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Getting Excel Names using OLE Automation

I am working on a Delphi project (in XE3) that links to Excel spreadsheets (Excel 2013/365) using OLE Automation.
I am successfully connecting and reading/writing information to cells in a variety of workbooks and worksheets.

I want to be able to read in the list of defined Names that are present in an Excel workbook, and have written the following function to read them in.
I can successfully get the NUMBER of defined names, but when I try and access the Nth element I get an OLE exception 'Member not found'.
I can successfully ADD more name definitions into the list.

So basically .Names.Count exists, but .Names[n] does not
Does anyone know what the correct syntax is to access the Nth defined name?

Thanks

Jon

function TXLrun.ExtractNames(AWorkbook : TXLworkbook)  : boolean;
var
  Nobj      : Variant;
  Robj      : Variant;
  Ncount    : integer;
  n         : integer;
begin
  Result := false;
  try
    DebugLog('Extracting named ranges');

    { create an object pointing at source worksheet }
    Ncount := AWorkbook.WBobj.Names.Count; 
   // WORKS TO HERE
   // Ncount is set successfully to the number of defined names that exist in the XLS
    for n := 1 to Ncount do
      begin
        AWorkbook.WBobj.Names[n]; //EXCEPTION HERE ... 'Member not found'
        DebugLog('Name '+Robj.Name);
      end;

    for n := 1 to 2 do
      AWorkbook.WBobj.Names.Add('Name'+IntToStr(n),'A1'); // THIS LINE WORKS THOUGH ...

    DebugLog('Name extraction completed: '+
             IntToStr(Ncount)+' Named Ranges');

    Result := true;
  except on E:Exception do
    LogException('TXLrun.ExtractNames',E.Message);
  end;
end;

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ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Qlemo

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aikimark

probably a zero-origin list. Try from 0 to count-1

jimyX

Hi Jon,
What are you assigning "AWorkbook.WBobj.Names[n]" to?

    for n := 1 to Ncount do
      begin
        AWorkbook.WBobj.Names[n]; //EXCEPTION HERE ... 'Member not found'
        DebugLog('Name '+Robj.Name);
      end;

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Are you able to show Values or Names in that loop?

AWorkbook.WBobj.Names[n].Value;
AWorkbook.WBobj.Names[n].Name;

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jon_rs

ASKER

jimyX:
Apologies in hacking the code around trying to find a solution the version I posted had an error in the very line that the exception occured:
Code should have read:

Robj := AWorkbook.WBobj.Names[n];

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aikimark:
It's definitely a 1 origin list ...

Qlemo:
Thanks ... that's the solution:
The exact syntax is:

Robj := AWorkbook.WBobj.Names.Item(n);

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Using [] throws a 'Method Items not support by Automation object' Exception
Interesting (given your comment about relying or using default action/property) then that

WBobj.Worksheets[n] IS allowed and DOES work

and

WBobj.Worksheets.Item(n) throws an exception.

Jon

Qlemo

AWorkbook is a TXLworkbook, and might be implemented different in Delphi than in other languages, so particular modifications to the "default" behaviour of COM objects might apply. Using Worksheets[n] is non-standard, and leads in e.g. PowerShell (exposing the raw COM object) to the same issue as with Names.