I have an Excel (32-bit) .xlsm document that has multiple Continuous Historian function calls using the DeltaV Reporter Excel Add-In. When I open the file directly in Excel, it works fine.

When I use a PowerShell script (.ps1) to open the file with Excel.Application calls, all the function calls give the error response "#NAME?". I've tried a long list of different things to get around this and I'm just running into the same brick wall each time.

If I leave a blank workbook open in Excel in the background, then the PowerShell script works. If Excel is not already running before the script opens the file, then the Excel Add-In doesn't load. (Note that the COM Add-In portion of the DeltaV Reporter does load automatically at startup of Excel, regardless. It's the Excel Add-In, ContinuousHistorianWF that doesn't load). See screenshot below of the two Add-Ins that load when I manually open Excel. The DeltaV Reporter COM Add-In still loads when the PowerShell script runs, but the other one doesn't.

I need this XLSM file to open periodically (I'm using Windows Task Scheduler to call the PowerShell script, but I'm open to other means), so that a computer from another domain can reference the refreshed values in the XLSM file on demand.

Here's the PS1 content:

# start Excel
$xl=New-Object -ComObject "Excel.Application"

$xl.DisplayAlerts = $FALSE

#open file
$filename = "\\APP\DVData\CondLoadoutAccuload.xlsm"
$wb=$xl.Workbooks.Open($filename)

$wb.Save()

$wb.Close()
$xl.Quit()

# now you only need to release two.
while([System.Runtime.Interopservices.Marshal]::ReleaseComObject($wb)){}
while([System.Runtime.Interopservices.Marshal]::ReleaseComObject($xl)){}