Linked Word/Excel: Changing Excel Source File path

Greetings,

I use a linked word/excel document with 140 or so linked places. When I email the Word and Excel or move them to a new location, the links no longer work (of course). The way I change it is hitting Alt-F9 then Find/Replace the file name for the old excel document with the file name for the new excel doc.

So the excel name when I hit Alt-F9 is something like: C:\\Users\\vm\\desktop\\template\\template.xlsx.

Is there somewhere I can go that shows the source path for the Excel document that uses two backslashes like the above? Currently, I right click on the Excel file, click Security, then copy the "Object name". However, that only includes one backslash (i.e. it would be like the above with single backslashes: C:\Users\vm\desktop\template\template.xlsx), so then I have to add a second backslash when I paste to the find/replace box in my Word document. A minor inconvenience, but I thought perhaps there is a way around it...

Thanks in advance!

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Answer

Doug Robbins - MVP Office Apps & Services (Word)

See fellow MVP Macropod's article at:

http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread.php/154379-Word-Fields-and-Relative-Paths-to-External-Files

However, if that method does not work for you, you could use the following:

' Macro created 26/10/01 by Doug Robbins to update links in a document
'
Dim alink As Field, linktype As Range, linkfile As Range
Dim linklocation As Range, i As Integer, j As Integer, linkcode As Range
Dim Message, Title, Default, Newfile
Dim counter As Integer

counter = 0
For Each alink In ActiveDocument.Fields
If alink.Type = wdFieldLink Then

        Set linkcode = alink.Code
        i = InStr(linkcode, Chr(34))
        Set linktype = alink.Code
        linktype.End = linktype.Start + i
        j = InStr(Mid(linkcode, i + 1), Chr(34))
        Set linklocation = alink.Code
        linklocation.Start = linklocation.Start + i + j - 1
        If counter = 0 Then
            Set linkfile = alink.Code
            linkfile.End = linkfile.Start + i + j - 1
            linkfile.Start = linkfile.Start + i
            Message = "Enter the modified path and filename following this Format " & linkfile
            Title = "Update Link"
            Default = linkfile
            Newfile = InputBox(Message, Title, Default)
        End If
        linkcode.Text = linktype & Newfile & linklocation
        counter = counter + 1
    End If
Next alink

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - MVP Office Apps & Services (Word)
dougrobbinsmvp@gmail.com
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