The online documentation of VB/VBA language components seems to follow the 80/20 rule: the basic facts that you need to use a language statement are provided in the documentation. But the additional 20 percent that you need to use it effectively or to apply it to special cases is conspicuously absent. To a professional VB/VBA programmer, though, this missing 20 percent of the language's documentation isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. And in VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language, it finally is available. The bulk of the book consists of an alphabetical reference to the statements, procedures, and functions of the VB/VBA language. Each entry has a standardized listing containing the following information:

• Its syntax, using standard code conventions

• Differences in the operation of the keyword in a macro environment (e.g., in Office) and in Visual Basic, if there are any

• A list of arguments accepted by the function or procedure, if any

• A description of the data type returned by a function

• The finer points of a keyword's usage that are often omitted from or blurred over by the documentation

• Tips and gotchas that include undocumented behaviors and practical applications for particular language elements -- a section particularly invaluable for diagnosing or avoiding potential programming problems

• A brief, nonobvious example that illustrates the use of the keyword

• Basic VBA programming concepts, such as its data types and its support for variables, constants, and arrays

• Error handling in VBA applications

• Object programming with VBA

• Using VBA with particular applications. Excel and Project are utilized to show how to work with an application's integrated development environment and to take advantage of its object model Regardless of how much experience you have programming with VBA, this is the book you'll pick up time and time again both as your standard reference guide and as a tool for troubleshooting and identifying programming problems.

Also included in VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language is a brief overview of the VB/VBA language, including: VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language is the definitive reference for Visual Basic and VBA developers.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 47 Ratings

very handy - 2006-08-06
Reviewer Rating:
this comes in very handy if you are developing with vb/vba on a daily basis. much quicker than using the mostly confusing and badly organized MSDN online references...

The best learning tool for beginners - 2006-03-02
Reviewer Rating:
It's hard to believe that this book was originally published in 1998. I can't think of any VB programmer I've met that did not have one of these on their desk. This book is meant to be used like a dictionary for VB and VBA. The format is brilliant and the concepts in it are as valid today as they were in 1998.

Buy it. - 2006-12-18
Reviewer Rating:
If you have an understanding of VB and need a good reference book, this is it. It will save a lot of the time & frustration experienced when searching with MSDN.

VB & VBA Book - 2009-07-05
Reviewer Rating:
If you are a programming nubie, then select another book. But, if you have even a rudimentary undersanding of programming, then you will like this book.

A goldmine of tips. You will learn valuable details about programming features you thought you already knew.

Probably the best book of its kind I have ever seen.

An excellent book for both beginner and student - 2008-02-13
Reviewer Rating:
I have always found O'Reilly books well written by knowledgeable authors. This book is no exception.

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