Excel 2016 Power Programming with VBA

Michael Alexander, Richard Kusleika

• Verlag: Wiley
• Jahr: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781119067627
• Auflage: 1
• Thema: Computer Science
• Thema: Desktop Applications

Maximize your Excel experience with VBA

Excel 2016 Power Programming with VBA is fully updated to cover all the latest tools and tricks of Excel 2016. Encompassing an analysis of Excel application development and a complete introduction to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), this comprehensive book presents all of the techniques you need to develop both large and small Excel applications. Over 800 pages of tips, tricks, and best practices shed light on key topics, such as the Excel interface, file formats, enhanced interactivity with other Office applications, and improved collaboration features. In addition to the procedures, tips, and ideas that will expand your capabilities, this resource provides you with access to over 100 online example Excel workbooks and the Power Utility Pak, found on the Mr. Spreadsheet website.

Understanding how to leverage VBA to improve your Excel programming skills can enhance the quality of deliverables that you produce—and can help you take your career to the next level.

• Explore fully updated content that offers comprehensive coverage through over 900 pages of tips, tricks, and techniques
• Leverage templates and worksheets that put your new knowledge in action, and reinforce the skills introduced in the text
• Access online resources, including the Power Utility Pak, that supplement the content
• Improve your capabilities regarding Excel programming with VBA, unlocking more of your potential in the office

Excel 2016 Power Programming with VBA is a fundamental resource for intermediate to advanced users who want to polish their skills regarding spreadsheet applications using VBA.

PART I
Introduction to Excel VBA

• Chapter 1
  Essentials of Spreadsheet Application Development
• Chapter 2
  Introducing Visual Basic for Applications
• Chapter 3
  VBA Programming Fundamentals
• Chapter 4
  Working with VBA Sub Procedures
• Chapter 5
  Creating Function Procedures
• Chapter 6
  Understanding Excel’s Events
• Chapter 7
  VBA Programming Examples and Techniques

1
Essentials of Spreadsheet Application Development

In This Chapter

• Discovering the basic steps involved in spreadsheet application development
• Determining end users’ needs
• Planning applications to meet users’ needs
• Developing and testing your applications
• Documenting your development efforts and writing user documentation

What Is a Spreadsheet Application?

For the purposes of this book, a spreadsheet application is a spreadsheet file (or group of related files) that is designed so that someone other than the developer can perform useful work without extensive training. According to this definition, most of the spreadsheet files that you’ve developed probably don’t qualify as spreadsheet applications. You may have dozens or hundreds of spreadsheet files on your hard drive, but it’s a safe bet that most of them aren’t designed for others to use.

A good spreadsheet application:

• Enables the end user to perform a task that he or she probably would not be able to do otherwise.
• Provides the appropriate solution to the problem. (A spreadsheet environment isn’t always the optimal approach.)
• Accomplishes what it is supposed to do. This prerequisite may be obvious, but it’s not at all uncommon for applications to fail this test.
• Produces accurate results and is free of bugs.
• Uses appropriate and efficient methods and algorithms to accomplish its job.
• Traps errors before the user is forced to deal with them.
• Does not allow the user to delete or modify important components accidentally (or intentionally).
• Has a clear and consistent user interface so that the user always knows how to proceed.
• Has well-documented formulas, macros, and user interface elements that allow for subsequent changes, if necessary.
• Is designed so that it can be modified in simple ways without making major changes. A basic fact is that a user’s needs change over time.
• Has an easily accessible help system that provides useful information on at least the major procedures.
• Is designed to be portable and to run on any system that has the proper software (in this case, a copy of the appropriate version of Excel).

It should come as no surprise that it is possible to create spreadsheet applications for many different usage levels, ranging from a simple fill-in-the-blank template to an extremely complex application that uses a custom interface and may not even look like a spreadsheet.

Steps for Application Development

There is no simple, surefire recipe for developing an effective spreadsheet application. Everyone has his or her own style for creating such applications. In addition, every project is different and, therefore, requires its own approach. Finally, the demands and technical expertise of the people you work with (or for) also play a role in how the development process proceeds.

Spreadsheet developers typically perform the following activities:

• Determine the needs of the user(s)
• Plan an application that meets these needs
• Determine the most appropriate user interface
• Create the spreadsheet, formulas, macros, and user interface
• Test and debug the application
• Attempt to make the application bulletproof
• Make the application aesthetically appealing and intuitive
• Document the development effort
• Develop user documentation and Help systems
• Distribute the application to the user
• Update the application when necessary

Not all these steps are required for each application, and the order in which these activities are performed varies from project to project. We describe each of these activities in the pages that follow. For most of these items, we cover the technical details in subsequent chapters.

Determining User Needs

When you undertake a new Excel project, one of your first steps is to identify exactly what the end us...