IE8 Automation using Excel VBA Macro

In my previous posts (Excel and IE automation - the WSH way, Extract web data into Excel.Application with browser macro) I automated both IE and Excel using WSH. Now I'm going to automate Internet Explorer directly from an Excel macro using the VBA language.

The VBA macro will work against a sheet containing phrases to be translated using Google Translate tool. It automatically gets each phrase, opens IE browser, navigates to translation page, waits the web page to complete loading, fills out the text to be translated into HTML web controls, press submit button, gets back the result and saves it into the same Excel sheet.

It is possible to directly automate IE browser from VBA macro but it is not always as simple as it should be. (see my older post: What's wrong with Internet Explorer Automation?) Using Twebst Automation Studio when automating IE from VBA has some advangates:

• it works with all Internet Explorer versions: IE6, IE7, IE8 and with IE protected mode.


• it works on all Windows versions: XP, Vista, Win7


• easily search of elements across all sub-documents inside frames/iframes hierarchy


• search HTML elements using regular expressions


• simulate user actions on all HTML controls (button, combo-box, list-box, edit-box, upload control) and fire all necessary HTML events


• auto-generate VBA code with powerful web recorder


• much more (see Twebst Automation Studio website)

That's all for now. Until our next encounter, check the download section below and have fun with the Excel VBA macro code.

Downloads:

• Twebst Automation Studio PRO this web automation tool is used in VBA maro so you have to install it first.


• TwebstVBA.zip containing sample XLS and BAS files.