Is There a Simpler Form of Macros That Can Used With Excel

[sm2200]

Prior to Exce,l I used the spreadsheet in Symphony. It was very similar to Lotus 123. I did not need macros often but when I did I learned how to write programs using Symphony's relatively simple form of macros and it was quite sufficient for the work I did.
Since switching to Excel, I find their macros (VBA) to be very difficult to learn, especially since I infrequently have to use macros.
I believe that Excel should have provided the user with 2 sets of macros, VBA and the simpler form used in Lotus 123.
Is there any way of using a simple form of macros in Excel? Or is there a software program out there that piggybacks on Excel so that the simpler macro programming can be used?

Thanks,

Sam Marx

 

[Norie]

"Object Model for the Spreadsheet Environment" I never read that in their instructions.

That might not be directly mentioned.

All I mean by it is that there is a object model that can be manipulated using VBA.

At the top is the actual Excel (or whatever) Application, then you have Workbook objects, then Worksheets, then Ranges etc

"Can the macros you describe to file manipulation" I Don't understand. Do you mean "do file manipulation", if so, I don't think so.

Yes, it was just a typo.

I've actually got a few Schaums myself, very old though.

I don't know how they will be for VBA but might be worth a try.

 

[sm2200]

I'll let you know if I ever learn VBA or if I have any questions on it.

If I can find a copy of Symphony or Lotus, I'll use it to solve the programming problem I presently have.

Thanks,

Sam Marx

 

[Tazguy37]

I checked Schaums list and they had "Excel VBA MACRO PROGRAMMING" by Richard Sheperd. Like a second marriage, I ordered it with HOPE despite EXPERIENCE.

I'll grant you that Schaums literature can be a great resource, but based on my previous experience using their work for Calculus and Physics -- there is no comparison. The scope of VBA is just too broad for the kind of outlines they publish. Hopefully, all you're after is a basic understanding of the VBA object model, how to record your own macros, and some tips on how to simplify them once they are recorded.

VBA is definitely one of those topics that you can get a ton of info from books, but you're not really learning it until you use it in real-world applications.

My five cents....

 

[Zack Barresse]

The new VBA and Macros for Microsoft Excel has plenty of examples and real-world scenarios as well. Don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure them out either, accompanied by good explanations. I have a copy of the book, I recommend it. Very nice.

I've also heard very good things about all books by either John Walkenbach or Stephen Bullen, two Microsoft Excel MVP's.

 

[sm2200]

Who is the author of "VBA and MACROS for MICROSOFT EXCEL" that you recommend ? Is it a Mr. Excel publication ?

I have John Walkenbach's "Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA" . I'll look at it again.

As for Schaum's Calculus & Physics workbooks, as I recall, I found them very useful in college for all the worked out examples and tests they had. Perhaps the reason that our opinions of Schaums is different is because I went to an engineering college and the emphasis there in Math and Physics is more on applications. In liberal arts colleges the emphasis is more on derivations and proofs which Schaums lacks.

Thanks,

Sam Marx

 

[Zack Barresse]

Yes, it is a MrExcel publication written by the man himself, Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad (starl).

If you have J-Walk's book, you've got a great resource there. I highly recommend you use it.

And learning Excel/VBA is not collegiate work.

 

[Von Pookie]

And learning Excel/VBA is not collegiate work.

Yeah, just look at me!

No VBA skills from book-learnin' here. Everything I know about VBA I can attribute to examining results from the macro recorder, the VBA help files, trying things on my own and asking questions here.

I *do* have a copy of "VBA for Dummies" or whatever the actual full title is, and I've skimmed through it a little but couldn't tell you a thing from it. I've never actually used it.

 

[sm2200]

It seems as if a number of you learned VBA by trial and error using the macro recording process and building up useful programs that you could refer back to.

I still believe that the % of Excel users who do not use VBA macros because of its difficulty in learning is very large, and is an unspoken secret. Whereas, the macros used by Lotus/Symphony users were relatively simple and were learned and used by a much larger % of its practitioners. I wish that MicroSoft had given us both types of macros to select from in Excel.

 

[Zack Barresse]

I think once you learn the Object Model and the basics of VB/VBA, it is relatively simple. I wouldn't even compare Lotus and Excel in their current states.

 

[Von Pookie]

Some things to keep in mind, I think:

• All languages (even programming ones) evolve over time.
• Old programmers can (and in many cases have to) learn new tricks.
• Admittedly I don't know the logistics of it but I would think that even if Microsoft had wanted to use the Lotus macro language, there would most likely be lawyers and money and other intricacies that may have simply been easier to not worry about.
• Microsoft is not Lotus.