excel - Using WScript with MS Edge to download multiple files leaves open Edge tabs

Question

I am using a Wscript shell to automate the download of multiple (Excel files). The shell command creates a new tab (and popup window) in MS Edge for every download. What I would like is to create a new instance of Edge, and close it when I have finished.

The set-up: I have a third-party company that emails me links with which to download Excel files. If I click on the link in the email, a file is downloaded as a Protected View in Excel. The Excel file is produced by the server on the fly.

To automate this, I have a VBA routine that cycles through a list of these links (which I have separately extracted from my email), and I am using a Wscript shell object to drive Edge.

Code extract:

Dim wsh As New WshShell

Dim strCmd As String
strCmd = "microsoft-edge:"

Dim strLink As String
strLink = "https:\somesite\someserverprocess"    

wsh.Run strCmd & strLink, WaitOnReturn:=True

This code does the job of downloading the file into Excel, but leaves a new tab and a popup window in Edge for each file. Since I will be looping this over multiple files, I will have a lot of tabs and popups left at the end. I am hoping to create a process I can leave to run unattended, so really need to tidy up once this process is finished.

I have read several other questions on this topic on SO (in particular the lack of a COM automation interface for Edge), but without finding an answer. I am open to suggestions. While I am not wedded to Wscript as the method, my preference is to run this process from Excel VBA (as I have to process the actual Excel files as a second step).

question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65924523/using-wscript-with-ms-edge-to-download-multiple-files-leaves-open-edge-tabs

Answer 1

This answer might help Downloading a file in VBA and storing it