Source control of Excel VBA code modules

Question

I'd like to be able to source control my Excel spreadsheet's VBA modules (currently using Excel 2003 SP3) so that I can share and manage the code used by a bunch of different spreadsheets - and therefore I'd like to re-load them from files when the spreadsheet is opened.

I've got a module called Loader.bas, that I use to do most of the donkey work (loading and unloading any other modules that are required) - and I'd like to be able to load it up from a file as soon as the spreadsheet is opened.

I've attached the following code to the Workbook_Open event (in the ThisWorkbook class).

Private Sub Workbook_Open()     Call RemoveLoader     Call LoadLoader End Sub 

Where RemoveLoader (also within the ThisWorkbook class) contains the following code:

Private Sub RemoveLoader()     Dim y As Integer     Dim OldModules, NumModules As Integer     Dim CompName As String      With ThisWorkbook.VBProject         NumModules = ThisWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents.Count         y = 1         While y <= NumModules             If .VBComponents.Item(y).Type = 1 Then                 CompName = .VBComponents.Item(y).Name                 If VBA.Strings.InStr(CompName, "Loader") > 0 Then                     OldModules = ThisWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents.Count                     .VBComponents.Remove .VBComponents(CompName)                     NumModules = ThisWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents.Count                     If OldModules - NumModules = 1 Then                         y = 1                     Else                         MsgBox ("Failed to remove " & CompName & " module from VBA project")                     End If                 End If             End If             y = y + 1         Wend     End With End Sub 

Which is probably a bit overcomplicated and slightly crude - but I'm trying everything I can find to get it to load the external module!

Often, when I open the spreadsheet, the RemoveLoader function finds that there's a "Loader1" module already included in the VBA project that it is unable to remove, and it also fails to load the new Loader module from the file.

Any ideas if what I'm trying to do is possible? Excel seems very fond of appending a 1 to these module names - either when loading or removing (I'm not sure which).

Answer 1

There is an excellent solution to the vba version control problem here: https://github.com/hilkoc/vbaDeveloper

The nice part about this is that it exports your code automatically, as soon as you save your workbook. Also, when you open a workbook, it imports the code.

You don't need to run any build scripts or maven commands and you don't need to make any changes to your workbooks. It works for all.

It has also solved the import problem where modules such as ModName are being imported as ModName1 into a duplicate module. The importing works as it should, even when doing it multiple times.

As a bonus, it comes with a simple code formatter, that allows you to format your vba code as you write it within the VBA Editor.

Answer 2

Look at the VBAMaven page. I have a homegrown solution that uses the same concepts. I have a common library with a bunch of source code, an ant build and an 'import' VB script. Ant controls the build, which takes a blank excel file and pushes the needed code into it. @Mike is absolutely correct - any duplicate module definitions will automatically have a number appended to the module name. Also, class modules (as in Sheet and ThisWorkbook) classes require special treatment. You can't create those modules, you have to read the input file and write the buffer into the appropriate module. This is the VB script I currently use to do this. The section containing @ delimited text (i.e. @build file@) are placeholders - the ant build replaces these tags with meaningful content. It's not perfect, but works for me.

'' ' Imports VB Basic module and class files from the src folder ' into the excel file stored in the bin folder.  '  Option Explicit  Dim pFileSystem, pFolder,  pPath Dim pShell Dim pApp, book  Dim pFileName  pFileName = "@build file@"  Set pFileSystem = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")  Set pShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") pPath = pShell.CurrentDirectory  If IsExcelFile (pFileName) Then     Set pApp = WScript.CreateObject ("Excel.Application")     pApp.Visible = False     Set book = pApp.Workbooks.Open(pPath & "\build\" & pFileName) Else     Set pApp = WScript.CreateObject ("Word.Application")     pApp.Visible = False     Set book = pApp.Documents.Open(pPath & "\build\" & pFileName) End If   'Include root source folder code if no args set If Wscript.Arguments.Count = 0 Then     Set pFolder = pFileSystem.GetFolder(pPath & "\src")     ImportFiles pFolder, book     '     ' Get selected modules from the Common Library, if any     @common path@@common file@ Else     'Add code from subdirectories of src . . .     If Wscript.Arguments(0) <> "" Then         Set pFolder = pFileSystem.GetFolder(pPath & "\src\" & Wscript.Arguments(0))         ImportFiles pFolder, book     End If End If      Set pFolder = Nothing Set pFileSystem = Nothing Set pShell = Nothing   If IsExcelFile (pFileName) Then     pApp.ActiveWorkbook.Save Else     pApp.ActiveDocument.Save End If  pApp.Quit Set book = Nothing Set pApp = Nothing   '' Loops through all the .bas or .cls files in srcFolder ' and calls InsertVBComponent to insert it into the workbook wb. ' Sub ImportFiles(ByVal srcFolder, ByVal obj)     Dim fileCollection, pFile     Set fileCollection = srcFolder.Files     For Each pFile in fileCollection         If Right(pFile, 3) = "bas _           Or Right(pFile, 3) = "cls _           Or Right(pFile, 3) = "frm Then             InsertVBComponent obj, pFile         End If     Next     Set fileCollection = Nothing End Sub   '' Inserts the contents of CompFileName as a new component in  '  a Workbook or Document object. ' '  If a class file begins with "Sheet", then the code is '  copied into the appropriate code module 1 painful line at a time. ' '  CompFileName must be a valid VBA component (class or module)  Sub InsertVBComponent(ByVal obj, ByVal CompFileName)     Dim t, mName     t = Split(CompFileName, "\")     mName = Split(t(UBound(t)), ".")     If IsSheetCodeModule(mName(0), CompFileName) = True Then         ImportCodeModule obj.VBProject.VBComponents(mName(0)).CodeModule, _                          CompFileName     Else         If Not obj Is Nothing Then             obj.VBProject.VBComponents.Import CompFileName         Else             WScript.Echo  "Failed to import " & CompFileName         End If     End If  End Sub  '' ' Imports the code in the file fName into the workbook object ' referenced by mName. ' @param target destination CodeModule object in the excel file ' @param fName file system file containing code to be imported Sub ImportCodeModule (ByVal target, ByVal fName)     Dim shtModule, code, buf         Dim fso     Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")      Const ForReading = 1, ForWriting = 2, ForAppending = 3     Const TristateUseDefault = -2, TristateTrue = -1, TristateFalse = 0      Set buf = fso.OpenTextFile(fName, ForReading, False, TristateUseDefault)     buf.SkipLine     code = buf.ReadAll      target.InsertLines 1, code     Set fso = Nothing End Sub   '' ' Returns true if the code module in the file fName ' appears to be a code module for a worksheet. Function IsSheetCodeModule (ByVal mName, ByVal fName)     IsSheetCodeModule = False     If mName = "ThisWorkbook" Then        IsSheetCodeModule = False     ElseIf Left(mName, 5) = "Sheet" And _        IsNumeric(Mid (mName, 6, 1)) And _        Right(fName, 3) = "cls Then        IsSheetCodeModule = True     End If End Function  '' ' Returns true if fName has a xls file extension Function IsExcelFile (ByVal fName)     If Right(fName, 3) = "xls" Then         IsExcelFile = True     Else         IsExcelFile = False     End If  End Function