Knowledge Base

WD95: Unable to Run Macro with Multiple Command Line Switches

Article ID: 173505

Article Last Modified on 8/20/2007

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Word 95 Standard Edition
Microsoft Word 95a

This article was previously published under Q173505

SYMPTOMS

When you use Word command line switches to open a custom template and then run a macro that is stored in the custom template, the macro fails to run and you do not receive an error message.

For example, the following command line will not run the macro specified:

"<Word path>\WinWord.exe" /t"<template path>\<template name>"
   /m<macroname>

NOTE: The /m<macroname> switch works correctly if the macro is stored in the Normal.dot template instead of the custom template.

WORKAROUND

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NOTE: You cannot create an AutoNew or AutoOpen macro to workaround to this problem. Nor can you place your macro code in the template's document Open or New event procedures. The auto macros and event procedures fail to run.

To work around this problem, use the following method:

Open the Template Directly

Use a command line that opens your custom template, instead of creating a document based on the template, and then runs a macro. In the following example, note the omission of the "/t" Switch.

"<Word path>\WinWord.exe" "<template path>\<template>.dot" /m<macroname>

Using the default installation paths for Word 7.x and its template folder, the command line would be

"C:\Msoffice\Winword\Winword.exe"<space>
   "C:\Msoffice\Templates\MyTemplate.dot"<space>
   /mMyMacro

where <space> indicates a space character.

Your macro can issue a command to create a new document based on the custom template and then close your custom template. For example:

   Sub Main
      ' Get template name from Window Title.
      ActiveWindow$ = WindowName$()
      ' Get Full path and name of template.
      DocTemplate$ = FileNameInfo$(FileName$(), 1)
      ' Create new document based on custom template.
      FileNew DocTemplate$
      ' Switch back to template.
      Activate ActiveWindow$
      ' Close the template.
      DocClose

      MsgBox "Other code goes here."
   End Sub

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Word listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Word 7.x has several command line switches that can control how Word starts. These switches include:

   /t<template name> - Starts Word with an alternate template (rather than
                       Normal.dot)

   /m<macroname> - Starts Word and runs the specified macro

For example, if you have a template called MyTemplate.dot containing a macro called MyMacro, you would expect the following command line to create a new document based on MyTemplate and then run the macro MyMacro

   "C:\Msoffice\Winword\Winword.exe"<space>
   /t"C:\Msoffice\Templates\MyTemplate.dot"<space>
   /mMyMacro

where <space> indicates a space character.

Word creates the new document based on MyTemplate, but does not run the macro.

If you remove the "/t" switch from the command line, Word opens the template rather than creating a new document based on the template. With this method, Word runs the specified macro.

NOTE: Microsoft Word versions 6.x and earlier do not support the "/t" command line switch.

REFERENCES

For more information about command line switches, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

70014 Word for Windows Startup Switches

97687 WD: Starting Word for Windows with a Template Other Than Normal

70991 WD: Auto Macros in Word

143302 DOCERR: Word Startup Switch /t Usage Incorrect

For more information about startup switches, click the Answer Wizard on the Help menu, type "startup switches," click Search, and then click the "Control what happens when you start Microsoft Word" topic.

Keywords: kbbug kbmacro KB173505

Microsoft KB Archive/173505

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