How to get Word VBA macro to compile a VBA project?

I think you are getting the error because you are running the macro within the same document that you are deleting macros from, ie the macro you are running.  Try this:

Open a new document
Select Tools . . . Macro . . . Security
Select the Trusted Publishers Tab
Select Truct access to Visual Basic Project
Click Ok
Select Tools . . . Macro . . . Macros
Type AutoClose for the macro Name
Select Normal.dot in the Macros in Dropdown
Click the Create button
Type:
     DeleteAllVBACode_WhenSaving
so your macro with look like:

Sub AutoClose()
     DeleteAllVBACode_WhenSaving
End Sub
Press CTRL+END
Paste your macro (DeleteAllVBACode_WhenSaving) in the Normal.Dot module
Click the File . . . Save Normal

This should run on all documents when closed.   You can modify your AutoClose macro to prompt for this action or run on specific documents.    But based on your question ths will run on all documents that are Closed (except the Normal.dot of course).

Thanks for that, but I won't be able to use it as a solution.
These are existing documents with VBA that run autoclose, which is stored in a referenced template.
The DeleteAllVBAcode is done in a module in referenced template and removes the VBA code from the original doc calling it, not pretty I know. But I'm dealing with a volume of letters using this, that I only want to modify the global referenced template if possible.

Ideally, if there was a way to save a document using SaveAs in the code, that would not save the VBA code with it, then this issue with DeleteAllVBAcode and recompile would not exist.  If there is a way to do this, it would be sufficient for what I'm looking for?
Otherwise, I'll still need a way to tell the document to compile or flag it as compiled so that the deleted code is no longer remembered when saved?

Yes there is.  Save as an RTF formatted document as is maintains your formatting but it does not support Macros.

   ActiveDocument.SaveAs FileName:="filename.rtf", FileFormat:=wdFormatRTF, _
        LockComments:=False, Password:="", AddToRecentFiles:=True, WritePassword _
        :="", ReadOnlyRecommended:=False, EmbedTrueTypeFonts:=False, _
        SaveNativePictureFormat:=False, SaveFormsData:=False, SaveAsAOCELetter:= _
        False

This looks good. The only problem with this is the file size grows by 600%? Is there any way to avoid this or is this standard with rtf files? Space would be a big issue with this.

Found a solution to this.
Opening a saved document that has self deleted all VBA code, gives a System Error &H8000040005(-214746259) when the macro is enabled on the saved document.
This can be avoided using the code below.
Once you've deleted the VBA procedure and all it's commands - add the procedure back in
Eg:
                With CodeMod
                    LineNum = .CountOfLines + 1
                    .InsertLines LineNum, "Sub AutoOpen()"
                    LineNum = LineNum + 1
                    .InsertLines LineNum, "End Sub"
                End With

This seems to avoid the error listed above.

    Sub DeleteAllVBACode_WhenSaving()
        Dim VBProj As VBIDE.VBProject
        Dim VBComp As VBIDE.VBComponent
        Dim CodeMod As VBIDE.CodeModule
        Dim LineNum As Long
        Const DQUOTE = """" ' one " character
        
        
        On Error GoTo error_trap
        Set VBProj = ActiveDocument.VBProject
        Application.ScreenUpdating = False
        
        For Each VBComp In VBProj.VBComponents
            If VBComp.Type = vbext_ct_Document Then
                Set CodeMod = VBComp.CodeModule
                With CodeMod
                    .DeleteLines 1, .CountOfLines
                End With
                'Add in AutoOpen module to prevent compilation errors when opening archive
                With CodeMod
                    LineNum = .CountOfLines + 1
                    .InsertLines LineNum, "Sub AutoOpen()"
                    LineNum = LineNum + 1
                    .InsertLines LineNum, "End Sub"
                End With
            Else
                VBProj.VBComponents.Remove VBComp
            End If
        Next VBComp
Set VBProj = Nothing
Exit Sub
error_trap:
MsgBox Err.Number & vbCrLf & Err.Description, vbOKOnly + vbCritical, "Error in CleanUp"
    End Sub

Select allOpen in new window