Product Description

Having Excel and just using it for standard spreadsheets is a little like getting the ultimate cable system and a 50” flat panel plasma HDTV and using it exclusively to watch Lawrence Welk reruns. With Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming, you can take advantage of numerous Excel options such as: creating new worksheet functions; automating tasks and operations; creating new appearances, toolbars, and menus; designing custom dialog boxes and add–ins; and much more.

This guide is not for rank Excel amateurs. It’s for intermediate to advanced Excel users who want to learn VBA programming (or whose bosses want them to learn VBA programming). You need to know your way around Excel before you start creating customized short cuts or systems for speeding through Excel functions. If you’re an intermediate or advanced Excel user, Excel VBA For Dummies helps you take your skills (and your spreadsheets) to the next level. It includes:

• An introduction to the VBA language
• A hands–on, guided, step–by–step walk through developing a useful VBA macro, including recording, testing, and changing it, and testing it
• The essential foundation, including the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) and its components, modules, Excel object model, subroutines and functions, and the Excel macro recorder
• The essential VBA language elements, including comments, variables and constants, and labels
• Working with Range objects and discovering useful Range objective properties and methods
• Using VBA and worksheet functions, including a list and examples
• Programming constructions, including the GoTo statement, the If–Then structure, Select Case, For–Next loop, Do–While loop, and Do–Until loop
• Automatic procedures and Workbook events, including a table and event–handler procedures
• Error–handling and bug extermination techniques, and using the Excel debugging tools
• Creating custom dialog boxes, also known as UserForms, with a table of the toolbox controls and their capabilities, how–to for the dialog box controls, and UserForm techniques and tricks
• Customizing the Excel toolbars
• Using VBA code to modify the Excel menu system
• Creating worksheet functions and working with various types of arguments
• Creating Excel add–ins such as new worksheet functions you can use in formulas or new commands or utilities

Author John Walkenbach is a leading authority on spreadsheet software and the author of more than 40 spreadsheet books including Excel 2003 Bible and Excel 2003 Power Programming with VBA. While this guide includes tons of examples and screenshots, Walkenbach knows there’s no substitute for hands–on learning. The book is complete with:

• A dedicated companion Web site that includes bonus chapters plus all sample programs to save you a lot of typing and let you play around and experiment with various changes
• Information to help you make the most of Excel’s built–in Help system so you can find out other stuff you may need to know

What are you waiting for? Sure, learning to do VBA programming takes a little effort, but it’s a Very Big Accomplishment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5327 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

From the Back Cover
Create new functions, automate tasks, and design add–ins

Become an Excel programmer with VBA, and discover what you can make Excel do

If you want to Excel at spreadsheet creation, VBA is your ticket to greatness. And you’re in luck, because "Mr. Spreadsheet" is about to walk you through VBA programming, showing you how to create custom spreadsheets, write macros that make Excel do cool tricks, and more. Open this book and you’re on your way!

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear–out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Understand and use VBA
• Automate Excel with macros
• Find what you need in Excel’s Help system
• Design custom dialog boxes, toolbars, and menus
• Develop user–oriented applications
• Create custom commands

About the Author
John Walkenbach is principal of J–Walk and Associates, Inc., a leading Excel expert, and proprietor of the popular spreadsheet page at www.j–walk.com. He has written more than 30 books on Excel.

Customer Reviews

The best of 3
I've got Elisabeth Boonins book and Richard Shepherds book on Excel VBA. I also teach VBA. I'd say this is the best of them. It contains more information, it is easier for beginners to understand, and it has good reference information. An excellent book from absolute beginners to intermediate/advanced. Elisabeths book is also good, but it is now out of date.

I think many people rave about the VBA books, whoever wrote them, because VBA itself is very useful. However this the best book.

Found this really useful
This book is really accessible, with loads of working examples. I needed to write a couple of custom functions for use in Excel 2002 spreadseets. And needed to get them working as addins. This book told me all I needed to know. A lot simpler to follow than some other books on this topic - such as one of the author's other books "Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA".

Brilliant.

If only I had an option to give this 6 stars !!
This book is a must have for anyone wanting to get to know VBA. Don't let previous books on VBA programming put you off, as these can either swing between patronising to the mega confusing (in my own experience). John Walkenbach takes you through this must have guide with patients and humour at an understandable and undaunting pace. Even when I was only half way through his book I was using the information I had gathered to streamline my many tedious excel spreadsheets and by the end of the book I wanted more. P.s. John, please bring part two !!