Enable Editing for "Protected View" documents automatically? (in order to run AutoOpen macros)

darkmaster006 · #1 08-25-2023, 08:25 AM

Hello there! So, I have a quite long AutoOpen macro running, which does many things: it changes the font to black, it erases fill backgrounds, it makes it possible to set the document background automatically to another colour in already created documents, etc. This is the code:

Code:

Sub AutoOpen()
'
' AutoOpen Macro
'
' This macro opens itself (AutoOpen) automatically with every Word document that's opened normally
' Choose background colour (light green 2)
    ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.ForeColor.ObjectThemeColor = wdThemeColorAccent6
    ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.ForeColor.TintAndShade = 0.6
    ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.Visible = msoTrue
    ActiveDocument.Background.Fill.Solid
' Turn option 'Show background colors and images in Display view' on
    ActiveWindow.View.DisplayBackgrounds = True
' Change all text font to black colour
    ActiveDocument.Content.Font.Color = wdColorBlack
' Change all text and change "fill shading" background to no colour https://www.msofficeforums.com/word-vba/51216-change-fill-text-colour-colour.html
    With ActiveDocument.Content.ParagraphFormat
        .Shading.Texture = wdTextureNone
        .Shading.ForegroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic
        .Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic
    End With
' Change all paragraphs with fill to no fill (from https://www.msofficeforums.com/word-vba/51216-change-fill-text-colour-colour.html)
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
'If the selection includes tables, error 4605 will be returned.
'Thus an error handler is needed:
On Error Resume Next
    For Each oPara In ActiveDocument.Range.Paragraphs
        oPara.Range.Select
        Selection.End = Selection.End - 1
        Selection.Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic
    Next oPara
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
    Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
End Sub

Now, when I open a file with "Protected View", an error appears before I can even "Enable Editing". This is the error:

Run-time error '4288': The command is not available because no document is open.
I believe this error appears because the document has not been enable for editing (and cannot be). Therefore, to make this automatic, I'd like to add a code that enables editing in any document opened with the AutoOpen macro; the code would go first, so that the rest of the code would be able to run.

Protected View.

Error in the code (first line, cannot run).

gmayor · #2 08-25-2023, 10:37 PM

What you ask is not possible. If you could do this it would open the door to no end of malicious actions. You would have to remove the protection before opening the document if you want your macro to run.

Italophile · #3 08-26-2023, 11:22 AM

Although you can enable editing when you see the banner in Word it is the OS that blocks the file based on how it was received. So you’ll need to open file explorer and display the file properties for each file. You’ll find a button marked Unblock.
AFAIK there is no way of removing the block for multiple files at once.

darkmaster006 · #4 08-27-2023, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmayor

What you ask is not possible. If you could do this it would open the door to no end of malicious actions. You would have to remove the protection before opening the document if you want your macro to run.

I see. Thank you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italophile

Although you can enable editing when you see the banner in Word it is the OS that blocks the file based on how it was received. So you’ll need to open file explorer and display the file properties for each file. You’ll find a button marked Unblock.
AFAIK there is no way of removing the block for multiple files at once.

Oh, I see, then, I will check that! Thank you

.

Guessed · #5 08-28-2023, 04:59 PM

The way a corporate user would enable macros is to place the vba in a template which can be pre-loaded to the user machines so that the code is already trusted. Then your documents don't need to contain any code but they have that template set as the attached template.

Because the code is then coming from a trusted location, it can run without requiring 'enabling' or unblocking.

Italophile · #6 08-29-2023, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guessed

The way a corporate user would enable macros is to place the vba in a template which can be pre-loaded to the user machines so that the code is already trusted. Then your documents don't need to contain any code but they have that template set as the attached template.

Because the code is then coming from a trusted location, it can run without requiring 'enabling' or unblocking.

The message is related to the origin of the files, not that they contain macros. Documents received by email or downloaded from the internet are automatically blocked for editing regardless of whether they contain code. When opened for the first time Word displays the message included in the initial post.

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