Rating: 
Summary: VBA? Book should be titled "VB with additional VBA insights"
Review: I expected great detail using VBA with both Excel and Word. What a disappointment! This book discussed items like dealing with the registry, sort routines, etc. Many of which have nothing to do with VBA but are more general coding techniques/issues. Very misleading title for the content of this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Useful tool
Review: I found this book to be just as useful for VB as I did for VBA. The ussue's discused are not as easy to find in competing texts. I would not recommend this book to people who are just starting to develop application however. After a little experience with VBA integration al-least is needed to fully understand this textbook. GREAT JOB
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, worth every penny, book!
Review: I have had this book for a long time and thought I should put in my .02 cents worth.Please do not let some of the earlier reviews fool or confuse you. This is a VBA based book. What does that mean? First off it means that it covers the common programming language 'Visual Basic for Applications' (VBA) that is used by Microsoft Office as well as third party products like Visio, AutoCAD, etc. Second, 'the language' VBA is the same 'programming language' which is used by 'the product' Visual Basic 5.0/6.0 from Microsoft. Think of it this way: Microsoft Visual C++ is a Windows development tool that uses the language C++. Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet tool that happens to contain a full blown programming language, VBA. In addition, Microsoft happens to sell a 'Windows development tool', called Visual Basic which in turn contains a full blow programming language, VBA. Except for some minor differences, the VBA in Office 97 is the 'same' as the version in the product Visual Basic 5.0. This book does not pretend to be about 'the Visual Basic product' or any of the Microsoft Office products. It is about the 'common' programming language, VBA, which they (Visual Basic, Office, Visio, etc.) share! Some of the previous reviewers seem to be confused to these facts. While the current edition of this book covers the version of VBA released with Office 97, all of the code would work in Visual Basic 5.0 or 6.0, Visio, AutoCAD, etc. In fact, with the release of VBA 6.0, the 'common programming language' will be the same in Visual Basic 6.0 and Office 2000 and soon to be released versions of Visio, etc. This excellent book will NOT show you how to do database programming in Access, spreadsheet programming in Excel, or document programming in Word. It will NOT show you how to write ActiveX DLL's using the Visual Basic PRODUCT or do DCOM programming. This book WILL however show you how to write great VBA code (remember, the language) you can use in any of the previously mentioned products. In addition, you will obtain code that will help you get system information, perform 'correct' date calculations, access the system registry, use multimedia features and more! Remember, if I'm wrong, you can send the book back. Nevertheless, if you want to get some understanding about the VBA 'language', get this book.
Rating:
Summary: intermediate User Loves This Book
Review: I've been programming part-time for work and school over the last 3 years. At my new full-time job I'm doing enough programming to warrant upgrading my skills. After reading many reviews I thought this book would be the perfect combination of real-world usability/practicality and some of the more theoretical stuff (like class modules) which I have never been able to pick up on my own.
So far it has lived up to my expectations perfectly. I highly recommend this book.
Brad
Rating:
Summary: intermediate User Loves This Book
Review: I've been programming part-time for work and school over the last 3 years. At my new full-time job I'm doing enough programming to warrant upgrading my skills. After reading many reviews I thought this book would be the perfect combination of real-world usability/practicality and some of the more theoretical stuff (like class modules) which I have never been able to pick up on my own.
So far it has lived up to my expectations perfectly. I highly recommend this book.
Brad
Rating:
Summary: Not just for VBA programmers
Review: Maybe the title is a bit non-descriptive. I have been using the class modules from the book in my VB5 projects, not withing Office products. The code in the book is of high quality. A must-have for VBers in general.
Rating: 
Summary: A dissenting opinion
Review: On p. 418 of this book occurs the following statement: "One of VBA's greatest strengths is its ability to control other applications using Automation. Undoubtedly, developers will use VBA most often for this purpose." Despite the above remark, there is NOT ONE MORE WORD about this in the entire 922 pages.!.! The term "handbook" as used, for example, in "The Electrical Engineer's Handbook" and tomes of that sort means a rather complete, though brief, coverage of an entire subject. In contrast, this book is a hodge-podge of program scraps that can be cut and pasted here and there in a real program. I can understand the enthusiasm of the reviewers that found exactly the tidbit they needed, but a better title would be "Miscellaneous Program Excerpts using VBA". An exception to this generalization is Chapter 7 on error handling and debugging, which actually provides some understanding of these items. In fairness, there are myriad little details that can be useful to know. My main gripes are the omission of big areas, and the lack of a cohesive presentation.
Rating:
Summary: A dissenting opinion
Review: On p. 418 of this book occurs the following statement: "One of VBA's greatest strengths is its ability to control other applications using Automation. Undoubtedly, developers will use VBA most often for this purpose." Despite the above remark, there is NOT ONE MORE WORD about this in the entire 922 pages.!.! The term "handbook" as used, for example, in "The Electrical Engineer's Handbook" and tomes of that sort means a rather complete, though brief, coverage of an entire subject. In contrast, this book is a hodge-podge of program scraps that can be cut and pasted here and there in a real program. I can understand the enthusiasm of the reviewers that found exactly the tidbit they needed, but a better title would be "Miscellaneous Program Excerpts using VBA". An exception to this generalization is Chapter 7 on error handling and debugging, which actually provides some understanding of these items. In fairness, there are myriad little details that can be useful to know. My main gripes are the omission of big areas, and the lack of a cohesive presentation.
Rating:
Summary: VB versus VBA
Review: Page xxi has "As a developer, I don't want to have to write a charting application from the ground up. And with Microsoft Excel, I don't have to. Need a corporate calendar or contact management system? You can customize Microsoft Outlook..." This foreword from a Microsoft Product Manager should not belong in this book. This book's chapter on automation describes customizing the toolbar. It doesn't guide you through the above. It does not include info on using VBA with DNA to accomplish client/server programming. The title of the book is misleading. The book is more about code. On the positive note, this book accomplishes its objective. It provides ready-to-run code on a number of topics. It provides the information you need to view or add information to the registry or some other intermediate or advanced topic without explaining the details of why serious developers are interested in those topics. The book requires VBA 5.0. Microsoft has released a newer version.
Rating: 
Summary: Not an Office book
Review: Readers who want a manual about programming Office, Access, and Word are probably going to want to look elsewhere. There's nothing in here about recordsets, pivot tables, or queries. What is in this book is invaluable info about manipulating strings, working with numbers (and VBA/VB math quirks) and advanced VBA programming techniques.
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