I'm trying to set up a basic task in the Windows Task Scheduler that opens an Excel file every day. I've done this successfully in the past, but for some reason on the Windows Server 2012 OS I'm using when I try to open the file I get prompted with how do you want to open this type of file?
Is there a way to automatically select Excel as the program used to run the file for this task?
You need to specify the Full path to the Excel.exe application executable as well as the workbook to open.
Location of Office Programs (64-bit Office on 64-bit Windows Server 2012)
For a 32-bit Office version on a 64-bit operating system substitute %PROGRAMFILES(x86)% for %PROGRAMFILES%.
Example of command line:
"%PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Office\Office14\EXCEL.EXE" "C:\Users\user\Documents\MyWorkbook.xlsx"
To be clear, this means in the Task Scheduler GUI, you need to put the filepath for EXCEL.EXE in the Program/script line and the filepath for the custom Excel file you want to open in the Arguments line.
Additional command lines options are available to open as read only, etc. See Command-line switches for Excel.
There is a simple way to do this:
Create a .bat file with the following content:
start Excel.exe "C:\Users\User_01\Documentos\file01.xlsm"
You should start this in the windows scheduler.
This has solved it for me:
32Bit:
C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop
64Bit:
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Desktop
Three important steps - How to Task Schedule an excel.xls(m) file
simply:
IN MORE DETAIL...
Here is an example .vbs file:
'
' a .vbs file is just a text file containing visual basic code that has the extension renamed from .txt to .vbs
'Write Excel.xls Sheet's full path here
strPath = "C:\RodsData.xlsm"
'Write the macro name - could try including module name
strMacro = "Update" ' "Sheet1.Macro2"
'Create an Excel instance and set visibility of the instance
Set objApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
objApp.Visible = True ' or False
'Open workbook; Run Macro; Save Workbook with changes; Close; Quit Excel
Set wbToRun = objApp.Workbooks.Open(strPath)
objApp.Run strMacro ' wbToRun.Name & "!" & strMacro
wbToRun.Save
wbToRun.Close
objApp.Quit
'Leaves an onscreen message!
MsgBox strPath & " " & strMacro & " macro and .vbs successfully completed!", vbInformation
'
In the Action tab (Task Scheduler):
set Program/script: = C:\Windows\System32\cscript.exe
set Add arguments (optional): = C:\MyVbsFile.vbs
Finally, don't turn on "Run whether user is logged on or not".
That should work. Many people also need the following two folders created on their machine:
32Bit:
C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop
64Bit:
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Desktop
Apparently Excel needs these folders if it's not run interactively. Create both folders even if you are on a 64-bit OS.
