MICHAEL ALEXANDER is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer and author of several books on Microsoft Access and Excel. He runs a free tutorial site at [...].

DICK KUSLEIKA has been helping users get the most out of Microsoft Office products for more than twenty-five years through online forums, blogging, books, and conferences.

Introduction xxxiii

Part I: Introduction to Excel VBA 1

Chapter 1: Essentials of Spreadsheet Application Development 3

What Is a Spreadsheet Application? 3

Steps for Application Development 4

Determining User Needs 5

Planning an Application That Meets User Needs 6

Determining the Most Appropriate User Interface 7

Concerning Yourself with the End User 12

Other Development Issues 17

Chapter 2: Introducing Visual Basic for Applications 19

Getting a Head Start with the Macro Recorder 19

Working with the Visual Basic Editor 32

VBA Fundamentals 43

Deep Dive: Working with Range Objects 48

Essential Concepts to Remember 52

Don't Panic-You Are Not Alone 54

Chapter 3: VBA Programming Fundamentals 61

VBA Language Elements: An Overview 61

Comments 63

Variables, Data Types, and Constants 65

Assignment Statements 76

Arrays 78

Declaring Arrays 78

Object Variables 80

User-Defined Data Types 81

Built-in Functions 82

Manipulating Objects and Collections 85

Controlling Code Execution 88

Chapter 4: Working with VBA Sub Procedures 105

About Procedures 105

Executing Sub Procedures 108

Passing Arguments to Procedures 119

Error-Handling Techniques 123

A Realistic Example That Uses Sub Procedures 127

Utility Availability 140

Evaluating the Project 141

Chapter 5: Creating Function Procedures 143

Sub Procedures vs. Function Procedures 143

Why Create Custom Functions? 144

An Introductory Function Example 144

Function Procedures 148

Function Arguments 153

Function Examples 153

Emulating Excel's SUM Function 167

Extended Date Functions 170

Debugging Functions 172

Dealing with the Insert Function Dialog Box 173

Using Add-Ins to Store Custom Functions 178

Using the Windows API 178

Chapter 6: Understanding Excel's Events 183

What You Should Know About Events 183

Getting Acquainted with Workbook-Level Events 189

Examining Worksheet Events 197

Monitoring with Application Events 206

Chapter 7: VBA Programming Examples and Techniques 217

Learning by Example 217

Working with Ranges 218

Working with Workbooks and Sheets 246

VBA Techniques 251

Some Useful Functions for Use in Your Code 258

Some Useful Worksheet Functions 263

Windows API Calls 278

Part II: Advanced VBA Techniques 287

Chapter 8: Working with Pivot Tables 289

An Introductory Pivot Table Example 289

Creating a More Complex Pivot Table 295

Creating Multiple Pivot Tables 299

Creating a Reverse Pivot Table 302

Chapter 9: Working with Charts 305

Getting the Inside Scoop on Charts 305

Creating an Embedded Chart 308

Creating a Chart on a Chart Sheet 309

Modifying Charts 309

Using VBA to Activate a Chart 310

Moving a Chart 311

Using VBA to Deactivate a Chart 312

Determining Whether a Chart Is Activated 313

Deleting from the ChartObjects or Charts Collection 313

Looping Through All Charts 314

Sizing and Aligning ChartObjects 317

Creating Lots of Charts 318

Exporting a Chart 321

Changing the Data Used in a Chart 322

Using VBA to Display Custom Data Labels on a Chart 328

Displaying a Chart in a UserForm 331

Understanding Chart Events 334

Discovering VBA Charting Tricks 340

Working with Sparkline Charts 347

Chapter 10: Interacting with Other Applications 351

Understanding Microsoft Office Automation 351

Automating Access from Excel 354

Automating Word from Excel 356

Automating PowerPoint from Excel 360

Automating Outlook from Excel 365

Starting Other Applications from Excel 369

Chapter 11: Working with External Data and Files 377

