Is it possible to export the VBA Help file?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gromit
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G

Gromit

Hi,

Toanyone under 30, this might sound a bit stupid, but please bear with
me.

In trying to learn VBA, it's occurred to me that I just need to
systematically read the VBA help file, since there seems to be no other
comprehensive listing of objects, methods etc.

Ideally, I'd like to extract from the VBA help file just the first
paragraph of the description to a Word file (or whatever), so that I
can print it out and skim over a nice cup of tea and go back to the
Help file only when I need more of the nitties.

So, for example, the document would look like this:

Visual Basic Help

Commands

A-C

"Add Watch Command (Debug Menu)"
Displays the Add Watch dialog box in which you enter a watch
expression. The expression can be any valid Basic expression. Watch
expressions are updated in the Watch window each time you enter break
mode.

"Add-In Manager Command (Add-Ins Menu)"
Displays the Add-In Manager dialog box, which you use to load and
unload add-ins to extend the Visual Basic for Applications development
environment.

etc etc

Is this possible??

Cheers,

Gromit
 
There used to be some shareware programs that would print the old style .hlp
help files. (I've never looked for the newer .chm files, though.)

But instead, I'd recommend buying a book.

Debra Dalgleish has a big ole list of books at:
http://www.contextures.com/xlbooks.html

John Walkenbach's is a nice one to start with. John Green (and others) is nice,
too. See if you can find them in your local bookstore and you can choose what
one you like best.


(sometimes it's difficult to piece things together when you're reading topics in
alphabetical order.)
 
Yet again, thanks Dave,

I have a couple of good books, and have learned much from them.

I wonder, though, if you know of a comprehensive summary listing of
objects, functions, methods, events etc on paper? I appreciate that
things could get out of hand very quickly size wise, but even if it
were simply an alphabetically organized table of name and one line
description, I could at least have something to skim when looking for
the appropriate term when coding.

For example, if I need to switch gridlines off, the method I actually
need is "DisplayGridlines". If I didn't know this, I'd look under G for
gridline, not find it, and then have to think through all the verbs I
could think of that might do the job I need ("ToggleGridlines"?
"SwitchGridlines"?) etc. Of course, in the case of gridlines, I could
just record a macro and see, but what if the term I need is not
something that can be recorded? (Such as Application.Evaluate for
example

With just a simple list, I think I could skim down the table and find
what I need. But, seems none is available?

G
 
Hmmm.

Back to VBA's Help. Search for "Object Model".

But it's not something that I'd print. The ability to click on a
method/procedure and go to it is too useful to not use.

I have John Green's (et al) book: Excel 2002 VBA Programmer's Reference.

In the back of that, there's a nice reference for excel's object model.

I have John Walkenbach's Excel 2000 Power Programming with VBA. I didn't see a
consolidated list in that, but John Walkenbach does cover it in each appropriate
chapter.

I'm still gonna say to visit your local book store and see what you like best.

But you may want to try here first:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/

(I'm having trouble connecting now--time to reboot I think.)
 
Ugh. Rebooted and reconnected to a newsserver that's synced (finally!).

This might be more direct:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/office97/html/sf743.asp
(one line in your browser)

Dave said:
Hmmm.

Back to VBA's Help. Search for "Object Model".

But it's not something that I'd print. The ability to click on a
method/procedure and go to it is too useful to not use.

I have John Green's (et al) book: Excel 2002 VBA Programmer's Reference.

In the back of that, there's a nice reference for excel's object model.

I have John Walkenbach's Excel 2000 Power Programming with VBA. I didn't see a
consolidated list in that, but John Walkenbach does cover it in each appropriate
chapter.

I'm still gonna say to visit your local book store and see what you like best.

But you may want to try here first:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/

(I'm having trouble connecting now--time to reboot I think.)
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