Prompt with SavaAs dialog (2000 sp-3/ 98SE)

[AlanMiller]

I can't seem to get the following to work properly. I'm running it from the template attached to oDoc, trying to save newDoc:
<code>
Documents(newDoc).Activate
With Dialogs(wdDialogFileSaveAs)
.Name = strName
If .Show <> 0 Then
oDoc.Close (wdDoNotSaveChanges)
Else
Windows(oDoc).Visible = True
End If

End With
</code>
The code works OK, except when the filename already exists, in which case I can press "Save" all day, but not get the prompt to ask if I want to overwrite. Save As works fine from the File menu in newDoc, or from the dialog, if I tender a non-existent filename. Any ideas on how to get the overwrite prompt to appear?

thanks
Alan

[HansV]

Seems buggy. You can get around it by using .Display and testing yourself:

With Dialogs(wdDialogFileSaveAs)
.Name = strName
If .Display = -1 Then
If .Name = strName Then
If MsgBox("Do you want to overwrite the existing file?", _
vbQuestion + vbYesNo + vbDefaultButton2) = vbNo Then
Exit Sub
End If
End If
.Execute
End If
End With

[AlanMiller]

Thanks Hans. I'm glad it's not just me then. However, I can't get your code to work either. The dialog just seems to hang on clicking "Save". The only way to exit is with a Close or Cancel. ???

Alan

[HansV]

There seem to be differences between versions of Word here. Perhaps your version does put up an overwrite prompt, but it's hidden behind another window, or invisible.

[jscher2000]

I think I had a problem like this once, but I can't remember what I did to work around it. Maybe a loop along these lines?

do
if dialog.display <> cancel
if dir(filename) = vbnullstring then 'unique name
save;close;exit do
else
select case msgbox("overwrite?", vbYesNoCancel)
Case vbYes
save;close;exit do
Case vbNo
'loop and redisplay dialog
Case vbCancel
exit whatever
end select
end if
else
exit whatever
end if
loop

[AlanMiller]

It seems buggy alright. This morning, starting with a "clean slate", the code works as expected. Last night, I was working with the template document open, an (possibly) several instances of Word running. I'll fiddle further, but I suspect that you might be right in suggesting that the overwrite dialog might have been appearing somewhere obscured. I noticed in by code, that I'd been playing around with window visibility and minimizing, so I may have been trying to force it into the open.

Alan

[AlanMiller]

Thanks Jefferson. It appears to be working today, since the moon has entered a new phase and Venus and Saturn are in alignment. <img src=/S/grin.gif border=0 alt=grin width=15 height=15> I was playing with something similar to your method, but would need to use a homegrown "dialog", since to "Save" button on the built-in SaveAs is rendered ineffective when the problem occurs. Considering the apparent bug, it's a pity the plain old SaveAs command doesn't carry an optional overwrite prompt parameter.

Alan

[AlanMiller]

Having not accounted for the cusp of Mercury whilst Jupiter was entering the Seventh House, the same code that worked yesterday failed today. Having gotten thoroughly fed up with this and (at least) two other buggy Word features, I began to hunt elsewhere. I dismissed some custom ActiveX controls and API alternatives as being "too much" to solve such a simple problem.

But then, fiddling in XL, I found a "native" method, which was more consistently reliable, but not "bulletproof". It's the GetSaveAsFilename function, which is not available in Word, but uses a dialog identical in appearance to the problematic wdDialogFileSaveAs dialog. Sorting through a few more idiosyncracies, I think I've finally cobbled together something that works:

<div style="width: 100%; background-color: #FFFFFF;"><code><font color=black><font color=blue>Case</font color=blue> vbNo
ChDrive strPath <font color=448800>' These two lines must appear immediately before GetSaveAsFilename _
or it's quite likely the path will revert to the default.</font color=448800>
ChDir (strPath) <font color=448800>' No use without changing drive if strPath is on a different drive!!</font color=448800>

<font color=448800>' InitialFilename must include drive and full path, or the Save In: folder will _
revert to the default.</font color=448800>
strNewName = Excel.Application.GetSaveAsFilename( _
InitialFilename:=strPath & Application.PathSeparator & "*Excess Collection.doc", _
FileFilter:="Text Files (*.txt), *.txt, Word Documents (*.doc), *.doc", _
FilterIndex:="2", _
Title:="Release Documents")
<font color=blue>If</font color=blue> strNewName = <font color=blue>False</font color=blue> <font color=blue>Then</font color=blue> <font color=blue>Exit</font color=blue> <font color=blue>Sub</font color=blue>
</font color=black></code></div hiblock>

This seems to deal with the problematic vbNo case in the previous thread. It requires a reference to the Excel 9.0 Object Library in the VBA project. Hope it's useful to somebody else.

Alan

[HansV]

Starting Excel consumes lots of resources. An API solution is lightweight and doesn't need to be complicated. In the attached document, it has been encapsulated in a class module plus a standard module declaring some constants. You can copy those into your project.

[AlanMiller]

Thanks Hans. I'll certainly take a look at yours. I did fail to mention, however, that the Word docs in question were being generated via automation from a running XL, so I didn't really consider the extra overheads in other scenarios.

Alan

[AlanMiller]

Hans,

This is a very nice adaptation of wrapping the standard API methods into a class. Is it an orignal? I now like this as a solution, especially since I can easily bundle it in a add-in, common to the many document types dealt with in this project. I came across a related article on Changing button captions in GetOpenFileName dialog, which I might also try.

I seem to recall you pointing to or explaining an easy method to display a "Browse for Folder" dialog, but can't seem to find the post. I have an API solution, but I think maybe yours used WSH ??? Do you recall the post?

Alan

[HansV]

I wrote the class module myself, based on an example provided by Microsoft in a standard module for use in Access, so it can hardly be called original.

See <post#=271,140>post 271,140</post: > for <!profile=Don Ceraso>Don Ceraso<!/profile>'s GetFolder function.

[AlanMiller]

> so it can hardly be called original.
Your definition of "original" seems to be far too stringent. <img src=/S/grin.gif border=0 alt=grin width=15 height=15>

Yes <img src=/S/yep.gif border=0 alt=yep width=15 height=15> that was the code I was thinking of. That thread and those linked to it, is quite a resource in itself.

cheers <img src=/S/cheers.gif border=0 alt=cheers width=30 height=16>
Alan