I cant unlock a vbaproject with VBA

Question

Down below is my function, for some reason it does not work. If I place a breakpoint in the last if statement and removes sending "%{F11}" it does work. So my guess is that "%F11" is not working. Does anyone have an idea?

Sub UnprotecPassword(wb As Workbook, ByVal projectPassword As String)
    Dim currentActiveWb As Workbook    

    If wb.VBProject.Protection <> vbext_pp_locked Then
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set currentActiveWb = ActiveWorkbook
    wb.Activate

    SendKeys "%{F11}"
    SendKeys "^r" ' Set focus to Explorer
    SendKeys "{TAB}" ' Tab to locked project
    SendKeys "~" ' Enter
    SendKeys projectPassword
    SendKeys "~" ' Enter

    If (wb.VBProject.Protection = vbext_pp_locked) Then
        MsgBox ("failed to unlock")
    End If
    currentActiveWb.Activate
End Sub

Answer 1

To test this, Let's create a new workbook called Book2.xlsm.

for testing purpose paste this code in the Book2 Module.

Sub Book2Macro()

End Sub

Protect it with a password say a and then close it. This is necessary for the Locking to take effect.

Now create a new workbook say Book1 and in the module paste this code.

Sub Sample()
    UnprotecPassword Workbooks("Book2.xlsm"), "a"
End Sub

Sub UnprotecPassword(wb As Workbook, ByVal projectPassword As String)
    Dim currentActiveWb As Workbook

    If wb.VBProject.Protection <> 1 Then
        Exit Sub
    End If

    Set currentActiveWb = ActiveWorkbook

    wb.Activate

    SendKeys "%{F11}"
    SendKeys "^r" ' Set focus to Explorer
    SendKeys "{TAB}" ' Tab to locked project
    SendKeys "~" ' Enter
    SendKeys projectPassword
    SendKeys "~" ' Enter

    If (wb.VBProject.Protection = vbext_pp_locked) Then
        MsgBox ("failed to unlock")
    End If
    currentActiveWb.Activate
End Sub

Now open the 1st workbook that we created; Book2.xlsm. Check the VBA Editor for Book2 and you will notice that it is password protected. You will also notice that it is the active workbook. Activate Book1 by clicking the View Tab | Switch Workbooks | Book1

Now click on Developer tab | Macros If you can't see Developer tab then I would recommend going through this link.

Click on the the Sample Macro in the Macro Dialog Box and you are done.

If you check the VBA Editor, you will notice that the VBA Editor for Book2 is now unlocked/accessible.

Sendkeys are unreliable depending on your use of it. If you use it correctly then that are pretty much reliable :)

There is one more way to unlock the VBA Password but that is pretty complex and involves invoking the API like FindWindow etc...

Answer 2

Check out these posts for code samples:
http://www.mrexcel.com/archive/VBA/29825.html
http://www.vbaexpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30687

And these posts are for info:
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-programming/490883-why-doesnt-sendkeys-work-consistently.html
http://www.ozgrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13006

They discuss why using Sendkeys is not very reliable in a multitasking environment and many discourage the use for commercial purpose. However, for unprotecting VBA projects, it appears to be the only solution.

Hope it helps!