How do I start learning VBA/Macro

[astonric]

Dear everyone,

I have a few classes on C/ C++/ Java. Where could I find the online resources to learn VBA/Marco. I've tried to research online. But those I've found do not have the steps by steps for the coding syntax, library functions...etc.. Your input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

astonric

[Richard Buttrey]

Hi,

You've made the right start by visiting this forum. Why not follow a few threads and see the answers that are given.

The easiest way to see the correct syntax for VBA code is to use the macro recorder. That's the fallback for most of us when we're unsure. Be aware however that whilst this will show you the correct syntax, it is quite bloated code. It will always list all parameters with their default settings for particular actions and if the default settings are what you actually want you can delete them.

The recorder also performs a lots of .Select and .Activate events for cells and sheets which are rarely needed. You can generally cut out these commands which only slow things down. e.g. if you record the actions to copy a cell and paste it somewhere else you'll record code like

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This can be cut down to

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And of course you can't use the macro recorder to build in logic like If..Then tests or Do..While loops etc. You'll need to study examples to pick up this sort of stuff.

There are of course many books on the bookshelves which explain the principles of VBA and macros.

HTH

[ajaykgarg]

I was in your shoes few months back.
I started with googling "how to write my first excel macro" (without quotes).
Next, I started with simple exercises / problems, and searching their solutions on google.
e.g. How to select a text ("aeroplane") in a range of cells (cells A1 to B32); how to find last used row on a sheet, how to copy data from one cell to another, etc.

hth
Ajay

[royUK]

I think one of the major requirements is a solid understanding of basic excel before attempting VBA

[Andrew-R]

The two factors which have most helped me in learning Excel macros have been:

1. A number of ball-achingly dull jobs to do involving large quantities of data.
2. Being extremely lazy.

These factors have meant that when I've been faced with anything that (a) looks like real work and (b) isn't very exciting I've been motivated to find an easy way to do it.

I started learning Excel macros (back before nice, easy VBA became the macro language) because I had two spreadsheets of consecutive years, each listing all of the products of a major multinational manufacturer and I had a week to find all of the differences between them.

If you're not lucky enough to get a steady supply of dull data processing jobs then I'd suggest you try solving some of the problems that people post here and see how you get on. Don't be worried if your solutions are vastly different to the ones posted, as there are at least 114 ways to solve any given Excel problem.

I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice on cultivating laziness - it's one of those skills that you either have or you don't.