Microsoft Office

Part VI
Programming Excel with VBA
The For-Next loop examines each cell in the InputRange. If the cell has a formula, then the cell’s address
and formula are written to the OutputSheet. The OutputRow variable is also incremented.
Figure 39.12 shows the result of running this macro — a handy list of all formulas in the worksheet.
FIGURE 39.12
The ListFormulas macro creates a list of all formulas in a worksheet.
As macros go, this example is okay, but it’s certainly not perfect. It’s not very flexible, and it doesn’t include
any error handling. For example, if the workbook structure is protected, trying to add a new sheet will
cause an error.
Learning More
This chapter barely scratches the surface of what you can do with VBA. If this is your first exposure to VBA,
you’re probably a bit overwhelmed by objects, properties, and methods. I don’t blame you. If you try to
access a property that an object doesn’t have, you get a run-time error, and your VBA code grinds to a
screeching halt until you correct the problem. Fortunately, several good ways are available to learn about
objects, properties, and methods.
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Read the rest of the book. Subsequent chapters in this section contain additional information
and many more examples.
Record your actions. The best way to become familiar with VBA is to turn on the macro recorder
and record actions that you make in Excel. You can then examine the code to gain some insights
regarding the objects, properties, and methods.
Use the Help system. The main source of detailed information about Excel’s objects, methods,
and procedures is the VBA Help system. Help is very thorough and easy to access. When you’re in
a VBA module, just move the cursor to a property or method and press F1. You get help that
describes the word that is under the cursor.
Get another book. Several books are devoted exclusively to using VBA with Excel. My book,
Excel 2007 Power Programming with VBA (Wiley Publishing, Inc.), is one of them.
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