Working with External Data Connections 377

Power Query Basics 377

Using ADO and VBA to Pull External Data 390

Working with Text Files 397

Text File Manipulation Examples 401

Performing Common File Operations 405

Zipping and Unzipping Files 413

Part III: Working with UserForms 417

Chapter 12: Leveraging Custom Dialog Boxes 419

Alternatives to UserForms 419

Using an Input Box 419

Using the VBA MsgBox Function 426

Using the Excel GetOpenFilename Method 431

Using the Excel GetSaveAsFilename Method 434

Prompting for a Folder 435

Displaying Excel's Built-in Dialog Boxes 435

Displaying a Data Form 438

Chapter 13: Introducing UserForms 441

How Excel Handles Custom Dialog Boxes 441

Inserting a New UserForm 442

Adding Controls to a UserForm 443

Toolbox Controls 443

Adjusting UserForm Controls 448

Adjusting a Control's Properties 450

Displaying a UserForm 456

Closing a UserForm 458

Creating a UserForm: An Example 460

Referencing UserForm Controls 473

Customizing the Toolbox 474

Creating UserForm Templates 477

A UserForm Checklist 478

Chapter 14: Looking at UserForm Examples 479

Creating a UserForm "Menu" 479

Selecting Ranges from a UserForm 481

Creating a Splash Screen 483

Disabling a UserForm's Close Button 486

Changing a UserForm's Size 487

Zooming and Scrolling a Sheet from a UserForm 488

Exploring ListBox Techniques 490

Using the MultiPage Control in a UserForm 512

Using an External Control 513

Animating a Label 516

Chapter 15: Implementing Advanced UserForm Techniques 519

A Modeless Dialog Box 519

Displaying a Progress Indicator 523

Creating Wizards 534

Emulating the MsgBox Function 541

A UserForm with Movable Controls 545

A UserForm with No Title Bar 546

Simulating a Toolbar with a UserForm 548

Emulating a Task Pane with a UserForm 550

A Resizable UserForm 551

Handling Multiple UserForm Controls with One Event Handler 556

Selecting a Color in a UserForm 559

Displaying a Chart in a UserForm 561

Making a UserForm Semitransparent 562

A Puzzle on a UserForm 563

Video Poker on a UserForm 565

Part IV: Developing Excel Applications 567

Chapter 16: Creating and Using Add-Ins 569

What Is an Add-In? 569

Understanding Excel's Add-in Manager 572

Creating an Add-In 574

An Add-In Example 575

Comparing XLAM and XLSM Files 581

Manipulating Add-Ins with VBA 587

Optimizing the Performance of Add-Ins 593

Special Problems with Add-Ins 594

Chapter 17: Working with the Ribbon 599

Ribbon Basics 599

Customizing the Ribbon 601

Creating a Custom Ribbon 606

Using VBA with the Ribbon 628

Creating an Old-Style Toolbar 632

Chapter 18: Working with Shortcut Menus 637

CommandBar Overview 637

Referring to Controls in a CommandBar 640

Properties of CommandBar Controls 641

Displaying All Shortcut Menu Items 642

Using VBA to Customize Shortcut Menus 644

Resetting a shortcut menu 646

Shortcut Menus and Events 654

Chapter 19: Providing Help for Your Applications 659

Help for Your Excel Applications 659

Help Systems That Use Excel Components 661

Displaying Help in a Web Browser 670

Using the HTML Help System 672

Chapter 20: Leveraging Class Modules 679

What Is a Class Module? 679

Creating a NumLock Class 681

Coding Properties, Methods, and Events 685

Exposing a QueryTable Event 688

Creating a Class to Hold Classes 692

Chapter 21: Understanding Compatibility Issues 699

What Is Compatibility? 699

Types of Compatibility Problems 699

Avoid Using New Features 701

But Will It Work on a Mac? 703

Dealing with 64-Bit Excel 704

Creating an International Application 705

Multilanguage Applications 707

VBA Language Considerations 708

Using Local Properties 708

Identifying System Settings 709

Date and Time Settings 711

Part V: Appendix 713

Appendix: VBA Statements and Functions Reference 715

Index 725