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 Escape From Excel Hell: Fixing Problems in Excel 2003, 2002 and 2000 (Mr. Spreadsheet's Bookshelf) (Paperback)

I consider myself to be an average-skill-level Excel user, and hesitated ordering this book because I was afraid it would be too technical and difficult to understand. But I purchased it anyway, and am so glad I did. I've been getting involved with more and more complicated spreadsheets, and thus needed some help. And Escape from Excel Hell provided just the help I needed.

Loren Abdulezer writes in a clear, easy to understand style, and includes many examples. Excel files containing his examples come on a CD with the book, so you can try out his suggestions and get a good understanding of why his techniques work.

I have learned so much from this book and now have a much better understanding of how to do things the "right" way from the beginning to avoid problems later when I need to modify my files.

This book is a keeper!

Product Description

• Written especially for advanced beginners and intermediate users, this book offers quick fixes for anyone bedeviled by faulty formulas, failed formatting, printer purgatory, and other perplexing Excel problems
• Offers three types of fixes: Escape in Under 30 Seconds, Escape in Under Two Minutes, and More Elaborate Escapes-over 400 solutions in all
• Topics covered include formula fixes, formatting fixes, data and layout fixes for Excel charts, PivotTable fixes, managing complexity in very large spreadsheets, fixing broken procedure functions, and more
• Includes preventive measures and best practices that teach users how to avoid problems in the future

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

From the Back Cover
When Excel talks back to you, here's what to do

You try to open a spreadsheet and Excel won't let you, because there's a macro involved. You cannot convince the software that the macro is safe. You hurl something across the room.

Grab this book instead! You'll find more than 200 fixes for things that drive Excel users crazy, organized and identified for easy access. More than 100 problems can be solved in anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. If you're a more advanced user, turn to Part III, where you'll find the more elaborate escapes.

When all you want is to make your spreadsheet work so you can finish your project, here's all you need. Oh, and the macro problem? Check Chapter 1.

Loren Abdulezer's Top Escapes

• Escape # 1 Fix tricky worksheet headers and footers
• Escape # 2 Sort tabs by alphabetical order or date
• Escape # 3 Build conditional charts
• Escape # 4 Escape messy data with formulas
• Escape # 5 Don't pay a penalty for giant spreadsheets

CD-ROM INCLUDES:

• Excel spreadsheet examples and take-aways from the book
• A searchable version of the book plus the Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Crystal Xcelsius Professional trial software and sample files

See the CD appendix for details and complete system requirements.

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Review of Excel 2007 Charts (Mr. Spreadsheet's Bookshelf) (Paperback)

I bought this book to support a college class I was taking. The instructor required us to generate charts using Excel. My experience in Excel was very limited, purchasing this book allowed me to successfully pass my coursework.

Product Description
Excel, the top number-crunching tool, now offers a vastly improved charting function to help you give those numbers dimension and relativity. John Walkenbach, a.k.a. Mr. Spreadsheet, clearly explains all these charting features and shows you how to choose the right chart for your needs. You'll learn to modify data within the chart, deal with missing data, format your chart, use trend lines, construct "impossible" charts, create charts from pivot tables, dress them up with graphics, and more.

From the Back Cover
Chart your success with data that means something

The top tool for number-crunching now offers a vastly improved charting function to help you give those numbers dimension and relativity. And here's Mr. Spreadsheet to help you make the most of it.

John Walkenbach clearly explains all of Excel's charting features and shows you how to choose the right chart for your needs. You'll learn to modify data within the chart, deal with missing data, format your chart, use trend lines, and create charts from pivot tables. You'll be able to use AutoShapes, dress up your charts with graphics, and more, all with clear direction from the leading Excel expert.

Mr. Spreadsheet's Chart Toppers

• Chart Topper # 1 Create high-impact effects

• Chart Topper # 2 Match your chart to your data

• Chart Topper # 3 Customize charts with graphics

• Chart Topper # 4 Construct "impossible" charts

• Chart Topper # 5 Build interactive charts

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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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Review of Excel Programming: Your visual blueprint for creating interactive spreadsheets (Paperback)

For some time, I have wanted to program in Visual Basic for Applications as a means to automate Excel 2000/2002.I have looked at many titles in the bookstore by various authors (experts in the field, unquestionably), but none seem targeted to the novice or intermediate user who simply wants to understand the VBA environment and how to benefit from its powerful capabilities.If other books were trying to target such an audience, then they suffered from poor readability and simply too much material. This book instills confidence in novice users as the reader is given very succinct explanations on variables, procedures, subroutines/functions, and, of course, the Excel Object Model.I have not been able to put the book down, practically speaking.

