Learning microsoft visual basic

[Ian@1904]

Part of my plan for world control includes learning MS Vb as used within Access databases (and also Excel Word etc so I believe). Can anyone recommend good quality course using online or CD?
I have the Running MS Access 2000 (big book) written by John Viescas. I have found this book very useful over the years. This book covers VB but I cannot get my head round the subject.

[Adrian Kelland]

Ian,

I tend to find I look up the VBA bits I need as and when. Unfortunately I have to come up with quick and dirty code (RAD doesn't get a look in), code reuse quite often. I find sites like Experts Exchange very useful for particular issues.

Adrian

[Harlequin]

Ian

Just a thought (pendantic though it is) but VB & VBA are seperate entities and the difference primarily is that VBA is integrated with the applications such as Word, Outlook, Access etc and is exceptionally useful for automating processes, displaying user forms and dialogs and performing calculations. For example, I designed a database for a customer some years back and with VBA locked it out after 30 something executions as it was labelled demo.

VB is a whole new beast and quite frankly, I went down the open source route for two reasons: cost and support. However, open source, while quick and easy can sometmes be looked upon (certainly by the VB & VB.Net community) as the poor man's coding.

I know there are guys like Jay and Alan who use both OS and closed (if that's the correct term) but ultimately the choice is yours. I enjoy the coding side of things whichever language I use because ultimately it's problem solving and providing solutions. With more languages under your belt such as VB & VBA you simply add more tools to the box

[Ian@1904]

Its getting to grips with vba that interests me. I dabble in IT, beancounter with database skills, but cannot get to grips with vba, hence needing the course of some sort.
I have seen people rewrite "my" access systems under vb and quite frankly the return on effort was very low. I create relatively small applications. Say 6-15 tables.

[RonProwse]

There are loads of OLD books about that will help teach you VB, John Smily's book Learn to Program with Visual Basic will help you get started. it includes all you need for creating a real live program with database access.

Ron

[tootricky]

Originally Posted by Harlequin

Just a thought (pendantic though it is) but VB & VBA are seperate entities and the difference primarily is that VBA is integrated with the applications such as Word, Outlook, Access etc and is exceptionally useful for automating processes, displaying user forms and dialogs and performing calculations. For example, I designed a database for a customer some years back and with VBA locked it out after 30 something executions as it was labelled demo.

VB is a whole new beast and quite frankly, I went down the open source route for two reasons: cost and support. However, open source, while quick and easy can sometmes be looked upon (certainly by the VB & VB.Net community) as the poor man's coding.

I know there are guys like Jay and Alan who use both OS and closed (if that's the correct term) but ultimately the choice is yours. I enjoy the coding side of things whichever language I use because ultimately it's problem solving and providing solutions. With more languages under your belt such as VB & VBA you simply add more tools to the box

This isn't really true. Yes VBA is application itegrated but that is the only difference. VB is most certainly not 'a whole new beast'. VB.Net maybe but not VB.

Cheers/Nic
(VB and VBA (Access/Excel/Word) coding since 1998)

[MattS]

I would say the biggest difference between VB and VBA is that you can't compile VBA to an .exe It tied the application you created it in. VBA syntax can be a bit peculiar.


For Access development specifically I would look at the Office Development Kit - if it's still available.
It helps to have a general idea of programming before trying to do anything major in VBA. Even then you can end up in a corner with it.

For automation it's pretty good, but Access is the weakest (IME). I end up wanting to do stuff it won't do, so back to VB it is then.