Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 10 May 2013
Before you can start writing VBA code for Excel you need to understand how to use the tool that you'll use to do your programming. This video teaches you how to get started using the Visual Basic Editor, including how to get into the application from various versions of Excel, how to work with the various windows, how to modify the default settings and how to work with modules. You won't learn how to write any code here, but this video will ensure your life will be as easy as possible when you do!
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 10 May 2013
VBA, or Visual Basic for Applications, is a powerful tool that you can use to automate Microsoft Excel. This video introduces you to the basics of writing code in the VB Editor, including how to create a new module, how to write a subroutine, some best practice guidelines for laying out your code and adding comments, and how to write simple VBA instructions. We'll also show you how to run the simple procedure that you'll write, and how to ensure that you can save your code and reopen the file which contains it.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 10 May 2013
If you've written at least one subroutine in VBA you'll probably already be familiar with the feeling of frustration when things don't work! This video teaches you about the different types of error that you're likely to encounter when programming in VBA and what to do when things go wrong. You'll learn the difference between syntax, compile and runtime errors, when each type is likely to happen and we'll even show you a few useful debugging techniques to help you when you're trying to figure out what went wrong!
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 10 May 2013
As a developer you'll be used to running most of your code from within the Visual Basic Editor environment. Your users, on the other hand, are more likely to require a simple interface (most likely involving buttons to click) that they can use to run your code. This video covers the main ways to provide users with the means to run your code including keyboard shortcuts, buttons and drawing objects with attached macros. We'll even show you how to customise the ribbon and toolbars in Excel for that extra, professional touch!
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 23 May 2013
You won't get far in Excel VBA without understanding how to refer to cells! This fairly long video covers most of the common, and some uncommon, techniques for selecting and referring to cells. You'll learn how to select cells by cell reference using the Range property, how to refer to cells by row and column number using the Cells property, and how to refer to the currently selected cell using the Activecell property. We also cover how to select multiple cells and how to refer to range names as well as a variety of relative selection tricks such as using the End property to jump to the bottom of a list, using the Offset property to move a specific number of rows and columns, and how to select an entire region of data with one simple instruction. Along the way you'll also learn several techniques for formatting and modifying cells, as well as how to copy and paste data in VBA.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 09 November 2013
In order to navigate a workbook using VBA it's essential to understand how to refer to, activate and select the various types of sheet. This video explains the difference between worksheet, chart and sheet objects and also demonstrates how to select, copy, move, delete and rename them. You'll also see how to change the visibility of the sheets in a workbook, including how to make sheets not just hidden, but VERY hidden!
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 17 January 2014
This video explains the basics of working with Workbooks in Excel VBA. You'll learn several techniques for referring to workbooks, including the difference between ActiveWorkbook and ThisWorkbook. You'll also find out how to open existing workbooks and create new ones, including how to create a workbook based on a template. Finally, the video looks at various techniques for saving files, including how to provide a filename and a location, and how to change the file type.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 21 January 2014
Variables are essential in all sorts of programming languages, and VBA is no exception. This video takes you through the basics of working with simple data-type variables and will explain the difference between non-declared and explicitly-declared variables, including why explicitly-declared variables are worth the effort! You'll see how to choose the best data type for your variables as well as learn about the consequences if you get it wrong. Finally you'll find out what the 'scope' of a variable means and how to set the scope appropriately for the subroutine that you're writing.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 22 January 2014
Object variables in VBA allow you to store references to objects in memory. They're slightly more complex to use than basic data-type variables, but well worth the effort and this video explains why! You'll learn how to declare object variables and how to set references to existing objects. The video also shows you how to return references to objects using the methods of other objects with examples including generating new workbooks and worksheets, as well as using the Find method to reference cells.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 23 January 2014
Message boxes in VBA provide a convenient way to display information to a user. This video shows you all you need to know to get started with showing messages, customising the message box and using it to ask users for input.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 27 January 2014
In VBA an Input Box is a convenient way to ask users for information. This video shows you how to display and customise a basic inputbox, and how to capture the result using cells or variables. You'll also see what happens if a user cancels from the inputbox and how to test if that happens. The final part of the video goes into more technical detail on returning inputbox results to variables with different data types.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 03 November 2014
