title: Refer to Excel workbook by path, based on cell value data
body: <p>I have an Excel sheet that draws data from other, closed Excel workbooks. Currently it works fine when I list out the closed workbook's entire path, but I'd like to use a variable, stored in a separate cell, as part of the path name. </p>
  
  <p>For example, I am trying to reference a workbook called</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>workbook12.10.12.xls</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>In a separate workbook (we'll say the "active" workbook), I have a cell with formula</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>=INDEX('C:\Path[workbook12.10.12.xls]SHEET1'!$B$1:$B$5, MATCH("match text", 'C:\Path[workbook12.10.12.xls]SHEET1'!$A$1:$A$5, 0))</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>which finds the value in workbook12.10.12's B column corresponding to the cell in the A column that contains "match text." This works fine; however, I have a cell in the active workbook with the value</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>12.10.12</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>and would like to somehow reference this value in the INDEX function.</p>
  
  <p>I can't have the other workbooks open, so the INDIRECT function won't help. Googling seems to suggest that Excel doesn't have a simple one-stop solution for this kind of thing... can someone help please? Thanks!</p>