vba set Focus on Windows application

Question

Is it possible to open an existing application window?

What I want: What is the code in order to put focus on an already open, but not in focus, application. For example, with:

Set objIE = New InternetExplorer

but I want the macro to put focus on an already existing IE.

Here is another case, I let Lotus notes create an email with the following code:

Sub Email_Bot()

'variables are defined
Dim Maildb As Object
Dim UserName As String
Dim MailDbName As String
Dim MailDoc As Object
Dim Session As Object
Dim AttachME As Object
Dim EmbedObj As Object
Dim Attachment As String
Dim stAttachment As String
Dim Mail_Form As String
Dim Mail_SendTo As String
Dim Mail_Subject As String
Dim Mail_Body As String
Dim Mail_Attachement As Boolean
Dim Mail_Save As Boolean
Dim Mail_Send As Boolean
Dim Mail_Name As String
Dim Mail_Text_1 As String
Dim Mail_Text_2 As String
Dim Mail_Text_3 As String
Dim Mail_Text_4 As String
Dim Mail_Text_5 As String
Dim Mail_Text_6 As String
Dim Mail_Closing As String
Dim Mail_SendBy As String
Dim tb_Mailing_List As Object
Dim tb_Email_Template As Object
Dim LastRow As Integer
Dim Row_Count As Integer
Dim Mail_Body_Lock As Boolean
Dim Workspace As Object
Const EMBED_ATTACHMENT As Long = 1454

'worksheets are defined
Set tb_Mailing_List = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Mailing List")
Set tb_Email_Template = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Email Template")

'mail session is defined
Set Session = CreateObject("Notes.NotesSession")
Set Maildb = Session.CURRENTDATABASE
Set MailDoc = Maildb.CREATEDOCUMENT
Set Workspace = CreateObject("Notes.NOTESUIWORKSPACE")

'important variables are set
LastRow = tb_Mailing_List.Cells(Rows.Count, 2).End(xlUp).Row
Row_Count = 3
Mail_Body_Lock = False

'cell assignment
Mail_Text_1 = tb_Email_Template.Cells(4, 4).Value
Mail_Text_2 = tb_Email_Template.Cells(5, 4).Value
Mail_Text_3 = tb_Email_Template.Cells(6, 4).Value
Mail_Text_4 = tb_Email_Template.Cells(7, 4).Value
Mail_Text_5 = tb_Email_Template.Cells(8, 4).Value
Mail_Text_6 = tb_Email_Template.Cells(9, 4).Value
Mail_Closing = tb_Email_Template.Cells(25, 4).Value
Mail_SendBy = tb_Email_Template.Cells(12, 4).Value & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(13, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(14, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(15, 4).Value & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(16, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(17, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(18, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(19, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(20, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(21, 4).Value & vbNewLine & tb_Email_Template.Cells(22, 4).Value

'loops until all names have been filled
Do Until Row_Count = LastRow + 1

    'Mail Dashboard
    Mail_Body_Lock = False
    Mail_Send = False
    Mail_Form = "Memo"
    Mail_Name = tb_Mailing_List.Cells(Row_Count, 2).Value
    Mail_SendTo = tb_Mailing_List.Cells(Row_Count, 4).Value
    Mail_Subject = tb_Email_Template.Cells(2, 4).Value
    Mail_Save = True

    'exit round in case the email address is not present
    If Mail_SendTo = "" Then GoTo NoEmail

    'if only body row 1 has text
    If Mail_Text_2 = "" And Mail_Text_3 = "" And Mail_Text_4 = "" And Mail_Text_5 = "" And Mail_Text_6 = "" Then
    Mail_Body = "Dear " & Mail_Name & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_1 & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Closing & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_SendBy
    Mail_Body_Lock = True
    End If

    'if only body row 1 and row 2 have text
    If Mail_Body_Lock = False And Mail_Text_3 = "" And Mail_Text_4 = "" And Mail_Text_5 = "" And Mail_Text_6 = "" Then
    Mail_Body = "Dear " & Mail_Name & "," & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_1 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_2 & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Closing & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_SendBy
    Mail_Body_Lock = True
    End If

    'if only body row 1 till row 3 have text
    If Mail_Body_Lock = False And Mail_Text_4 = "" And Mail_Text_5 = "" And Mail_Text_6 = "" Then
    Mail_Body = "Dear " & Mail_Name & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_1 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_2 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_3 & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Closing & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_SendBy
    Mail_Body_Lock = True
    End If

    'if only body row 1 till row 4 have text
    If Mail_Body_Lock = False And Mail_Text_5 = "" And Mail_Text_6 = "" Then
    Mail_Body = "Dear " & Mail_Name & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_1 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_2 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_3 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_4 & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Closing & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_SendBy
    Mail_Body_Lock = True
    End If

    'if only body row 1 till row 5 have text
    If Mail_Body_Lock = False And Mail_Text_6 = "" Then
    Mail_Body = "Dear " & Mail_Name & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_1 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_2 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_3 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_4 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_5 & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Closing & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_SendBy
    Mail_Body_Lock = True
    End If

    'in case there is an error or something
    If Mail_Body_Lock = False Then
    Mail_Body = "Dear " & Mail_Name & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_1 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_2 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_3 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_4 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_5 & vbNewLine & Mail_Text_6 & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_Closing & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & Mail_SendBy
    End If

    'mail build-up
    MailDoc.Form = Mail_Form
    MailDoc.SendTo = Mail_SendTo
    MailDoc.Subject = Mail_Subject
    MailDoc.Body = Mail_Body

    'attachement build-up
    If tb_Email_Template.Cells(28, 4) <> "" And tb_Email_Template.Cells(29, 4) <> "" Then
    Attachment = tb_Email_Template.Cells(28, 4)
    stAttachment = tb_Email_Template.Cells(29, 4)
    Set AttachME = MailDoc.CREATERICHTEXTITEM("stAttachment")
    Set EmbedObj = AttachME.EmbedObject(EMBED_ATTACHMENT, "", Attachment, "stAttachment")
    End If


    Call Workspace.EDITDOCUMENT(True, MailDoc).GOTOFIELD("Body")
    MsgBox "Email send?"

NoEmail:
Row_Count = Row_Count + 1
Loop

'variable dump
Set Maildb = Nothing
Set MailDoc = Nothing
Set AttachME = Nothing
Set Session = Nothing
Set EmbedObj = Nothing

End Sub

After:

Call Workspace.EDITDOCUMENT(True, MailDoc).GOTOFIELD("Body")

I want to VBA to open that window and not that I have to go there by myself. I am sure that there has to be a way. I used mouse movements, which worked until a colleague with a different screen res. used the program.

I am quite new to VBA and programming and taught myself so I am sorry if this is maybe a dumb question, but I couldn't find the answer so far anywhere else.

Answer 1

Try This way,

 Public vPID As Variant
 Public Sub OpenApplication()
'Launch application if not already open
If vPID = 0 Then 'Application not already open
101:
    vPID = Shell("C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe", vbNormalFocus)
Else 'Application already open so reactivate
    On Error GoTo 101
    AppActivate (vPID)
End If
End Sub

Because the variable vPID is stored as a project level Public Variable, its value will be retained for as long as your instance of Excel (or other Microsoft Office application) is open.