VB and VBA in a Nutshell

• To transform what seem like static applications, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, into malleable, customized programs that are shaped to the developer's liking
• To make data, such as records from an Access database table, accessible from an external application, such as Microsoft Word
• To "drive" an application (such as Microsoft Word, for example) remotely from another application (such as Microsoft Excel) so that the latter can draw on the functionality of the former

The online documentation of VB/VBA language components seems to follow the 80/20 rule: the basic facts that you need to use a language statement are provided in the documentation. But the additional 20% that you need to use it effectively or to apply it to special cases is conspicuously absent. To a professional VB/VBA programmer, though, this missing 20% of the language's documentation isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. And in VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Languages, it finally is available.

The bulk of the book consists of an alphabetical reference to the statements, procedures, and functions of the VB/VBA language. Each entry has a standardized listing containing the following information:

• Its syntax, using standard code conventions
• Differences in the operation of the keyword in a macro environment (e.g., in Office) and in Visual Basic, if there are any
• A list of arguments accepted by the function or procedure, if any
• A description of the data type and the data returned by a function
• An extended discussion of the keyword that focuses on some of the finer points of its usage that are often omitted from or blurred over by the documentation
• Tips and gotchas that focus on undocumented behaviors and practical applications for particular language elements. This section in particular is invaluable for helping the programmer diagnose or altogether avoid potential programming problems.
• A brief, non-obvious example that illustrate the use of the keyword
• A cross-reference to other keywords

Also included in VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Languages is a brief overview of the VB/VBA language, including:

• Basic VBA programming concepts, such as its data types and its support for variables, constants, and arrays
• Error handling in VBA applications
• Object programming with VBA
• Using VBA with particular applications. Excel and Project are utilized to show how to work with an application's integrated development environment and to take advantage of its object model

Table of contentsVisual Basic for Applications is a powerful programming language that, as the language component of Microsoft Visual Basic, can be used to create stand-alone graphical applications. As the "macro" language in a wide range of programmable software applications, most notably the programs included in Microsoft Office, it can be used in a variety of ways:

• To transform what seem like static applications, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, into malleable, customized programs that are shaped to the developer's liking
• To make data, such as records from an Access database table, accessible from an external application, such as Microsoft Word
• To "drive" an application (such as Microsoft Word, for example) remotely from another application (such as Microsoft Excel) so that the latter can draw on the functionality of the former

The online documentation of VB/VBA language components seems to follow the 80/20 rule: the basic facts that you need to use a language statement are provided in the documentation. But the additional 20% that you need to use it effectively or to apply it to special cases is conspicuously absent. To a professional VB/VBA programmer, though, this missing 20% of the language's documentation isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. And in VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Languages, it finally is available.

The bulk of the book consists of an alphabetical reference to the statements, procedures, and functions of the VB/VBA language. Each entry has a standardized listing containing the following information:

• Its syntax, using standard code conventions
• Differences in the operation of the keyword in a macro environment (e.g., in Office) and in Visual Basic, if there are any
• A list of arguments accepted by the function or procedure, if any
• A description of the data type and the data returned by a function
• An extended discussion of the keyword that focuses on some of the finer points of its usage that are often omitted from or blurred over by the documentation
• Tips and gotchas that focus on undocumented behaviors and practical applications for particular language elements. This section in particular is invaluable for helping the programmer diagnose or altogether avoid potential programming problems.
• A brief, non-obvious example that illustrate the use of the keyword
• A cross-reference to other keywords

Also included in VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Languages is a brief overview of the VB/VBA language, including:

• Basic VBA programming concepts, such as its data types and its support for variables, constants, and arrays
• Error handling in VBA applications
• Object programming with VBA
• Using VBA with particular applications. Excel and Project are utilized to show how to work with an application's integrated development environment and to take advantage of its object model