Looking for confirmation of content before purchase of MS Excel VBA and Macros (Office 2021 and MS365)

[onechipshot]

Does the book include significant space provided for techniques to troubleshoot errant VBA code? Also, is there a combination edition that includes both paperback and eBook?

 

[starl]

A book to *teach* how to troubleshoot code is a tall order. The simple answer is no, this book doesn't teach you how to troubleshoot. Not in any one specific chapter. What it does is teach you how to code, such as using Set for an object before using the object. But it doesn't go over the multitude of Excel error codes, since they can mean just about anything. A common one the gets asked is about Object Required. Simply put, it means the object is missing. But that doesn't tell you if it's missing, misspelled, lost, etc.
Chapter 2 does go over the available debugging tools, which programmers use to trace errors. For example, watching specific variables and stepping through your code to ensure the variable value is as expected - that can sometimes track an error. Error handling is mentioned in various chapters (On Error Goto, On Error Resume Next, etc), as the suggested method to use depends on the situation. Chapter 2 is a great place to start since those are the tools used.

The Microsoft Press Store has a combo for purchase: Microsoft Excel VBA and Macros (Office 2021 and Microsoft 365) | Microsoft Press Store

 

[onechipshot]

Thank you for your rapid response. I do understand you. However, I was just hoping for something beyond the obvious which you mentioned. Like how to use the immediate window to determine if your object type is correct, hovering over a key word and pressing F1 etc.

Please know that my intent is not to be critical but to identify the best resource to help me grow. A few quick ones. Does it provide: a solid foundation of the language and then drill down? Robust Pivot Table examples of customization beyond the obvious basics. Detail example of loops that use complex nested variables. Any other book you might recommend?

Can the eBook be converted to a PDF. I have an app that reads PDF's aloud. I use it during my 2 hours commute (round trip) each day.

Thankyou in advance for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[starl]

The immediate window is used to run a line of code right away. To check your object type, I'd use the Watch window. Frankly, I find the Watch window very handy as a tool to drilldown on objects. Does the book teach you how to use it in all the ways possible? No, but it does introduce it. The book is 600 pages long. To cover everything in the kind of detail your asking would require many volumes.
F1.. I don't know - I didn't write that chapter. Basically, the section on the debugging tools goes over the built-in tools with some brief examples so you understand what they do and how to use them.

Solid Foundation - depends who you talk to. Some readers think our book is great. Others think it's not simplified enough, even though it explains how to work with ranges, the most basic object in Excel. (You can download the Range chapter from the link I provided previously.) It builds up from there. Pivot Tables customization - depends on what you mean. It explains how to create one from scratch using VBA; using some of the advanced features; filtering; formatting intersections; and more.

Loops - yes, those are discussed. Some in chapter 4 and of course there are some used in several code samples throughout the book.

Amazon's Look Inside shows the complete Table of Contents - broken down to the sections. That might answer your questions on what kind of information is covered.

You would have to contact the Microsoft Store for questions about the ebook. I have no idea (or control over what they allow/do).

Even though I wrote 1/2 the book - I often refer to it myself. Sometimes it's because the project I'm working on includes information Bill wrote about (pivot tables, charts) and other times, I just don't remember exactly how to do something, even though I wrote the section myself (*lol* - for the life of me, I can never remember the details on how to work with multi-column listboxes).

There's a lot of code samples in the book. Usually we introduce/explain a concept but follow that with a code sample. Sometimes it's a short sample, showing how to use the specific property being discussed, but often, it's a full sub to give you an idea of how you *might* want to structure a solution (there's rarely a single solution to a logic problem).

Anyway, as I mentioned above -I suggest you check out the Table of Contents at Amazon - it's in their "Look Inside." There's the chapter TOC, but after that, there's a TOC with the sections broken out.

 

[onechipshot]

Thank you for your excellent response. Your attention to the requests of your customers is truly awesome. I have purchased the combo and look forward to diving in.