How to use Application.ActiveProtectedViewWindow in the xlwings API way

The ActiveProtectedViewWindow property of the Application object in Excel returns a ProtectedViewWindow object that represents the active Protected View window. This is particularly useful when working with files opened in Protected View, a security feature that opens potentially unsafe files (like those from the internet) in a restricted mode to prevent malicious code from running. Through xlwings, you can access this property to interact with the active Protected View window, such as checking its existence, obtaining details about the opened file, or even closing it. This enables automation scripts to handle files that trigger Protected View, ensuring robust workflow management even with security-restricted documents.

Syntax in xlwings:

app.active_protected_view_window

• Return Value: This property returns an xlwings ProtectedViewWindow object if there is an active Protected View window. If no Protected View window is active, it returns None.
• Parameters: The property does not accept any parameters.
• Important: The ActiveProtectedViewWindow property is only available and meaningful when Excel has a file open in Protected View. Attempting to access it when no Protected View window is active will simply return None, so it’s essential to check for this condition in your code.

Examples of xlwings API Usage:

1. Checking for an Active Protected View Window:
   This example demonstrates how to verify if a file is currently open in Protected View and print a message accordingly.

import xlwings as xw

app = xw.apps.active # Get the active Excel application
pv_window = app.active_protected_view_window

if pv_window is not None:
    print(f"A Protected View window is active. Source: {pv_window.source_name}")
else:
    print("No active Protected View window found.")

2. Closing the Active Protected View Window:
   In this scenario, the script closes the active Protected View window. This is useful for automating the process of exiting Protected View, perhaps to proceed with editing the file programmatically.

import xlwings as xw

app = xw.apps.active
pv_window = app.active_protected_view_window

if pv_window:
    print(f"Closing Protected View window for: {pv_window.source_name}")
    pv_window.close() # Closes the Protected View window
else:
    print("No window to close.")

3. Accessing File Information from Protected View:
   Here, we retrieve and display details about the file in Protected View, such as its name and path, which can be logged or used for further processing.

import xlwings as xw

app = xw.apps.active
pv_window = app.active_protected_view_window

if pv_window:
    print(f"File in Protected View: {pv_window.source_name}")
    print(f"File path: {pv_window.source_path}")
    # The workbook object in Protected View is read-only; you can access data but not modify it.
    wb = pv_window.workbook
    print(f"Workbook name: {wb.name}")