Customer Reviews

Excel 2007 Power Programming with VBA (Mr. Spreadsheet's Bookshelf)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a GREAT introduction to ALL aspects of Excel and VBA. Most people who need this book come into VBA from other experiences and have rarely taken classes in VBA and they need a readable reference that can bring them up to speed on the parts they don't understand yet.

Used this way the book is simply outstanding and most users probably don't need anything more than this book, but I'm not one of those people.

I purchased "Professional Excel Development" by Bullen, Bovey, and Green at the same time and was awestruck at the depth of their knowledge and their passion for making Excel the only software development tool your company will ever need. In short, and I say this with the greatest admiration and respect, they are absolutely insane in a very knowledgeable and useful way.

The biggest problem with "Professional Excel Development" is that readers are expected to know a LOT more about Excel and VBA than average and Walkenbach nicely addresses that issue. He's also a lot more readable than the other authors and so can be used in conjunction with them to clarify the points that they are making.

Regardless of how you use this book, it is a very good for just about any level of VBA developer and firmly earns the 5 star rating.

This is - by far - the most valuable VBA tool I've purchased.

I generally have a hard time reading books about programming because they are either 1) way above my head, 2) don't provide "real-life" examples of when you would want to use the code, or 3) just plain boring. Not with this book...

It teaches you how to build tools - like progress indicators, advanced userforms, and general utilities. I've been able to take a little bit from each chapter and create stellar spreadsheet applications. This book has saved me hours... if I can't figure out how to write a block of code, I don't spend time searching Google - I go straight to the book.

Best Reason: it comes with a CD full of macro examples that mirror the chapter concepts. I was able to read the chapter, then go to the computer and try it out (with the code already written out for me). I picked up new concepts much faster than just reading it on my own.

Excellent for Excel 2003 or 2007.

I have this book for more than two months now and I found it very useful especially on my first VBA project. I have a weekly report and I used to do this manually and often get errors because I have to cross reference values in one big spreadsheet with multiple tabs. Not until I got this book and read the basics and go to specific chapters where I need help. I felt so accomplished after I finished the whole macro. What took me 30 minutes to do manual referencing and typing now only takes less than two minutes including sending it through email. This book is very easy to understand especially for those who know Excel and would like to expand their skills in VBA. Mr Spreadsheet has provided good example files to help us better understand VBA. His approach is basic enough for those who doesn't have any experience in creating macros. By the way if your CD doesn't have the source files or example file go to http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-302036.html and select "All Wiley Products" or call Technical Support. Type your request for the e-source files and they will get back to you really fast with a link of the FTP site for the files. Don't bother to call customer support because they will try to sell you the e-book even though you already have the book. It might be a hassle but its all worth it.

I am a novice to VBA and this is the first book I have purchased on the subject. It has alot of useful information. However, it skims so briefly over many topics. If you have a good grasp of VBA and what it can do, I think this is a nice reference. For someone like me, who is just starting, there is probably something better out there.

I saw a review or two below complaining about not getting the accompanying CD with their purchase....DUH!! Not gonna happen when you buy e-books!! Typically, the publisher will have the material somewhere online. The trick is finding it. Usually I have found a URL somewhere in the book that has a download link....well, Wiley is making it a bit more difficult for us. Here's where to go and what to do when you get there:

- Go to the Wiley dot custhelp dot com website, and click on the "ask a question tab.

- Fill out the information on the form, and tell them that you bought the book from Amazon in Kindle format, and that you want the WHOLE CD content.

- Save yourself some time (UNLIKE I did....) and make an electronic copy of your Amazon receipt (i.e. PDF or something they can see), and attach it to the message...there's a place to do so at the bottom of the window.

They responded to me within an hour. At first, they wanted to just give me a link to the PDF version of the book, but one response to that (and with a different Wiley rep) telling them I needed the whole CD solved that. They will snail-mail you a copy of the CD ASAP. Okay, it's not quite as nice as being able to just download the content online, which is why I gave this FOUR stars instead of FIVE---it's the "hassle factor" that cost them a star.

Otherwise....GREAT book. This book is much more than a VBA primer. It definitly does assume a reasonable amount of Excel experience, but let's face it -- should you really be trying to develop Excel apps if you don't already have some knowledge of the product? Walkenbach goes through a bunch of stuff he thinks you should know about early on in the book, without going into too much detail...the responsibility to get the additional knowledge, therefore rests upon the reader. He then discusses the planning phase, which is not unlike the planning phase of any project, then gives a good foundation of knowledge in the important Excel and VBA skills required to do a good job of development. Great book...highly recommended, even in Kindle format, and with the associated hassle getting the CD.

I have projects that need potential productivity boosts that can only be achieve in Excel using VBA. Unfortunately, I have found Excel/VBA 2007 (and previous versions also) to be very deficient often negating a substantial percentage of potential productivity gains. Most of these shortcomings result from poor and "hard-to-find" documentation. Additionally, some features do not work as intended.

Mr. Walkenbach has done a superb job in his Excel/VBA book by covering many of the shortcomings of Microsoft. I have found Microsoft's documentation to be brief (when found and applicable) and often not providing needed information. General web searches have proved more productive than search of Microsoft's knowledge base [...].

His book has excellent information on sending emails from Excel/VBA and developing interactive forms and charts using VBA. I am not sure I would have been able to complete my projects without his book(s). And he has responded to my emails to him for clarifications on a few topics. I have completed all projects attempted so far and that was not so prior to using his books.

However, potential Excel/VBA users should be warned that the object programming requirements are very exacting and even Mr. Walkenbach's book can only help put you on a workable path and substantially speed your work. We can only hope that Microsoft eventually improves.

Got the book a couple of weeks ago and am about 350 pages into it. Although I have only scratched the surface, I've been able to put together a couple of macros that did exactly what I was asked to accomplish. Great Book.

If you'd like to have a reference where you could look for to solve doubts or understand the way the things work in Excel, this the right book.

Walkenbach hasn't lost his touch. Belongs on the desk of anyone using VBA with Excel 2007 .

I am semi new to VBA. I have some basic experience with languages such as php and javascript. I purchased this book after buying a "begginning VBA" type book. The beginners book was far to basic (and poorly laid out) for my needs. I bought this book (excel 2007 power programming) and within a few hours of getting it, I was able to complete a few unfinished projects. This is a fantastic reference book, this is the first book EVER where I felt the included CD was worthwhile (in fact it has a ton of great examples from each chapter, and even some useful tools). It is clear enough that even a novice can use it, especially if the first few chapters are read beginning at page 1.