Many Microsoft Word users and VBA programmers don't realize the
extensive opportunities that exist when Word's Object Model is accessed
using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which replaced WordBasic in
conjunction with the release of Word 97. By creating what is commonly
called a "Word Macro" you can automate many features available in Word.
Writing Word Macros (previously titled Learning Word Programming is
the introduction to Word VBA that allows you to do these things and
more, including:
- Create custom pop-up menus
- Automatically create tables from lists
- Append one document to the end (or beginning) of another
- Create a toggle switch to change a document from draft to final copy
by adding or removing a watermark in the header
- Generate reports using data from other applications
Not intended to be an encyclopedia of Word programming, Writing Word
Macros provides Word users, as well as programmers who are not familiar
with the Word object model with a solid introduction to writing VBA
macros and programs. In particular, the book focuses on:
- The Visual Basic Editor and the Word VBA programming environment. Word
features a complete and very powerful integrated development
environment for writing, running, testing, and debugging VBA macros.
- The VBA programming language (which is the same programming language
used by Microsoft Excel, Access, and PowerPoint, as well as the retail
editions of Visual Basic).
- The Word object model. Word exposes nearly all of its functionality
through its object model, which allows Word to be controlled
programmatically using VBA. While the Word object model, with almost
200 objects, is the largest among the Office applications, readers
need be familiar with only a handful of objects. Writing Word Macros
focuses on these essential objects, but includes a discussion of a
great many more objects as well.
Writing Word Macros is written in a terse, no-nonsense manner that is
characteristic of Steven Roman's straightforward, practical approach.
Instead of a slow-paced tutorial with a lot of hand-holding, Roman
offers the essential information about Word VBA that you must master to
program effectively. This tutorial is reinforced by interesting and
useful examples that solve practical programming problems, like
generating tables of a particular format, managing shortcut keys,
creating fax cover sheets, and reformatting documents.Writing Word
Macros is the book you need to dive into the basics of Word VBA
programming, enabling you to increase your power and productivity when
using Microsoft Word.
