VBA in Excel

Walter Milner

Sep-05 Slide:1
VBA in Excel
Introduction
• VBA = Visual Basic for Applications
• Enables end-user programming
• In MS Office applications
• Formulae and macros OK for simple actions, but..
• Advantages over formulae and macros:
– Multiple nested if is easy
– Loops easy
– Debugging easy

Sep-05 Slide:2
VBA in Excel
Getting started
View..Toolbars..Control

Sep-05 Slide:3
VBA in Excel
Add a button

Click the button button

Drag on sheet to create one

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VBA in Excel
Format it

Right click on button

Select properties
Set as required
Note distinction between name and caption

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VBA in Excel
Program it

Right click button

Select View code:

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VBA in Excel
Test it

On Control Toolbox, click set square

This toggles run/design
Click the button

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VBA in Excel
Referring to cells

Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()

Dim x As Integer
Dim y As Integer
Dim z As Integer
Dim result As Integer
x = Cells(1, 2).Value
y = Cells(2, 2).Value
z = Cells(3, 2).Value
result = x * y + z
Cells(4, 2).Value = result
End Sub

Sep-05 Slide:8
VBA in Excel
The VBA Excel Object model
• Hierarchy of classes
• Use to refer to things in
an Excel application
• Very large number of
classes, properties and
methods
• Have to use on-screen
help for reference

Sep-05 Slide:9
VBA in Excel
The VBA Excel Object model
• Object is a thing
• Property is some
property of an object
• Method is something
the object can be told
to do
• Event is something
that can happen to the
object
• Collection is a set of
related objects
• Enumeration is action
returning complete set
of things (eg all fonts
on system)

Sep-05 Slide:10
VBA in Excel
Example object - Application

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VBA in Excel
Example properties of Application

Program a button which sets a

value for this property and see what
happens

Try it in a loop for a bizarre effect

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VBA in Excel
Example method

Program a button which calls the

findfile method of the application

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VBA in Excel
Example collection -

Display the count property of the

worksheets collection in a msgbox
to show how many sheets there are
in the workbook

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VBA in Excel
Using For Each .. Next in a collection

Private Sub CommandButton4_Click()

Dim w As Worksheet
For Each w In Application.Worksheets
MsgBox (w.Name)
Next
End Sub

Sep-05 Slide:15
VBA in Excel
The RangeSelection property of the ActiveWindow

This is a Range object

So it has the properties of a Range object
Use them to program a button which displays the total
of the numbers in the cells selected

Sep-05 Slide:16
VBA in Excel
2d array exercise

Use the RangeSelection property to program a

button which does a vertical flip of selected cells

Sep-05 Slide:17
VBA in Excel