Extremely well organized, with generally very good and detailed graphics. It makes its point in roughly 325 pp. and features an excellent appendix dealing with constants, etc. I believe this book will forever relegate the more pricey books I have on the subject to a shelf in my technical library.The others are authoritative books, to be sure, but I never gained confidence with the format. Reading other sources proved exhausting when compared to this book.As an Excel user who wrote some macros in the Excel 95 version of the software, this book is a welcome addition.The book contains probably a few typos, and perhaps an illustration or two (screen shots of the Excel or VB Editor interface) is unclear or improperly rendered(such as in the section "Remove a Module"). Minor, minor details that won't matter in the overall scheme of things - this book rates very high in my opinion. Another plus: the CD ROM has the sample code used in many sections in the book as well as an "e-version" of the book itself.

Product Description
Excel(r) Programming 2nd Edition

Welcome to the only guidebook series that takes a visual approach to professional-level computer topics. Open the book and you'll discover step-by-step screen shots that demonstrate over 120 key Excel programming techniques, including:
* Creating and launching keyboard shortcuts
* Setting macro security
* Assigning a digital signature
* Developing a function with VBA
* Displaying a built-in dialog box
* Converting a list into an array
* Using the msgbox function
* Processing a runtime error
* Saving a workbook in a specified format
* Finding the intersection of two ranges

From the Back Cover
Excel^® Programming 2nd Edition

Welcome to the only guidebook series that takes a visual approach to professional-level computer topics. Open the book and you'll discover step-by-step screen shots that demonstrate over 120 key Excel programming techniques, including:

• Creating and launching keyboard shortcuts
• Setting macro security
• Assigning a digital signature
• Developing a function with VBA
• Displaying a built-in dialog box
• Converting a list into an array
• Using the msgbox function
• Processing a runtime error
• Saving a workbook in a specified format
• Finding the intersection of two ranges

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Review of Excel Data Analysis: Your Visual Blueprint for Analyzing Data, Charts, and PivotTables, 2nd Edition (Visual Blueprint) (Paperback)

First of all I have to confess that this book was acquired under the conditions that I probably know 90% of the materials covered in the book. Thus my interest is in the 10% I am not aware of and the other 10% if there are alternative ways to solve problems better than I am doing now.

In this regards, I am satisfied. However if you are looking for learning simple "how-to"s like conditional formula, creating a chart, you would be disappointed since this book covers too much depth for beginners and it becomes easy to get lost in the sea of information.

Product Description
Excel is a spreadsheet / data analysis tool attached to the Microsoft Office suite and is available in all Office offerings. Office holds 80-90% of the market share for productivity suites. Though many consumers know the basics of using Excel, they may not know the full power of the program. With Excel, you can harness the power of your data, manipulate it to suit your needs, and achieve more by doing less work. Charts are interactive, allowing the consumer to tweak results with the click of a mouse. Pivot tables allow you to fuse data from several sources into one document. Excel has an enhanced Find function, allowing users to easily search entire workbooks, and search worksheets by cell format. Excel supports XML as a file format for easy importing or exporting of XML data. Excel also includes enhancements for saving files as Web pages, and enhancements to Pivot Tables.

From the Back Cover
Excel Data Analysis 2nd Edition

Welcome to the only guidebook series that takes a visual approach to professional-level computer topics. Open the book and you'll discover step-by-step screen shots that demonstrate over 100 key Excel data analysis techniques, including:

• Creating PivotTables and PivotCharts
• Importing and linking data
• Compiling data from various sources
• Filtering a list
• Creating an amortization table
• Manipulating data within a chart
• Editing external database tables
• Using an Excel function in a macro
• Building PivotTable formulas
• Using Analysis Toolpak add-ins

• High-resolution screen shots demonstrate each task
• Succinct explanations walk you through step by step
• Two-page lessons break big topics into bite-sized modules
• "Apply It" and "Extra" sidebars highlight useful tips

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