

On Error Resume Next

ExcelMacroExample

Sub ExcelMacroExample() 

  Dim xlApp 
  Dim xlBook 

  Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application") 
  Set xlBook = xlApp.Workbooks.Open("C:\MyWorkbook.xls", 0, True) 
  xlApp.Run "MyMacro"
  xlApp.Quit 

  Set xlBook = Nothing 
  Set xlApp = Nothing 

End Sub 

The key line that runs the macro is:

xlApp.Run "MyMacro"

The method shown below allows to run defined Excel macro from batch file, it uses environment variable to pass macro name from batch to Excel.

Put this code to the batch file (use your paths to EXCEL.EXE and to the workbook):

Set MacroName=MyMacro
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\EXCEL.EXE" "C:\MyWorkbook.xlsm"

Put this code to Excel VBA ThisWorkBook Object:

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    Dim strMacroName As String
    strMacroName = CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Environment("process").Item("MacroName")
    If strMacroName <> "" Then Run strMacroName
End Sub

And put your code to Excel VBA Module, like as follows:

Sub MyMacro()
    MsgBox "MyMacro is running..."
End Sub

Launch the batch file and get the result:

For the case when you don't intend to run any macro just put empty value Set MacroName= to the batch.

The simplest way to do it is to:

1) Start Excel from your batch file to open the workbook containing your macro:

EXCEL.EXE /e "c:\YourWorkbook.xls"

2) Call your macro from the workbook's Workbook_Open event, such as:

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    Call MyMacro1          ' Call your macro
    ActiveWorkbook.Save    ' Save the current workbook, bypassing the prompt
    Application.Quit       ' Quit Excel
End Sub

This will now return the control to your batch file to do other processing.