Insert text from a file

[Kion Zanfret]

Hello all,

So I'm trying to insert text from a file into an email with a macro, the macro needs to open the file view to a certain folder and insert text from whatever file is selected by the user. I've managed this in word with the following code

Sub INSERT_TEST()
Dim fd As FileDialog
Set fd = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFilePicker)
'get the number of the button chosen
Dim FileChosen As Integer
fd.InitialFileName = "S:\Clause bank"
FileChosen = fd.Show
If FileChosen <> -1 Then
'didn't choose anything (clicked on CANCEL)
MsgBox "You chose cancel"
Else
'Insert the file contents
Documents.Open FileName:=fd.SelectedItems(1), ReadOnly:=True
End If
End Sub

Now this doesn't work at all in outlook, but it gives you an idea of what I'm trying to get out of the new macro for outlook. Not having much luck looking this up online, but will keep trying while awaiting a response on this.

Thanks

[westconn1]

depending on version, outlook has no getopenfile name or other dialogs to select files

you would need to use an API file dialog to do this
OR
automate word or excel to use their built in dialogs from outlook, requires word or excel to be installed

later versions of outlook probably have built in file dialog which should be easily adaptable to your code, apart from documents.open

to open and read text file

f = freefile
open "filename\path" for input as f
     mystr = input(lof(f), #f)
close f

mystr now contains the content of the textfile, to insert where ever in your email

[Kion Zanfret]

Hello, thanks for your advice on this. This is where I have got to, trying to adapt some code I found online.

Function GetFolderPathWithWord()
        Dim objWord As Word.Application
        Dim dlg As Office.FileDialog
        Dim lngWidth As Long
        Dim lngHeight As Long
        Dim objOL As Outlook.Application
        Dim objOLWindow As Object
        Dim FileChosen As FileDialog
        
        
        ' get active Outlook window
        Set objOL = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
        Set objOLWindow = objOL.ActiveWindow
        
        ' start Word if necessary
        Set objWord = New Word.Application
        If objWord Is Nothing Then
            Set objWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
        End If
        If Not objWord Is Nothing Then
            ' get current Word window dimensions
            lngWidth = objWord.Width
            lngHeight = objWord.Height
            ' reduce size of Word window
            objWord.Width = 0
            objWord.Height = 0
            ' switch to Word
            objWord.Activate
            
            ' show file dialog and handle users choice
            Set dlg = objWord.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFilePicker)
           dlg.Show
            With dlg
                .InitialFileName = "S:\Clause bank"
            If .Show = -1 Then
                GetFolderPathWithWord = dlg.SelectedItems(1)
            Else
                GetFolderPathWithWord = "User canceled dialog"
            End If
        End With
    Else
        GetFolderPathWithWord = "Could not open Word"
    End If
    
    ' see if any Word documents are open and if not, quit Word
    If objWord.Documents.Count = 0 Then
        objWord.Quit
    Else
    
    ' return Word window to normal dimensions
    objWord.Width = lngWidth
    objWord.Height = lngHeight
    End If
        ' return to active Outlook windown
        objOLWindow.Activate
        
        
       If dlg.Show = -1 Then
'didn't choose anything (clicked on CANCEL)
MsgBox "You chose cancel"
Else
'Insert the file contents
Selection.InsertFile FileName:=dlg.SelectedItems(1)
End If

        
    ' dereference objects
    Set objWord = Nothing
    Set dlg = Nothing
    Set objOL = Nothing
    Set objOLWindow = Nothing
End Function

It keeps stopping on "objword.activate" give the error "cannot activate application". Trying to figure out why but no luck so far...

[westconn1]

It keeps stopping on "objword.activate"

not required anyway
you may need objwork.visible = true at the same place in code

i can not tell from the code if you are doing this in outlook or word, though i guess outlook

If dlg.Show = -1 Then
'didn't choose anything (clicked on CANCEL)
MsgBox "You chose cancel"
Else
'Insert the file contents
Selection.InsertFile FileName:=dlg.SelectedItems(1)
End If

dlg is probably out of scope as you already closed word, else would duplicate the opening of the dialog anyway,
selection is unqualified and may refer to anything that can be selected, presumably in outlook
you should use getfolderpathwithword (if it is not one of the error strings) as the filename to insertfile,
or the filename to open file and read contents as posted above