Guest Author - Chris Curtis

Visual Basic for Applications


Visual Basic for Applications is a programming language that allows you to customize and extend your software program to suit your needs. It can automate common tasks you manually complete. Your application will become more effective and efficient when you use VBA to enhance your work.

VBA is available in all of the MS Office Suite programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access) as well as, Visio and Project. It is also available in many other non-Microsoft applications under license to Microsoft (e.g., AutoCAD.) With VBA you can combine the power of more than one application for an integrated solution.

The key to understanding VBA is recognizing that it is a programming language within the host software program. It must be available in the software program and the software program must be running to work with it. With that said, you MUST have a solid background in the software program in which you want to create an automated solution using VBA. You must understand how the program works before you start. Planning what you want to accomplish and knowing how you would get the results manually is important for successful VBA programs.

A VBA program is often referred to as a Macro. The VBA program (or Macro) is a block of instructions the software program carries out when the Macro is initiated. It can include prompts for user input, display popup boxes with instructions or information, and customized menus and toolbars. Essentially, it performs all of the steps you would need to make manually with your keyboard and mouse to accomplish your task.

For example, you need to extract certain pieces of information from your Word document to send to your clients as a confirmation of the work order. Right now you are manually copying the original file to a new document, and deleting the lines that are for internal use only. Once you have modified the document to include only the information necessary to send to the client, you email the modified document to them. Think about how many steps you would have to take to accomplish this task each time. You can write a macro to execute these steps within a matter of a few seconds at the push of one button. Clearly, this would save you a large amount of time.

I have been involved with developing some VBA applications that have saved user's as much as 2 days work each time the macro runs. Overtime, these efficiencies can really add up.

Stay tuned for:
How to get Started – Macro Recording
Tools for Developing your Macro Skills