If you want to open a file with VBA, you can use the Shell command.   The file will be opened with whatever program is your "default" program for that file extension type.

 

The following code is a slightly tweaked version of Microsoft's kbase article Q170918.

 

 

Copy the following code into a VBA module:

 

CODE:

 

Option Compare Database

'--Devin note:   everything in this module comes from Microsoft KBase Q170918

Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" Alias _
      "ShellExecuteA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpszOp As _
      String, ByVal lpszFile As String, ByVal lpszParams As String, _
      ByVal lpszDir As String, ByVal FsShowCmd As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "user32" () As Long

     Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1

      Const SE_ERR_FNF = 2&
      Const SE_ERR_PNF = 3&
      Const SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED = 5&
      Const SE_ERR_OOM = 8&
      Const SE_ERR_DLLNOTFOUND = 32&
      Const SE_ERR_SHARE = 26&
      Const SE_ERR_ASSOCINCOMPLETE = 27&
      Const SE_ERR_DDETIMEOUT = 28&
      Const SE_ERR_DDEFAIL = 29&
      Const SE_ERR_DDEBUSY = 30&
      Const SE_ERR_NOASSOC = 31&
      Const ERROR_BAD_FORMAT = 11&

 

 

Function StartDoc(DocName As String) As Long
          Dim Scr_hDC As Long
          Scr_hDC = GetDesktopWindow()
          StartDoc = ShellExecute(Scr_hDC, "Open", DocName, "", "C:\", SW_SHOWNORMAL)
      End Function

 

 

Public Sub OpenFile(strFile As String)
          Dim r As Long, msg As String
          r = StartDoc(strFile)
          If r <= 32 Then
              'There was an error
              Select Case r
                  Case SE_ERR_FNF
                      msg = "File not found"
                  Case SE_ERR_PNF
                      msg = "Path not found"
                  Case SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED
                      msg = "Access denied"
                  Case SE_ERR_OOM
                      msg = "Out of memory"
                  Case SE_ERR_DLLNOTFOUND
                      msg = "DLL not found"
                  Case SE_ERR_SHARE
                      msg = "A sharing violation occurred"
                  Case SE_ERR_ASSOCINCOMPLETE
                      msg = "Incomplete or invalid file association"
                  Case SE_ERR_DDETIMEOUT
                      msg = "DDE Time out"
                  Case SE_ERR_DDEFAIL
                      msg = "DDE transaction failed"
                  Case SE_ERR_DDEBUSY
                      msg = "DDE busy"
                  Case SE_ERR_NOASSOC
                      msg = "No association for file extension"
                  Case ERROR_BAD_FORMAT
                      msg = "Invalid EXE file or error in EXE image"
                  Case Else
                      msg = "Unknown error"
              End Select
              MsgBox msg
          End If
      End Sub