VBA IE automation - controlling child/new window

Question

I'm hoping someone can help me out. I have a company website I am trying to navigate through so when I finally manage to get to the place I need to be I can automate some form completion.

I am to a place in the code where a link is "clicked" via the code, and a new window opens up. I need to be able to click a link on the new window, and then switch control back to the parent window.

I've seen a few methods of doing this, but they are not working for me, or more likely I am not inserting them into my code correctly.

I have the shell method placed into my code, and there are no errors thrown when this is run, but it isn't doing anything, and I am not sure if the control is even being moved to the child window.

Can anyone assist?

    Sub Fill_FormLog()

Dim ie As InternetExplorer
Dim URL As String
Dim objElement As Object
Dim objButton As Object
Dim objLink As Object
Dim objLink2 As Object
Dim objShell As Object

'Logs into website
   Set ie = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
    With ie
    .Visible = True
    .Navigate URL:="***parentwindowURL***"
    Do Until .ReadyState = 4
        DoEvents
    Loop
    Set mytextfield1 = .Document.all.Item("txtUserName")
    mytextfield1.Value = "***username***"
    Set mytextfield2 = .Document.all.Item("txtPassword")
    mytextfield2.Value = "***password***"
    ie.Document.getElementById("Submit").Click
    While .Busy Or .ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
    End With

 'Opens the a link
 With ie
 While .Busy Or .ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 ie.Navigate "***URLstillinparent***", , self
 End With

 'Opens the Profile menu
 With ie
 While .Busy Or .ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 ie.Navigate "***anotherURLinparent***", , ["left"]
 End With

 'Opens the Profile search menu
 With ie
 While .Busy Or .ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 ie.Navigate "***anotherURLinparent***", , ["mainParent"]
 End With

 'Copies the ID# from the Excel worksheet and pastes it to search in site
 With ie
 While .Busy Or .ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:02"))
 Set objElement = .Document.frames("mainParent").Document.frames("main1").Document.forms("AgentIdentificationNumberSearch").Document.getElementById("IDN")
 objElement.Value = Sheets("Appointments").Range("a2").Value
 Set objButton = .Document.frames("mainParent").Document.frames("main1").Document.forms("AgentIdentificationNumberSearch").Document.getElementById("Search")
 objButton.Click
 End With

 'Opens view profile summary via child window
 With ie
 While .Busy Or .ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:02"))
 Set objLink = .Document.frames("mainParent").Document.forms("AgentProfileList").Document.getElementById("grdProfile_r_0").Document.getElementsByTagName("a")(1)
 objLink.Click
 End With

 'Should move control to child window
 Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:05"))
 Set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
 IE_count = objShell.Windows.Count
 For x = 0 To (IE_count - 1)
    On Error Resume Next    ' sometimes more web pages are counted than are open
    my_url = objShell.Windows(x).LocationURL
    my_title = objShell.Windows(x).Document.Title

    If my_url       Like "***URLofChild/NewWindow***" Then
    Set ie = objShell.Windows(x)
    Exit For
Else
End If
 Next

 'Should click a link on the child window
 With ie
 While .Busy Or .ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:02"))
 Set objLink2 = .Document.forms("form1").Document.getElementsByClassName("topHead").Document.getElementById("topLinks").Document.getElementsByTagName("a")(1)
 objLink2.Click
 End With

'if I can get the section above to work, I need to return control to the parent window at this point


 End Sub

Answer 1

I found some code on another site that worked to control the child window, and was able to proceed, but I had another issue do deal with which made this unnecessary. At least I know how to do it now. The code that worked for me is below.

The code must be in an object instead of a module to work.

        Option Explicit

Public WithEvents IE1 As InternetExplorer
Public IE2 As InternetExplorer


Private Sub Automation()

Dim objElement As Object
Dim objButton As Object
Dim objLink As Object
Dim objLink2 As Object
Dim mytextfield1 As Object
Dim mytextfield2 As Object

Set IE1 = CreateObject("internetexplorer.application")
Set IE2 = Nothing

With IE1
.navigate "***website url***"
.Visible = True  'allows for viewing the web page
While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
    Set mytextfield1 = .document.all.Item("txtUserName")
    mytextfield1.Value = "***username***"
    Set mytextfield2 = .document.all.Item("txtPassword")
    mytextfield2.Value = "***password***"
    While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
    IE1.document.getElementById("Submit").Click
End With

    ' loop until the page finishes loading
Do While IE1.Busy: Loop

 'Opens another link
 With IE1
 While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 IE1.navigate "***url***"
 End With

 'Opens the menu
 With IE1
 While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 IE1.navigate "***URL in frame***", ["left"]
 End With

 'Opens the Profile search menu
 With IE1
 While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 IE1.navigate "***url in another frame***", , ["mainParent"]
 End With

 'Copies the ID# from the Excel worksheet and pastes it to search in site to search
 With IE1
 While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:03"))
 Set objElement = .document.frames("mainParent").document.frames("main1").document.forms("AgentIdentificationNumberSearch").document.getElementById("IDN")
 objElement.Value = Sheets("Appointments").Range("a2").Value
 Set objButton = .document.frames("mainParent").document.frames("main1").document.forms("AgentIdentificationNumberSearch").document.getElementById("Search")
 objButton.Click
 End With

 'Clicks "View Profile Summary" and opens new window
 With IE1
 While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:03"))
 Set objLink = IE1.document.frames("mainParent").document.forms("AgentProfileList").document.getElementById("grdProfile_r_0").document.getElementsByTagName("a")(1)
 objLink.Click
 End With

 'Ensure new window has been created (if the window does not generate, this will go on forever)
 Do While IE2 Is Nothing: Loop
 Do While IE2.Busy: Loop

'Click first link in the new window
 With IE2
 While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Wend
 Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:03"))
 Set objLink2 = IE2.document.forms("form1").document.getElementsByTagName("a")(2)
 objLink2.Click
 End With

 Set IE2 = Nothing

End Sub

________________________

Private Sub IE1_NewWindow2(ppDisp As Object, Cancel As Boolean)
    Set IE2 = New InternetExplorer
    Set ppDisp = IE2.Application
    Debug.Print "NewWindow2"
 End Sub