Microsoft® Excel 2002 Visual Basic® for Applications Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) [Paperback]

Reed Jacobson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2001 | Series: Step by Step (Microsoft)

Teach yourself how to use Microsoft® Visual Basic® for Applications (VBA) to take command of Microsoft Excel Version 2002. Choose your own best starting point in this self-paced guide to learn how to automate spreadsheets, write your own functions and procedures, customize menus and toolbars, and more. Easy-to-follow lessons with real-world scenarios and examples show you exactly how to maximize the built-in programming power in Microsoft Excel 2002. Numerous screenshots and a CD full of practice files help you master step-by-step programming procedures. Find out how to create custom solutions with Microsoft Excel and this book—then keep it nearby as an ongoing desktop reference to VBA functions and features. Learn at your own pace how to:

• Use macros to automate simple and complex tasks
• Manipulate workbooks and worksheets
• Explore range objects
• Work with graphical objects
• Build and manipulate PivotTable® objects
• Create loops and conditional statements with Visual Basic
• Use dialog box controls on worksheets
• Create and use custom functions and handle macro errors
• Create custom toolbar buttons, menu commands, command buttons, event handlers, and dialog boxes

A Note Regarding the CD or DVD

The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (October 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735613591
• ISBN-13: 978-0735613591
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good First Introduction, A Trainer For Non-Programmers, July 14, 2003

By 

David Gurgel (Roseland, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Microsoft® Excel 2002 Visual Basic® for Applications Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback)

This book is clearly a training manual for non-programmers wanting to do Excel macros. It is not intended for experienced programmers except as a quick overview. Nevertheless, the author introduces object-oriented programming terminology early and uses it consistently in an easy (most of the time), non-threatening way. Non-programmers, who carefully work through each of the excellent examples, without knowing it, will have picked up the basics of object-oriented programming while finding countless ways to automate their day-to-day work.

As macro writing becomes more and more like regular programming, learning to use an editor and program development environment becomes more important. Nice use is made here of the VB Editor with emphasis on the Object Browser and the Immediate window - preparing the reader for perhaps moving on to more sophisticated development environments such as Visual Studio, which of course is not covered in this book. (Programming Office applications is included in the latest Visual Studio beta.)

It is a joy to find a book that teaches macros with VBA in a way that permits easily moving on to more general software development with VB. The early Office macro languages were well removed from "real" programming; but VBA has changed that. OK, so perhaps it is softball and not baseball. This is a great book to give to an administrative Microsoft Office workaholic who is restless for more knowledge and might just become a self-taught developer.

This book has a 2001 copyright; but as I write in July 2003 I still cannot find a better first book for VBA with Excel for non-programmers.

On July 24, 2003, I want to add that there are two speed bumps in the book where the content is decidedly more difficult than the balance of the book. The first, midway through the book, is a chapter on manipulating Pivot Tables; and the second is an overly-fancy final chapter with lots of Pivot Table and graphics content. Both of these chapters are useful; but the level of difficulty seems two steps up from the other chapters. Perhaps these two chapters prompted some of the negative comments by others. You can safely skip these two (of twelve) chapters if you wish.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very accessible and useful book, January 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft® Excel 2002 Visual Basic® for Applications Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback)

I have had bad luck with most programming books. I bought this one as a VBA reference to fill in the blanks of some of the others. This is by far the best programming book I have ever read, and the first one that I read cover to cover. Not only does this book provide the intuition and practical examples, it does so in a readable and accessible fashion. With it I not only improved my programming skills, but learned some Excel tricks that I have never before seen. I highly recommend.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacobson is clear and concise for learning the Range Object, August 26, 2003

By 

Grranimal "Feurkraft" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft® Excel 2002 Visual Basic® for Applications Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback)

I read this book two editions ago and it helped me convert all the workbooks for a large California bank from Lotus and older Excel formats. The book teaches you to use the Range object which is the main Object in Excel. Once you know it you can do most things with a little help from the great macro recording facility of Excel--you just generalize a few terms and apply your new knowledge of the Range Object. Thank you Reed!