Thanks,

That code worked great. I got some help from the group alt.msdos.batch.nt as to how to construct the batch file:

@ECHO OFF
pushd "f:\discharge request screener"
main.exe
popd

Anyway for anyone else wishing to open a program that behaves similarly to the ones I had, here is the code in the command button that creates the batch file and then calls it (the batch file creation code comes from help from a VBForums thread):

Private Sub cmbRREL_Click()

Dim FFile As Integer
Dim strpathmain As String
Dim strshortpath As String
Dim line1 As String
Dim line2 As String
Dim line3 As String
Dim line4 As String


Dim RetVal

strshortpath = ActiveWorkbook.Path
strpathmain = ActiveWorkbook.Path & "\treat.bat"

line1 = "@ECHO OFF"
line2 = "pushd " & strshortpath
line3 = "main.exe"
line4 = "popd"

FFile = FreeFile
Open strpathmain For Output As #FFile

Print #FFile, line1
Print #FFile, line2
Print #FFile, line3
Print #FFile, line4
Print #FFile, line5
Print #FFile, line6

Close #FFile


'shell out to the batch file


RetVal = Shell(Environ("comspec") & " /c " & Chr(34) & strpathmain & Chr(34), 1)


End Sub