Cookbooks
Visual Basic for Applications
Chapter 1. Getting Started
Starting a new project

Visual Basic for Applications:
Starting a new project

How to:

When you’re ready to begin a new VBA project, the starting point typically involves accessing the VBA editor and initializing your project framework. Let’s walk through the steps using Excel as the host application:

  1. Open the VBA Editor: In Excel, press Alt + F11 to access the VBA Editor.
  2. Insert a New Module: Navigate to Insert > Module from the menu to add a new module to your project. This is where your code will reside.
  3. Writing Your First Macro: Let’s code a simple macro that displays a message box. Type the following code into the module:
Sub SayHello()
    MsgBox "Hello, World!", vbInformation, "Greetings"
End Sub
  1. Run Your Macro: Press F5 while your cursor is inside the SayHello sub or go to Run > Run Sub/UserForm and select SayHello. You should see a message box pop up with “Hello, World!” and an “OK” button.

Sample Output:

A message box with "Hello, World!" displayed.
  1. Save Your Project: Before exiting, ensure you save your work. If your Excel workbook was previously unsaved, you’ll be prompted to save as a macro-enabled workbook (.xlsm file format).

Deep Dive

Visual Basic for Applications has been a cornerstone in Microsoft automation strategies since its introduction in 1993. Originating as an evolution of its predecessor, MacroBasic, VBA provided a more robust solution with improved integration across Microsoft’s Office suite. The transition to VBA was pivotal, marking a shift towards more complex scripting capabilities that leveraged the power of full-fledged programming languages.

Despite its age, VBA remains prevalent in modern office environments, largely due to its deep integration within Office products and the extensive base of legacy code in many organizations. However, it’s important to note that for newer, web-based applications or for tasks requiring more scalability and integration with non-Office applications, languages and frameworks like Python, with its rich ecosystem of libraries, or JavaScript for Office Scripts, offer a more modern and versatile approach. These alternatives, while requiring a steeper learning curve and setup, provide broader applicability and support for contemporary development practices like version control and deployment pipelines.