Programming

[Guest]

Hi all,

I have quite a comprenhesive database which I wrote and use in Excel2002.
But now I'm looking at updating it, and I'm thinking towards moving away from
Excel and making it a standalone program.

My programming skills stopped sometime after QBasic in Dos, but I'm looking
forward to learning a more modern language, although I know it'll be a
challenge.

Anyway, the program in Excel as you can imagine includes a few database
worksheets with a lot of IF,THEN,ELSE type functions, arrays, and
mathematical formulas. I'm looking for suggestions on what programming
language I should consider for this, VisualBasic, C++ etc etc ?

Any ideas,
Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Hi Dim,

Considering that you have some past experience in QBasic, VBA or Visual
Basic 6.0 should be good to start with. In my experience programming Excel in
C++ is a tough task and may take longer.

Moreover, if you decide to go VBA or VB way, there are numerous user groups,
forums and online books/help availbale that you can easily do things on your
own. Besides MS help is the best, too.

All the best!!
HTH,

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the answer Pranav,

I've been looking at Visual Basic and I think using it with Excel might give
me the capabilities I want. I know this is an Excel forum, but I just
mentioned C++ as an example of a different road I could go down completely
moving away from Excel. I'm not saying I want to do this, I'm just open to
all options, and trying to figure out which is the best.

Using Visual Basic can I compile self executing program files (.exe etc) for
which the user will not have to own Excel or any other program?

Thanks.

 

[Chip Pearson]

Using Visual Basic can I compile self executing program files (.exe etc)

for
which the user will not have to own Excel or any other program?

There is nothing you can do to make your workbook(s) function fully on a
system without Excel. You can't package it up as some sort of exe. You can,
of course, compile your own DLLs or EXEs in VB, (6/NET/VSTO etc) but they
won't function without Excel being present on the target machine.


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel, 10 Years
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)

 

[Guest]

Thanks chip,

I'm downloading Microsoft VisualC, VisualBasic, and Visual C++ to have a
look at.

I'm sure I can write my program to function without having excel or similar
on the target machine, its being done for tens of thousands of programs
worldwide every day. Excel is a program, and it doesn't need any other
program on the machine to execute....In a very basic sense I want to be able
to store text and numeric values, then the program to present these in a
variety of list formats, drawing chart information and such from them. But I
need to be able to store the users entries in a database file to be reopened
when the program is again executed.

I can probably do most of this in Excel by learning more about Macros and
Visual Basic, and that would be great since it would significantly reduce my
learning curve, but I think then I'm still limited to the screen looking like
Excel, as opposed to opening with a nice video to start, and then leading
onto a welcome screen, and then giving selections for where the user wants to
go etc etc

If you think I can achieve all this without moving away from Excel please
let me know, because although very eager to learn and expand my capabilities,
I'm very much out of my depth at this point!

Thanks.

 

[JP]

Check out a book called "Professional Excel Development" -- you could
create a dictator application for your database that, while still
using Excel, looks nothing like it. You can hide all the toolbars,
change the graphics, remove XL logos etc, do everything you need.


HTH,
JP

 

[Guest]

Thanks JP, I've ordered it from Amazon. I also ordered "Spreadsheet Projects
In Excel for Advanced Level" and "Excel Hacks". It'll take me a while to get
through them when they arrive, but I'll see how it goes.

L8rs.

 

[JP]

Good luck!

--JP