Automation word,excel and powerpoint.

[peterwmartin]

Hi all,
I have a project at work to link and work with all three programs. So paste special from one and it to change the values in the other 2. My question is: is it better to have word as the source document or excel. And why?
So far it seems easier to send values from excel to word however a times it may be text. And paste pictures.http://vbaexpress.com/forum/images/icons/icon5.gif

[Brandtrock]

A more intricate explanation of the project would help.

As I am sure you are aware, each of the Office apps has it's own best use. It is possible to mimic some of the functionality from one app to another, but each has it's own purpose. Setting references to the appropriate libraries will allow you to control any of the Office apps from the others. Having said that, it may behoove you to use the app that you are most comfortable in as the source document.

HTH,

[peterwmartin]

Thanks for your reply Brandtrock.
It is a large project we are entering half way. It has to do with machine good run settings etc. Entering half way means someone has left the company and done alot of work he seems to have used word as his source document however I do feel more confortable with excel.(Not to say my vba is good in either.) He has linked documents and also password protected several files which is making it a real challenge.

[peterwmartin]

Thanks for your reply Brandtrock.
It is a large project we are entering half way. It has to do with machine good run settings etc. Entering half way means someone has left the company and done alot of work he seems to have used word as his source document however I do feel more confortable with excel.(Not to say my vba is good in either.) He has linked documents and also password protected several files which is making it a real challenge.

[Brandtrock]

The half way project can be a real pain. Hopefully the predecessor left decent documentation for you. There is not really a "right" answer as far as which is the best source document. In this instance though it appears that leaving things in Word may be the best option. Without seeing any code, or having any grasp of what the project details are, it is hard to make any definitive statement on the best application.
After you were "handed' the project, an assessment of what had been done was made. If you can see where the previous individual was headed, great. If not, perhaps a few minutes looking at the project as if you were starting from scratch is in order. What I mean is that thinking it through from start to finish may lead you to incorporate none, some, or all of what has already been done.
Your dilemna with password protected vba projects can be solved for around $30 from a number of different websites. If the password protection is sheet level, there are password cracking routines out on the net for free.
Grabbing data from several places (be they Word docs or Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoint slides), performing calculations (largely an Excel specialty), presenting in a report format (either an Excel or Word specialty), and then making a presentation (the PowerPoint claim to fame) out of them via VBA should be a great exercise for you to complete.
Of course the team of coders here is a great resource for the times you hit a snag. Posting your code (make sure you use the code tags) as well as an example will generally get you the fastest and best quality replies.

Looking forward to your successful completion of the project,