VBA Excel instance doesn't close when opened from MS Access - late binding still same error

Question

here's my original post VBA Excel instance doesn't close when opened from MS Access - late binding it was answered and i didn't realize that the xlsm file still isn't closed when I accepted the answer.

The reason why this is such a huge problem, is because when there's an open ghost .xlsm file, the next .xlsm file that opens doesn't run the startup macro. so, all my automations are failing because the previous .xlsm is sitting in memory.

So, I have many automations scheduled to run. They're all similar in a way that an MS Access program is run, then, from the MS Access program the .xlsm is opened, then the MS Access program emails the results. More than 1 automation can be running at the same time, so, sometimes when the .xlsm is opened, there might be other excel files open, or other .xlsm files, or none at all.

What's happening is that, for some reason, using the code below, the .xlsm file doesn't close fully. It's not visible in the taskbar and the only reason I know that it's still opened somewhere is by going into the VBA Projects window (see the screenshot below).

Here's a screenshot that shows whats on my taskbar and what's in the VBA Projects.

And, for some reason, when the file is sitting like this, ghosted, the next .xlsm file doesn't run the startup macro. If i kill Excel, and then open the .xlsm file, the startup macro runs fine.

Here's the code I'm using

This is what opens the excel file from MS Access

Set ExcelApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
Set ExcelWbk = ExcelApp.Workbooks.Open(CurPath & "CurrentProjects.xlsm", True)
ExcelApp.Visible = False
ExcelApp.Quit
Set ExcelWbk = Nothing
Set ExcelApp = Nothing

This is the startup macro. This is placed in the THIS WORKBOOK module.

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    CreateReporting
End Sub

Here's the code in the excel file

Option Explicit

Public Sub CreateReporting()

    Dim MonthlyPath As String, CurPath As String, ProjectDate As String, FullName As String, CurLastRow As Long, CurRowNum As Long
    Dim i     As Range, CurCell As Variant, CurRange As Range
    Dim wbkM  As Workbook, wbkNewFile   As Workbook, wksReportDates As Worksheet, wksCopyFrom   As Worksheet, wksCopyTo   As Worksheet, wks3  As Worksheet
    Dim rngCopyFrom As Range, rngCopyTo As Range

    CurPath = ThisWorkbook.Path & "\"
    
    With ThisWorkbook.Sheets("QReportDates")
        MonthlyPath = .Range("A2").Value
        ProjectDate = .Range("B2").Value
    End With
    
    FullName = ProjectDate & " Current Projects.xlsx"

    Set wbkM = Workbooks("CurrentProjects.xlsm")
    Set wksReportDates = wbkM.Sheets("QReportDates")
 
    If Dir(MonthlyPath, vbDirectory) = "" Then
        MkDir (MonthlyPath)
    End If

    Set wbkNewFile = Workbooks.Add
    wbkNewFile.SaveAs MonthlyPath & FullName

    Set wbkNewFile = Workbooks(FullName)

    wbkM.Sheets("TEMPLATEReporting").Copy after:=wbkNewFile.Sheets(1)
    wbkNewFile.Sheets(2).Name = "Current Projects"

    With wbkNewFile
        .Sheets("Sheet1").Delete
    End With

    Set wksCopyFrom = wbkM.Sheets("QCurrentProjects")
    Set wksCopyTo = wbkNewFile.Sheets("Current Projects")
                                                           
    With wksCopyFrom
        CurLastRow = .Cells(Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row
        Set rngCopyFrom = .Range("A2:K" & CurLastRow)
    End With
                         
    With wksCopyTo
        Set rngCopyTo = .Range("A2:K" & CurLastRow)
    End With
                        
    rngCopyTo.Value = rngCopyFrom.Value
    
    For Each i In wksCopyTo.Range("F2:F" & CurLastRow)
        With Worksheets(1)
            .Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=Range("F" & i.Row), Address:=Range("F" & i.Row), TextToDisplay:=Range("C" & i.Row).Value
        End With
    Next
      
    wbkNewFile.Save
    wbkNewFile.Close
    Set wbkNewFile = Nothing
    Set wksCopyTo = Nothing
    Set rngCopyTo = Nothing
    Set wksCopyFrom = Nothing
    Set rngCopyFrom = Nothing
     
    wbkM.Worksheets("QReportDates").Delete
    wbkM.Worksheets("QCurrentProjects").Delete
    wbkM.Save
    wbkM.Close
    
    Set CurCell = Nothing: Set CurRange = Nothing: Set wbkM = Nothing: Set wbkNewFile = Nothing: Set wksReportDates = Nothing:  Set wksCopyFrom = Nothing: Set wksCopyTo = Nothing
End Sub

Note that in this version I'm closing the .xlsm file from excel

wbkM.Close

But I also tried closing it from MS Access and removing the wbkM.Close from Excel. Same result.

Set ExcelApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
Set ExcelWbk = ExcelApp.Workbooks.Open(CurPath & "CurrentProjects.xlsm", True)
ExcelApp.Visible = False 
ExcelWbk.Close 
ExcelApp.Quit    
Set ExcelWbk = Nothing
Set ExcelApp = Nothing

Answer 1

with @Parfait's help (or really, him fixing this for me in 3 threads), it all now works perfect. posting the code for reference

this is what opens the xlsm file, runs the macro and then closes the xlsm file

Set ExcelApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
Set ExcelWbk = ExcelApp.Workbooks.Open(CurPath & MainProjectName & ".xlsm", True)
ExcelApp.Visible = False
ExcelApp.Run "MainProcedure"
ExcelWbk.Close
ExcelApp.Quit
Set ExcelWbk = Nothing
Set ExcelApp = Nothing

using this code, i no longer have ghost xlsm files