Programming Excel with VBA and .NET [Paperback]

Jeff Webb (Author), Steve Saunders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0596007663 | ISBN-13: 978-0596007669 | Edition: 1

Why program Excel? For solving complex calculations and presenting results, Excel is amazingly complete with every imaginable feature already in place. But programming Excel isn't about adding new features as much as it's about combining existing features to solve particular problems. With a few modifications, you can transform Excel into a task-specific piece of software that will quickly and precisely serve your needs. In other words, Excel is an ideal platform for probably millions of small spreadsheet-based software solutions.

The best part is, you can program Excel with no additional tools. A variant of the Visual Basic programming language, VB for Applications (VBA) is built into Excel to facilitate its use as a platform. With VBA, you can create macros and templates, manipulate user interface features such as menus and toolbars, and work with custom user forms or dialog boxes. VBA is relatively easy to use, but if you've never programmed before, Programming Excel with VBA and .NET is a great way to learn a lot very quickly. If you're an experienced Excel user or a Visual Basic programmer, you'll pick up a lot of valuable new tricks. Developers looking forward to .NET development will also find discussion of how the Excel object model works with .NET tools, including Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO).

This book teaches you how to use Excel VBA by explaining concepts clearly and concisely in plain English, and provides plenty of downloadable samples so you can learn by doing. You'll be exposed to a wide range of tasks most commonly performed with Excel, arranged into chapters according to subject, with those subjects corresponding to one or more Excel objects. With both the samples and important reference information for each object included right in the chapters, instead of tucked away in separate sections, Programming Excel with VBA and .NET covers the entire Excel object library. For those just starting out, it also lays down the basic rules common to all programming languages.

With this single-source reference and how-to guide, you'll learn to use the complete range of Excel programming tasks to solve problems, no matter what you're experience level.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Webb is one of the original Visual Basic team members. He was intensely involved with Excel VBA and conceived the first Office Developer's Kit. Jeff also wrote the first book on Excel VBA, Using Excel Visual Basic for Applications, which has remained in print for an amazing 12 years. Now, he returns to his favorite subject with a completely new, comprehensive guide: Programming Excel with VBA and VB .NET.

Steve Saunders is a Microsoft veteren who helped pioneer the design of hypertext help systems that paved the way for the design of today's Web sites. He was lead designer for the award-winning Microsoft Access and Basic help systems, and was a charter member of the Visual Basic product team. Later, Steve wrote documentation for Access programmers and became an Access programmer himself, creating applications for his group at Microsoft and for a growing list of clients outside the company.

Businesses and non-profit organizations use Steve's affordable custom applications to track their critical information, including customers and orders, lodging reservations, real estate listings, donors and donations. Since 1996, the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) has used his race management application, Racetracker, to produce accurate and timely results for its popular cross-country ski and running races.

Before his years at Microsoft, Steve was a reporter and editor for newspapers in Utah, Maine, and Massachusetts, and a technical writer in the database group at Digital Equipment Corp. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Boston University, a graduate certificate in technical writing from Northeastern University, and a bachelor's degree in technical writing and creative writing from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Currently a principal of Smiling Country, Steve enjoys combining his technical, design, and editorial expertise to help businesses succeed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1120 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596007663
• ISBN-13: 978-0596007669
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 9.1 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #547,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Spreadsheets
  • #72 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Development > .NET
  • #82 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Development > VBA

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book, June 26, 2006

By 

Graham Jones "The Jointer" (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Programming Excel with VBA and .NET (Paperback)

"Programming Excel with VBA & .NET" is certainly a very 'weighty' tome. At around 1100 pages you certainly get a lot of paper for your money! However, do you get value for your money? I have yet to read a book on this topic which is more comprehensive in its coverage in terms of the description of the Object Model and the properties and methods, in many cases complete with useful examples. So in that regard it is an excellent reference. The benefit of the author being part of the Microsoft OLE Automation team when VB was added to Excel is very clear. The book also covers VBA itself in good depth. However, I feel that much of this could have been usefully relegated to a reference Appendix. If you are buying this book to learn VBA as such then there are many other excellent choices. The value in this book is in the application of VBA to Excel. You should not consider this book unless you are already very comfortable with VBA. If you are only just learning VBA but try to go on to read the rest of the book, you might find it hard going.

I have read other books that devote more space to and explain better the use of Ranges in VBA code; "pictures are worth a thousand words". If you cannot assimilate this aspect of VBA programming with Excel then you will struggle. Because of the recursive nature of Range references in Excel it can be a difficult concept to understand. I know personally that when I got the hang of that and how to use relative referencing with the R1C1 notation and to use the Cell object my productivity went up tremendously, and my frustration level dropped accordingly. Excel is probably the most difficult and complex application of the Office products when it comes to the Object Model and accordingly programming in VBA. On balance I would have no hesitation in recommending this book as part of your Excel VBA programming arsenal. Typically no one book can give you all of the insight that you need. Accordingly I feel comfortable in giving it 5 stars.

Cheers

Graham Jones

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but where's the .NET?, October 6, 2008

By 

shancarrick (Syracuse, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Programming Excel with VBA and .NET (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book for learning VBA programming in Excel. The first 70 pages are devoted to programming basics (variables, conditional statements, objects, modules and procedures, etc.) Most of the rest of the book is devoted to glorious Excel tasks and objects. Really, this is quality material.

A mere 30 pages is devoted to .NET. Most of this is simply how to fire up Visual Studio and create a project. Worthless, really. I'm betting that the publisher made the decision to add ".NET" to the title since that was a sexy buzzword back in '03. I'm subtracting a single star for this little piece of marketing deception. In summary, this book is terrific for learning Excel VBA (and general programming principles), but is no good for learning how to marry Excel to .NET.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and Authoritative, June 7, 2006

By 

Brett Merkey (Palm Harbor, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Programming Excel with VBA and .NET (Paperback)

When you attempt to get into a new area of coding, it is best to have an authoritative reference. Confidence in your source really helps in getting through the inevitable rough spots. "Excel with VBA & .NET" seems to fill the bill. It certainly does not hurt to know that the author was on the Microsoft OLE Automation team when VB was added to Excel.

The "comprehensive" half of my review title comes with the packed 1100 pages. All the programming basics, all the programmable objects, all the usable features are covered. In addition, the book covers extending Excel with add-ins and dealing with security.

My own interest in programming Excel objects is related to my job as a GUI interface developer for browser-based applications. As more information and functionality goes to the Web, the convenience of taking HTML data displays and exporting them to Excel is finding an expanding and demanding market. I was somewhat disappointed that the book did not approach more topics from the perspective of this modern trend.

A friend preparing to teach Excel VBA next fall grabbed the book from my desk and had a look. She was certain "Excel with VBA & .NET" would be an excellent platform and reference for that class. That high recommendation certainly trumps my quibble about not having more material on browser implementations.