Where did you Learn to script?

[trypleight]

Just wondering where all the scripters on this site learned what they know. I'll start it off. First off, I am a complete newbie at the VBS world, as for straight accounting and financial formating, functions, and inputs I am a little more of a whiz. I got most of my training in the class room while completing my account/finance degree. Much more of my learnings came from boards and chat rooms such as this one.

who's next

Thanks

RM

P.S. Is it worth it to take a course on VBS or is just buying a book a better alternative?

 

[SydneyGeek]

There are some good books around. Any of Walkenbach's Power Programming books, also the MrExcel VBA book, and Stephen Bullen is another author worth looking out for.

There are also some good online tutorials -- try a Google search and see what you come up with.

In addition, the 2500 Macro Samples CD from this site has heaps of good stuff in it, and as you have pointed out, there are more than a few good samples on this site too.

So ...
1. Find a problem that you NEED to solve
2. Get hold of some resources
3. Give it a go, starting with the macro recorder first to see what it comes up with. Not always the best code, but yo will see the structure of the language pretty quickly. (To see what the recorder did, press Alt+F8, select your recorded macro, then click Edit).
4. Post here with any problems. There's heaps of guys who will set you straight if you get stuck.

Bottom line -- it's a learning process that can take a while. How fast you learn will depend on what problems you need to solve. But you may also find formula-based solutions on this site for things you thought could only be done in code.

Good luck, hope to be able to help you on your journey.

Denis

 

[Andrew Poulsom]

I found John Walkenbach's book really useful:

http://j-walk.com/ss/books/xlbook25.htm

 

[Fazza]

Hi RM,

I too bought a Walkenbach book. In 2004. After about a month of "teething" problems - mostly becoming familiar with the object model and learning the syntax - VBA has been simple ever since. All my Excel has been learnt from using it in an office environment.

If you're keen, I'd recommend a good book and a bit of practice. This board can be very helpful too.

best wishes, Fazza

 

[HalfAce]

The most important aspect is what Denis listed (IMO quite correctly) as #1.
Find a problem that you need to solve.
All the books, classes & tutorials you can find won't help much without something to apply that knowledge to.
That's where this board really comes in handy.
Not only for the help you can get in solving pretty much any problem you can think up, but for a great source of the 'problems' themselves that your present job/situation might never present you with.

I think that's been my greatest asset in learning to write code, having to come up with solutions to problems that I would've never dreamed up myself.
Stick around. There’s some truly impressive talent haunting this forum.