Review of Microsoft Excel VBA Programming for the Absolute Beginner (Paperback)

You do not need Visual studio installed to run the projects in this book.The errors mentioned in the previous review are caused by changes in the path to the VBA string functions when using Windows XP. You can always just enter the code as is written in the book into a new VBA project using Excel and it will run fine. But the simplest solution is this:

1.) Open the project that is giving you trouble.
2.) Select 'Move or Copy Sheet...' from the Edit menu.
3.) Choose to Move the selected sheet to a new workbook to create a copy.
4.) The new workbook should look just like the previous workbook.Only now the library paths will be updated to what's on your computer and the program will work. You will have to save the new workbook or the program will be lost when you close it and you will have to repeat the above steps.

This problem should have been caught in the reviewing process but we missed it. Sorry. Please ignore my rating.I had to put something in that field in order to respond.

Product Description
If you are new to programming with Microsoft Excel VBA and are looking for a solid introduction, this is the book for you. Developed by computer science professors, books in the "for the absolute beginner" series teach the principles of programming through simple game creation. Microsoft Excel VBA Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Third Edition provides you with the skills that you need for more practical Excel VBA programming applications and shows you how to put these skills to use in real-world scenarios. Best of all, by the time you finish the book, you will be able to apply the basic principles you've learned to the next programming language you tackle.

About the Author
Duane Birnbaum began programming in graduate school, where he wrote custom software for interfacing the various electronic devices require for his experiments and analyzing the data obtained from them. Since completing his Ph.D. in physical chemistry, he has worked in academia and the biotech industry while continually teaching on a part-time basis. He has been serving as a part-time lecturer in computer science at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis for seven years teaching courses in programming, data analysis, and database design.

Michael Vine has taught computer programming, web design and database classes at Indiana University Purdue University (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, IN and MTI College in Sacramento, CA. Michael has 12 years of professional IT experience with Fortune 500 companies in database development, software engineering, web design and IT project management.

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Review of Microsoft Excel VBA Professional Projects (Paperback)

This book's subtitle "Professional Projects" led me to believe that the projects would be useful examples easily adapted to typical business situations. I was wrong. The books starts out with a breezy 150-page overview of VBA but then goes into the development of four projects that incorporate the most complex aspects of VBA programming. The first project is enough for all but the most experienced VBA programmer to shelve the book and forget about it.The first project, an excel-html converter, is preceded by three chapters that describe the necessary components for the converter: Custom Menus, Charts and Custom Objects. It is highly unlikely that the average business user is going to expend the time and energy to learn how to create their own custom objects particularly for a project of such little usefulness. The second project is a Data Analysis project incorporating a data exchange with Access and pivot tables. The third project involves creating a stock ticker with internet access and the final project involves automating data analysis and fitting a curve to the data. I did like the format of the book whereby each project is preceded by a couple chapters explaining the components (excel objects) that make up the project but those chapters are not in-depth enough for the casual VBA to fully grasp what is going on. The projects themselves are suited for an experienced users or those seeking to become serious VBA programmers.For the business user I recommend instead Albright's VBA for Modelers.

Product Description
Microsoft Excel VBA Professional Projects illustrates and teaches intermediate to advanced techniques in VBA programming using Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet application. It provides an introduction to VBA and Excel VBA before proceeding through four to five programming projects using Excel to illustrate basic and advanced programming techniques. It does not assume any prior knowledge of Excel VBA programming.

About the Author
Duane Birnbaum received a Ph.D from the University of California, Riverside in 1991 in physical chemistry.He works at Biogel Technology as a research scientist and has authored numerous scientific articles in the areas of chemical physics, biochemistry, and chemical engineering.He began teaching part-time in the computer science department of Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis in 1997, focusing on an introductory course in data analysis with an emphasis on using the tools in spreadsheet applications.Duane lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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