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Excel - Open/Create workbook |
Declaration
<AMEXCEL SESSION="text" CONNECTBY="text (options)" WORKBOOK="text" OPENPASSWORD="text (encrypted)" MODIFYPASSWORD="text (encrypted" VISIBLE="YES/NO" OVERWRITE="YES/NO" TEMPLATENAME="text" />
Description
Opens an existing Microsoft Excel workbook or creates a new workbook and establishes a unique session name in which subsequent Excel activities can link to. A session is exceptionally useful as a means of organizing and encapsulating a large collection of activities required to accomplish a particular task/operation. If creating a new workbook, its appearance can be based on an existing workbook template or according to your Microsoft Excel preferences currently set.
Practical Usage
Commonly used to create a new Excel session in which other Excel-related activities can link to. Sessions typically represent a combination of steps that are used to complete a specific process. Creating sessions enables you to build and organize more customized tasks. Additionally, sessions can eliminate redundant entry of identical parameters that may be required by several activities.
Parameters
Session
Property | Type | Required | Default | Markup | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Get document by | Text (options) | Yes | (Empty) |
|
Indicates where the source
Excel document originates from. The available options are:
|
Session | Text | Yes | ExcelSess1 | SESSION="ExcelSess1" | The
session name to be created. This allows subsequent Excel activities
to be linked to this session. Numerous sessions can exist within
a single task allowing several Excel documents to be open simultaneously.
The default session name is Excelsess1. NOTE: To end a session, use
the Excel - Close workbook
activity. |
File name | Text | Yes | (Empty) | WORKBOOK="C:\Temp\file.xls" | If the Get document by parameter is set to Open, specifies the path and file name of the Excel document in which to open. If the Get document by parameter is set to Create, specifies the path and file name that the newly created Excel document will be saved to. |
Password to open (optional) | Text | No | (Empty) | OPENPASSWORD="encrypted" | The password required to open the Excel document if it is password protected. This parameter is active only if the Get document by parameter is set to Open. |
Password to modify (optional) | Text | No | (Empty) |
MODIFYPASSWORD="encrypted" |
The password required to modify the Excel document if it is password protected. This parameter is active only if the Get document by parameter is set to Open. |
Create from template | Text | No | No | WORKBOOKTEMPLATE="C:\Temp\file.xls" | If enabled, specifies the path and file name of a template file that already has preferred formatting in which to base the new workbook on. A template can include formatting, styles, standardized text such as page headers and row and column labels, formulas, macros and custom toolbars. This parameter is active only if the Get document by parameter is set to Create. It is disabled by default. |
Overwrite if workbook already exists | Yes/No | No | No | OVERWRITE="YES" | If selected, the saved workbook will overwrite any workbook with the same name that exists in the destination. If disabled (default), an existing workbook with the same name will not be overwritten, however, an error will occur during runtime as a result of matching file names. This parameter is active only if the On completion parameter is set to Save as. |
Application is invisible | Yes/No | No | No | VISIBLE="NO" | If selected, specifies that the Excel window will not be displayed and all processing will occur in the background. This option should be disabled during task construction and debugging but can be selected for production. The workbook is visible by default. |
Example
- The sample AML code below can be copied and pasted directly into the Steps Panel of the Task Builder.
- Parameters containing user credentials, files, file paths, and/or other information specific to the task must be customized before the sample code can run successfully.
Description
This sample task opens an existing spreadsheet, retrieves the data contained in the first 3 rows of column A and populates a dataset with the results. The data is then looped through. A message box is contained inside the loop to display the value of the current row. In order for this task to work, make sure to edit the properties of the 'Open Workbook' action (step 1) to point to a valid Excel file that contains data in the first 3 rows and columns.
<AMEXCEL SESSION="ExcelSession1" WORKBOOK="C:\Temp\myExcelDoc.xlsx " />
<AMEXCEL ACTIVITY="get_cell" SESSION="ExcelSession1" ACTION="rangebyposition" RESULTDATASET="mydataset" STARTCELLROW="1" STARTCELLCOLUMN="1" ENDCELLROW="3" ENDCELLCOLUMN="1" />
<AMLOOP ACTIVITY="dataset" DATASET="mydataset" />
<AMSHOWDIALOG>The value of row %mydataset.CurrentRow%, Column A is %mydataset.Column1%</AMSHOWDIALOG>
<AMLOOP ACTIVITY="end" />
<AMEXCEL ACTIVITY="close_workbook" SESSION="ExcelSession1" SAVETYPE="do_not_save" />