If you've used the generic InputBox function in VBA you may be frustrated by its limitations. This video shows you how to use the far superior Application.InputBox method. You'll learn how to specify the data type returned by the InputBox and how to use its built-in validation feature to control what users can enter. The video also covers how to return a simple formula and a more complex function from the InputBox and also how to allow users to select a range of cells which can then be referenced by your VBA code. The final part of the video covers a more complex example in which the InputBox returns an array of values which can be looped over and manipulated in various ways.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 30 January 2014
A With Statement in VBA is a great way to make your code a lot neater and a bit more efficient. This short video shows you how to use With statements in your code and explains why they can be so useful.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 31 January 2014
An IF Statement allows you to test whether a condition is met and then perform different actions based on the result. This video takes you from writing simple IF statements, through nested Ifs, ElseIfs and even how to combine logical tests using the And and Or operators.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 03 February 2014
Select Case statements in VBA are similar to If statements in that they allow to test whether conditions are met and perform different actions based on the result. This video explains how to use Select Case statements in your code, including the various ways to phrase a logical test, how to separate numbers into bands, how to test for lists of values and how to create nested Select Case statements.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 06 February 2014
Do Loops in VBA allow you to carry out a set of instructions repeatedly until some kind of condition is met. This video teaches you about the basics of the Do Loop statement including how to write Do Until and Do While loops, where to place your conditional statements and how to exit from a loop. The final part of the video provides a couple of longer examples using Do Loops.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 07 February 2014
You can use a For Next Loop to tell your program to repeat a set of instructions a number of times. This video teaches you how to construct a For Next statement, how to control how many times your loop will run, as well as which direction it will run in. The video also includes several practical examples of using a For Next Loop to process the items in a collection such as worksheets, workbooks and cells.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 10 February 2014
A For Each Loop is used to loop over a collection of objects and there are lots of good reasons for wanting to do that in Excel VBA! This video takes you from the basics of the For Each Next statement and using object variables through several examples of looping over worksheets, workbooks, chartobjects and cells and, finally, into writing nested loops for even more power.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 17 February 2014
A VBA function is a procedure that can return a value and this video teaches you how to create them. You'll learn how to declare a function and how to add parameters, including optional parameters and default values. You'll also see several ways to call the functions you've written, including from other VBA procedures and from an Excel worksheet. The video also talks about how to rewrite existing subroutines to replace repetitive code with functions.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 24 February 2014
Almost every procedure you write in VBA has the potential to go wrong at some point! Writing error handling code allows your procedures to fail gracefully instead of dumping the user out into the run time error dialog box. This video teaches you all about the On Error statement including how to ignore errors, how to trigger a custom error handler and how to resume running your code after an error has occurred. Towards the end of the video you'll also encounter the Err object which allows you to interrogate the error that has occurred and even raise your own custom errors.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 28 February 2014
Writing Event Procedures allows you to create subroutines which run automatically in response to events in a workbook. This video teaches you how to access the events of an object and start writing event procedures for both workbooks and worksheets. You'll also see how to cancel certain events and how to disable events, as well as how to use the parameters of an event procedure.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 28 February 2014
Designing a User Form in VBA is a great way to allow you users to interact with your workbook. This video teaches you how to create forms, how to add controls and manipulate their properties and how to add code the events of the form to make it respond to user actions. You'll also get an insight into how much code goes into performing even very simple validation to control what your users can do with the form.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 03 April 2021
This video explains how to write a variety of logical tests using If statements in Excel VBA. You'll learn the long and short versions of testing if something is True or False and the difference between testing a value and a reference to an object. You'll see how to use the Is keyword and the Not keyword and understand why we sometimes write the pattern "If Not ... Is Nothing Then".
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 10 August 2021
This video explains how to use the SelectedSheets collection to hide all the unselected sheets in a workbook using Excel VBA.
Posted by
Rick Gould
on 29 July 2024
How to use VBA to autofit columns as you type in values.
