Customer Reviews

Excel For Windows® 95 Power Programming with VBA

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me put this in clear, concise and 'hands-on' language. Before reading this book, I knew little about VBA. Right after reading it (and actually working through 80% of its examples), I was able to build a custom mortgage analysis application using MS Excel as the user interface and MS Access as the data source. I was able to set up and manipulate dropdowns (comboboxes) within spreadsheet cells to present parameter choices, and to programmatically create and manipulate graphs and pivot tables to display results in more meaningful formats. I also made extensive use of arrays and functions to cope with the many iterative calculations required. To add to all this, I was able to use DAO to query and update the Access database. Since then, I have been working on VBA for Access etc., only to find out that the foundation laid by John Walkenbach carries over excellently to all MS Office applications.

I did not buy this book for a month because of some of the review comments, but then did go ahead and buy the book. I disagree with the negatives - this is an excellent book for anybody who has to write VB code for Excel. And there aren't THAT many bugs in the code, and those that are there are very minor. The comment about the "help" is unwarranted - I've been living in the "help" for two months now. Of the 3 books I have on this topic, this is the best one.

The book was one of the most useful I read in learning to create Excel custom applications. It is written by some one who has actually struggled with making it really work. Other books often tell you VBA in Office has almost unlimited tools to accomplish a task and suggest VBA online help for further details, not a lot of help. The is written for Excel 95 not Excel 97 and needs an upgrade. Office 97 completely overhauled dialog boxes, toolbars, and custom menus. There are very few books that actually have the depth to help a serious designer of a VBA custom application, this is one. If you create Excel custom designs for others to use then add this book to your shelf.

I am constantly using this book for reference and rarely do I not find an answer I am looking for.

Walkenbach is one of the best technical writers I have seen on any subject, and this book is a perfect example. Although allot has changed with Excel 97, most of the concepts I learned in this book apply nicely. This book is a great introduction to Visual Basic, but its also great for experienced VB Programmers using Excel.

Mr. Walkenbach understands the predicament of the reader who does not have the time to read, but yet, needs to become proficient in the subject matter. This, coupled with his knowledge of the subject and his literary ability makes for an enjoyable experience.

When will we have an Excel 97 encore?

Visual Basic for Applications can be intimidating to the converted 1-2-3 power user. This book provides the right combination of in-depth information, source code examples, and experienced advice. It is well-written with margin symbols to help one navigate through the text. Since we have not yet switched to Excel 95, I particularly liked the symbol which marked new features unavailable in Excel 5. Power Utility Pak, for which a free coupon is enclosed, has numerous useful tools. We're purchasing a copy of this book for each of the analysts in our corporate office - and expect a solid return on our investment.

This book has saved me months of time in my struggle to write proficient VBA code in Excel. I'd recommend just looking over everything on the CD before reading the book. You will probably find the answers you've been looking for without even turning a page. The author has also included an order form to get the full version powerpak utilities for free (except for postage) and the source code can be purchased for a mere $20. I just received mine in the mail. Haven't had a chance to look at all the source code yet because I've been too busy playing Yatzhee (one of the three time wasters included with the powerpak. The tooltip utility included in the powerpak allows you to easily modify the tooltips on your custom toolbar buttons. Isn't that cool

This book explains VBA from no knowledge to a detailed level, and makes you an expert in VBA. Excellent choice if you are starting out on VB and would like to develop applications in VBA.

There are far too many errors in the examples. I spent so much time fixing the errors that I easily lost track of the principle I was trying to learn.

The book also makes frequent reference to on line help. I spent $31.99 to have convient paper access to the information that I needed.