VBA Programming with Excel Reference Book (2000 9.0.3821 SR-1)

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I’m looking for recommendations on the best reference book for VBA programming with Excel.

Thanks,

Wally

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John Walkenbachs Power programming with VBA is very good expecially if you are learning VBA.

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John Walkenbachs Power programming with VBA is very good expecially if you are learning VBA.

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I like this one too:

Excel 2000/2002 VBA Programmers Reference. Stephen Bullen, John Green, Rob Bovey, Robert Rosenberg. Wrox Press.

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And if, as I rather doubt, you’re starting from minus infinity (like me), John Walkenbach’s ‘Excel Programming for Dummies’ is hugely readable, and as far as I can see, True.

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I would second the recommendation for John Walkenbach’s Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA – it starts at a comfortable pace for somebody with limited experience, but gets to a pretty solid level. Other suggestions:

• I would specifically NOT recommend Excel 2000 VBA Fundamentals by Reed Jacobson (Microsoft Press); it is far too simple-minded, and the programming examples are trivial and artificial.
• Excel 2000/2002 VBA Programmers Reference Stephen Bullen, John Green, Rob Bovey, Robert Rosenberg. Wrox Press (as suggested by Jan Karel) – also a very good book, but I think better suited either for a (fairly) experienced programmer (in any language) or someone who has done a bit of VBA programming before.
• The Definitive Guide to Excel VBA Micheal Koffler, A-Press. This is comprehensive, but I didn’t learn much (if anything) that I hadn’t already seen in the Bullen or Walkenbach books. I was disappointed with this book: the author is German, and sometimes the translation gives this away in the word-order or phrasing. As well, all the screen-shots are blurry, and the author (or translator) uses unconventional terminology for VBA Arrays (refers to them as “fields”) – while what he says about using arrays is correct, I found this to be a little jarring. Even with a fair degree of familiarity with VBA, I found this book to be very unapproachable – material is presented without (to my mind) enough context about why certain constructs or processes might be useful – and I already knew why some of this stuff was important. For a learning user, I think it would be a daunting introduction.
• I have not read Walkenbach’s Dummies book – my experience with the Dummies series is that you outgrow them very quickly, although they are a very gentle introduction – I guess it depends on how high your aspirations are, and how determined you are to continue the learning process. I should add the caveat that I think Walkenbach is one of the best of the Excel authors
  [/list]In summary, I found the Walkenbach book a very good introduction, through to mid/advanced user – but it is the Bullen book I keep at work, in the shelf above my monitor . No doubt, your mileage may vary…

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I would second the recommendation for John Walkenbach’s Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA – it starts at a comfortable pace for somebody with limited experience, but gets to a pretty solid level. Other suggestions:

• I would specifically NOT recommend Excel 2000 VBA Fundamentals by Reed Jacobson (Microsoft Press); it is far too simple-minded, and the programming examples are trivial and artificial.
• Excel 2000/2002 VBA Programmers Reference Stephen Bullen, John Green, Rob Bovey, Robert Rosenberg. Wrox Press (as suggested by Jan Karel) – also a very good book, but I think better suited either for a (fairly) experienced programmer (in any language) or someone who has done a bit of VBA programming before.
• The Definitive Guide to Excel VBA Micheal Koffler, A-Press. This is comprehensive, but I didn’t learn much (if anything) that I hadn’t already seen in the Bullen or Walkenbach books. I was disappointed with this book: the author is German, and sometimes the translation gives this away in the word-order or phrasing. As well, all the screen-shots are blurry, and the author (or translator) uses unconventional terminology for VBA Arrays (refers to them as “fields”) – while what he says about using arrays is correct, I found this to be a little jarring. Even with a fair degree of familiarity with VBA, I found this book to be very unapproachable – material is presented without (to my mind) enough context about why certain constructs or processes might be useful – and I already knew why some of this stuff was important. For a learning user, I think it would be a daunting introduction.
• I have not read Walkenbach’s Dummies book – my experience with the Dummies series is that you outgrow them very quickly, although they are a very gentle introduction – I guess it depends on how high your aspirations are, and how determined you are to continue the learning process. I should add the caveat that I think Walkenbach is one of the best of the Excel authors
  [/list]In summary, I found the Walkenbach book a very good introduction, through to mid/advanced user – but it is the Bullen book I keep at work, in the shelf above my monitor . No doubt, your mileage may vary…

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And if, as I rather doubt, you’re starting from minus infinity (like me), John Walkenbach’s ‘Excel Programming for Dummies’ is hugely readable, and as far as I can see, True.

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I like this one too:

Excel 2000/2002 VBA Programmers Reference. Stephen Bullen, John Green, Rob Bovey, Robert Rosenberg. Wrox Press.

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A book I though was very good was Learn Microsoft Excel 2000 VBA Programming by Julitta Korol published by Wordware Publishing Inc. http:http://www.wordware.com.

I very much liked the way it was organized to allow the reader on the fly to quickly find what is needed. It starts from the very basic and goes to the more complex.
If you just want to get the work done buy it. If you want to know everything about Excel VBA you will need a different book. Good luck.

TD

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I also like the structure of her book, suitable for Excel VBA beginners and intermediates.

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I also like the structure of her book, suitable for Excel VBA beginners and intermediates.

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A book I though was very good was Learn Microsoft Excel 2000 VBA Programming by Julitta Korol published by Wordware Publishing Inc. http:http://www.wordware.com.

I very much liked the way it was organized to allow the reader on the fly to quickly find what is needed. It starts from the very basic and goes to the more complex.
If you just want to get the work done buy it. If you want to know everything about Excel VBA you will need a different book. Good luck.

TD

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Thank you all for your suggestions. I placed an order for John Walkenbach’s Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA.

Wally

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Thank you all for your suggestions. I placed an order for John Walkenbach’s Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA.

Wally

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