open acad drawings within excel VBA

I would like to know how to open an autocad drawing within excel VBA.

I wrote the following code but it gives me a run-time error '419'
ActiveX component can't create object

Code:

---

Dim AcadApp as Acadapplication
 Dim MyDwg as AcadDocument
 Dim DWG as string  ' file path
 
 Set AcadApp = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
 Set MyDwg = AcadApp.Documents.Open(DWG)

---

reply feel free to contact me if more info required..


thank you very much

gary lee
email: spedia3214@yahoo.com

Hi gary lee, :hi:

Welcome to VBAX :yes

When posting code use the vba tags it will display the code as if it was in the vbaide :)

Code:

---

Dim AcadApp as Acadapplication
Dim MyDwg as AcadDocument
Dim DWG as string ' file path
Set AcadApp = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
Set MyDwg = AcadApp.Documents.Open(DWG) '<- the DWG should contain "C:\acad\somedrawing.dwg"

---

The way I use it

Code:

---

Public Graphics As AcadApplication
Public Sub OpnAcad()
Dim AngBracDwg As String
Set Graphics = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
If Err.Description > vbNullString Then
  Err.Clear
  Set Graphics = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")
End If
AngBracDwg = "c:\dwg\ba1.dwg"
Graphics.Documents.Open (AngBracDwg)
End Sub

---

Let me know if more assistance is needed.

Tommy:

the error message still there..

Error occurs right after the "GetObject" line is exercuted
The program end there

The "Err.Description" line did not function.

I tried the following, still doesn't work..

Code:

---

If IsError(GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")) Then
  Err.Clear
  Set AcadApp = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")
  Else
  Set AcadApp = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
End If

---

Any idea how to check if autocad is already running??
autocad running --> use GetObject
autocad not running --> use CreateObject

thank you

The following code works to check if autocad is already running

[vba]
Dim AcadApp as AcadApplication

If AcadApp Is Nothing Then
Set AcadApp = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")
Else
Set AcadApp = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
End If
[/VBA]

great thanks to Tommy

If you don't have a reference checked in the tools > reference > AutoCad xxxx type library it will have errors, the getobject function will not work. I am sorry I forgot to tell you that.

Code:

---

Public Graphics As AcadApplication
Public Sub OpnAcad()
Dim AngBracDwg As String
On Error Resume Next 'I added this line
Set Graphics = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
If Err.Description > vbNullString Then
  Err.Clear
  Set Graphics = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")
End If
AngBracDwg = "c:\dwg\ba1.dwg"
Graphics.Documents.Open (AngBracDwg)
On Error goto 0
End Sub

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by garylee

The following code works to check if autocad is already running

Code:

---

Dim AcadApp as AcadApplication
If AcadApp Is Nothing Then
  Set AcadApp = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")
  Else
  Set AcadApp = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
End If

---

great thanks to Tommy

---

garylee,

All the code you have posted does is check to see if the variable has been inialized. But just to test open acad and step through it, what you will see is the code will execute for "Set AcadApp = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")" will execute no matter if acad is already open or not.

great thanks to Tommy,,

I learned another keyword.

"On Error" is great for handling error message

LOL Yes it is.

On Error Resume Next - this means if an error occurs resume cause you are looking for it put err.clear in some statement afterwards to clear the error

On Error goto "ErrLabel" - means goto "ErrLabel" There should be Err.clear and "clean up variables" then exit (don't want any errors floating around to mess things up later)

Then at the end of the sub/function place on error goto 0 - this turns off error checking. I have found that if you don't it may come back and mislead you as to where the actual error occured. Real PAIN to debug the app :)

Don't hesitate to ask more, we have a lot of real good coders around here, sometimes it takes a few posts to get to the problem, but we hang till it's done. :)

See you in the next Question :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by garylee

The following code works to check if autocad is already running

Code:

---

Dim AcadApp as AcadApplication
If AcadApp Is Nothing Then
        Set AcadApp = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")
Else
        Set AcadApp = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
End If

---

great thanks to Tommy

---

I just tried this on VBA of EXCEL 2010. It simply does not work. I get the following error message:
user-defined type not defined
when I debug, the error refers to the line below

Code:

---

Dim AcadApp As AcadApplication

---

Am I missing something?

Thanks

Most likely it is because you do not have a referance to the acad library.
First you must have acad installed on your system or the system that you are developing on. Then you need to select the AutoCad xxxx type library. This is when it should work. :)