Vb & Vba in a Nutshell

by Lomax, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781565923584
• ISBN10: 1565923588
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-10-01
• Publisher: Oreilly & Associates Inc

Summary

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 percent 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 percent of the language's documentation isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. And inVB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language, 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 returned by a function The finer points of a keyword's usage that are often omitted from or blurred over by the documentation Tips and gotchas that include undocumented behaviors and practical applications for particular language elements -- a section particularly invaluable for diagnosing or avoiding potential programming problems A brief, nonobvious example that illustrates the use of the keywordAlso included inVB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Languageis 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 Regardless of how much experience you have programming with VBA, this is the book you'll pick up time and time again both as your standard reference guide and as a tool for troubleshooting and identifying programming problems. VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Languageis the definitive reference for Visual Basic and VBA developers.

Author Biography

Paul Lomax, author of O'Reilly's VB & VBA in a Nutshell and a coauthor of VBScript in a Nutshell, is an experienced VB programmer with a passion for sharing his knowledge--and his collection of programming tips and techniques gathered from real-world experience.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Part I: The Basics	3	(108)
Chapter 1--Introduction	3	(8)
What Is VBA?	3	(3)
A Brief History of VBA	6	(1)
What Can You Do with VBA?	7	(1)
Object Models: The Power of Programming with VBA	8	(3)
Chapter 2--Program Structure	11	(15)
Getting a VB Program to Run	12	(7)
The Structure of a VB Program	19	(5)
Ending Your VB Program	24	(2)
Chapter 3--VBA Variables and Data Types	26	(28)
Visual Basic Data Types	26	(5)
Type Conversion	31	(2)
The Variant	33	(4)
Declaring Variables and Constants	37	(2)
Array Variables	39	(6)
User-Defined Types	45	(1)
Variable Scope and Lifetime	46	(1)
Object Variables and Binding	47	(2)
Passing Parameters	49	(4)
Intrinsic Constants	53	(1)
Chapter 4--Class Modules	54	(23)
Properties	55	(7)
Enumerated Constants	62	(1)
Class Module Events	63	(5)
Implementing Custom Class Methods	68	(2)
Creating ActiveX Components	70	(5)
Using ActiveX Components in a Project	75	(2)
Chapter 5--Automation	77	(14)
Creating Object Model References	77	(2)
Reading the Object Model	79	(2)
Working with the Object Model	81	(2)
Collection Objects	83	(1)
Trapping an Automation Server's Events	84	(1)
Automation Examples	85	(4)
Automation Performance Tips	89	(2)
Chapter 6--Error Handling	91	(20)
Building a Robust Application	92	(3)
Error Handling in Procedures	95	(6)
Error Handling in ActiveX Servers	101	(3)
Reporting Errors	104	(7)
Part II: Reference	111	(472)
Chapter 7--The Language Reference	111	(472)
Part III: Appendixes	583	(34)
Appendix A--Language Elements by Category	583	(15)
Appendix B--Language Constants	598	(8)
Appendix C--Operators	606	(7)
Appendix D--What's New in VB6?	613	(4)
Index	617