Using VB with MS Applications R. Juhl, Delta College

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) VBA works with many applications including Microsoft Office Use VBA to: accomplish tasks automatically Event driven or when a user generates a stimulus change the application environment VBA is integrated with all Microsoft Office products In Office 2007 you have to enable VBA MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint Located in the Developer Tab MS Access Located on the “Database Tools “ Tab

To enable VBA Click on: ‘Show Developer tab in the Ribbon’

The “Developer Tab” is now added:

Note that other 2007 Office products: Visio Project Publisher and previous products in Office 2003 do not use the Ribbon Interface.

You access VBA in these products by selecting the: Tools  Macro menu

Other product s use VBA, too: In reference to our text book…….. MSDN or Microsoft Developer Network website States Microsoft's position on Licensing VBA Contains Support links for using VBA

Use VBA to automate : Documents Compose letters by picking predetermined text Spreadsheets Click a button for predefined automatic data entry Database Importing Data and performing calculations Labor Loading

Use VBA to automate : Customizing an application interface Create new version of features Exclude unwanted information Include only the information needed Performing calculations Change data before you use it Simplify by using small steps rather than large

Select the ‘Visual Basic’ Icon from the ‘Developer’ Menu

The Integrated Development Environment Parts

Project Explorer Contains List of items in the project Contains all project elements in a single file VB Application exists within project file

The Integrated Development Environment Parts Properties Contains Properties or Attributes of the object selected Color Words on it Boolean attributes Password

The Integrated Development Environment Parts Code Contains The VB code needed to make the application Subroutines Functions Procedures

IDE Supports Forms: You decide: What appears on the form How the form acts / user interaction Use the toolbox To create controls used in forms Text Box, Labels, Check box, etc… More in Chapter 7

A note on objects Your VBA programs will contain objects A form could be an object The Apple Metaphor Properties ? Methods ?

A note on objects Your VBA programs will contain objects A form could be an object The Apple Metaphor Properties ? (color, taste) Methods ?

A note on objects Your VBA programs will contain objects A form could be an object The Apple Metaphor Properties ? (color, taste) Methods ?

A note on objects Your VBA programs will contain objects A form could be an object The Apple Metaphor Properties ? (color, taste) Methods ? ( pick, eat )

o A note on objects Your VBA programs will contain objects A form could be an object The Apple Metaphor Properties ? (color, taste) Methods ? (pick, eat ) Events ? ( changes color over time )

o Setting up security (to run macros / VBA)

Select the Developer or Database Tools Tab Click Macro Security Using Project Explorer Interact with the objects that make up the project Objects listed depend on the application

Project Explorer - Word Project Documents Doucment Templates Project Explorer - Excel Project Worksheets Workbooks Project Explorer - Access Project Database(s)

Project Explorer can also contain other objects: Forms – User interface Modules – Nonvisual code Class Modules – Contain new object to build

Project Explorer – Right click to find context menu properties (more in chapter 3)

Working with special entries In Word you may see a reference folder

Working with special entries In Word you may see a reference folder

Working with special entries In Word you may see a reference folder It may contain templates In many cases you can’t modify objects in the special folder Its used for information only You normally don’t need to work with these objects

Using the Properties Window Most objects in the VBA IDE have properties Properties describe objects Some common properties are: text boolean i.e. visible property may be True False

Using the Properties Window Object properties may also have: Numeric value i.e. to place a control use the left / top properties set to numbers Drop down list Color property For help with properties Highlight the property and press F 1

Using the Code Window Where you write application code Sub SayHello() ' Display the message box Result = MsgBox("Click a Button Please", vbYesNoCancel, "A Messege") 'See which button the user pressed. MsgBox Result End Sub

Using the Code Window Where you write application code Sub SayHello() ' Display the message box Result = MsgBox("Click a Button Please", vbYesNoCancel, "A Messege") 'See which button the user pressed. MsgBox Result End Sub

Using the Code Window To open existing code Click on the module folder and open the module you want to edit.

Using the Code Window The code window also automatically appears when you perform other tasks When you double click on a forms control: The code window opens for that control Allows you to edit code for the event handler that corresponds to the control

Creating a new code window From the IDE select Insert  Module It appears as a new code window It appears as a module in the Project / Module folder

Typing text in the Code window If you make an error VBA checks what you type.

The code window has a context menu (right click)

Code context help is available by right- clicking the key code word

Using the Immediate window Select View  Immediate Window

You can type code directly into the immediate window to test…

The immediate window remembers the variable state…. Using MyVar in the previous slide and typing MsgBox Myvar

IDE Object Browser Use View  Object Browser

The Object Browser Provides all the VBA objects at your disposal Objects are the fundamental building block of Visual Basic; Nearly everything you do in Visual Basic involves modifying objects. Every element of Microsoft Word — documents, tables, paragraphs, bookmarks, fields and so on — can be represented by an object in Visual Basic.

The Object Browser Provides all the VBA objects at your disposal Objects are the fundamental building block of Visual Basic; Nearly everything you do in Visual Basic involves modifying objects. Every element of Microsoft Word — documents, tables, paragraphs, bookmarks, fields and so on — can be represented by an object in Visual Basic.

The Object Browser Lists Libraries of: Objects Modules Forms Methods Projects And their properties / Functions

The Object Browser Applications Library has the name of the application

The Object Browser Office Library Lists Objects that Microsoft Office supports Used to find support for Office Assistant 2003 The Object Browser also contains the current VBA project

The Object Browser Lists StdOLE Library Object Linking and Embedding Embed a picture in a document Link one document to anther VBA Library Special Utility Objects MsgBox function

The Object Browser Searching Type in the keyword / method etc….

You can cut & paste from the Object Browser by: Selecting the item Clicking the Double Document Icon Copies to the clipboard Then pasting directly into your application