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XL2000: How to Convert All Files on a Server to Microsoft Excel

Article ID: 213699 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q213699

SUMMARY

The Microsoft Excel File Conversion add-in converts all of the files in one folder. This article describes how to use a Visual Basic for Applications macro to convert the files in a folder and all of its subfolders.

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In Microsoft Excel 2000, the Application object has FileSearch and FoundFiles properties that return an object containing the list of files found in the search. These properties can be used to open another file type and then save it in Excel 2000 format.

NOTE: If you do not want to see each workbook that is opened and closed, add the following line to the beginning of the macro:

Application.ScreenUpdating = False

If you convert a large number of files, this line may cause the macro to appear to stop responding.

The following sample Visual Basic for Applications macro converts the files in a folder and its subfolders:

Sub Converter()
    'Turns off alerts, allows duplicate files to be overwritten without prompts
    Application.DisplayAlerts = False
   
    MsgBox "The Macro will ask you to input the name of the directory" & _
    " to start in and the name of the directory to save files to." & _
    " These directories must already exist or the Macro will fail." & _
    " For example, use c:\My documents\start and c:\My documents\copy" & _
    " as Names of your directories to start in and copy to."

   'Initializes conversion conditions.
    SearchDir = InputBox("Input name of directory to start in.")
    FileExt = InputBox("Input extension of files to convert in the form *.xxx")
    SaveDir = InputBox("Input name of directory to save files to.")
    SearchSubs = MsgBox(prompt:="Do you want to include files in subdirectories?", Buttons:=vbYesNo)
   
   'Initializes the search.
    With Application.FileSearch
    .NewSearch
    .LookIn = SearchDir
   
    'Determines whether to search subdirectories.
    If SearchSubs = 6 Then
        .SearchSubFolders = True
        Else
        .SearchSubFolders = False
    End If
   
    'Determines file type to convert.
        .Filename = FileExt
        .MatchTextExactly = True
   
   'If the search found files, loops again, opens, and then resaves in the
   'Microsoft Excel workbook format
        If .Execute > 0 Then
        counter = 0
        For i = 1 To .FoundFiles.Count
        counter = counter + 1
        Workbooks.Open Filename:=.FoundFiles(i)
   
    'Builds the new name by deleting the previous extension.
        ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs Filename:=SaveDir & "\" & _
        Left(ActiveWorkbook.Name, Len(ActiveWorkbook.Name) - 4), _
        FileFormat:=xlWorkbookNormal
        ActiveWorkbook.Close savechanges:=False
        Next i
   
   'Returns how many files were converted.
        MsgBox prompt:=counter & " files were converted"
        ElseIf .Execute = 0 Then
        MsgBox "No files were found, no files were converted"
    End If
   
    End With
End Sub

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REFERENCES

For more information about FileSearch, in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type filesearch object in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

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