Use of Indirect function to fetch data from another Excel file

Hi, my title probably explains it all. I'm having trouble getting the indirect function to fetch data from another Excel file when the path is given in another cell.

Basically I have column in my spreadsheet that computes the path and desired cell of another Excel file of which to grab the data from.

So say column B has a whole bunch of cells that have values like:

'\\server\folder1\[example.xls]sheet1'!C7
.
.
.


And my other column A is trying to reference that data from that other file and has the formula:

=INDIRECT($B1)

When I do this I get #REF! in my column A cells.

Can the INDIRECT function handle paths to other excel files, or is it only possible to use it from referencing. Oh!! by the way, I should mention that it works when the other Excel file I'm referencing is OPEN, but not when it is closed. So basically the problem is I want to reference indirectly data from another spreadsheet without the necessity to have it open. Is there a way to do this? can anyone please help me out?

=Indirect() won't work with a closed workbook.

Harlan Grove wrote a UDF called PULL that will retrieve the value from a closed
workbook.

You can find the function at Harlan's FTP site:
ftp://members.aol.com/hrlngrv/
Look for pull.zip

Boon8888 wrote:
>
> Hi, my title probably explains it all. I'm having trouble getting the
> indirect function to fetch data from another Excel file when the path
> is given in another cell.
>
> Basically I have column in my spreadsheet that computes the path and
> desired cell of another Excel file of which to grab the data from.
>
> So say column B has a whole bunch of cells that have *values* like:
>
> '\\server\folder1\[example.xls]sheet1'!C7

--

Dave Peterson