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fuze
04-04-2009, 06:21 AM
I am learning visual basic express because I need to make a programme that changes cells in excel by reading the information from a text file, but i read somewhere that if you want to interact with office then you cant use visual basic express? Is that true becasue i really need to do this and have been trying to teach myself visual basic express.

Am i learning in vain?

thank you in advance for answers!

Bob Phillips
04-04-2009, 06:29 AM
I have no idea personally, don't use VB Express, but you can do what you want in straight VBA.

fuze
04-04-2009, 06:34 AM
is vba a separate programme entirely? can i download it for free?

Bob Phillips
04-04-2009, 09:22 AM
No, it comes with Excel (and all other Office Apps).

Zack Barresse
04-04-2009, 09:49 AM
Visual Basic Express is just a slimmed down version (free) of Visual Basic. Like Bob, I'm not sure about your specific question. There are online resources you can look at...

http://visualbasic.about.com/od/learnvbnet/a/LVBE_L1.htm

I don't believe you can make a full-fledged xll add-in for Office if that is what you're asking, although I could be wrong. I haven't used the Express edition since 2005, and only then I only played around with it.

Kenneth Hobs
04-04-2009, 11:36 AM
At one time, we discussed adding a subforum for .NET as it relates to Excel. I don't know that I have seen any forum or subform like that. Typically, one goes to a .NET forum and then a forum like this when they get stuck on an Excel interaction issue though some .NET forums have Excel examples.

VBA is usually more than sufficient for most projects. However, if you want to create an EXE program then .NET is a good way to go. Your users will need the .NET framework files to run your EXE programs though.

You might want to check into using the .NET tips that Chip Pearson posted on his site. http://www.cpearson.com/Excel/CreatingNETFunctionLib.aspx

fuze
04-04-2009, 12:21 PM
ok cheers for that. ive got a link i need to post to ask another question bout my problem but my post count needs to be at 5 so im just posting this!

fuze
04-04-2009, 12:21 PM
and one more post before i can post the post i want to post!

fuze
04-04-2009, 12:23 PM
Right this is what i wanted to post.

Ok cheers for clearing this up, i think ive been barking up the wrong tree by trying to learn visual basic express.

what I want to do is this...

I am trying to create something that will allow me to change excel cell data live by dragging a mouse up and down. I was planning on using visual basiuc and puredata for some of it but it would be easuer if i could do it all in vba.

For the visual basic I need it to read data from a file of some sort (havent worked out what type of file yet) on a loop and input that data into a specific cell in excel, so that when i drag the mouse, puredata changes the value in the file and vb reads this and inputs the data into excel so that the cells and my graph changes as a result.

I have attached a picture of the file I am trying to do it with.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/536/marketingproposal.jpg

It is for use in an interactive presentation. The use in my example is for selling a marketing proposal to a customer.

The chart on the left shows the quantities of units in the proposal and the chart on the right shows the cost, with the total cost underneath.

I want to be able to drag the quantities with the mouse and use puredata tol read the sursor position and change the particular data in the file for vb to read from and change the cell value

For example if flyer quantities is at x36, y24 on the grid, when i move y24 to y26 pure data would input the data change from 4 to 5 in the file, then vb would read this change and input 5 into the cell value, thus changing the spreadsheet and the quantity chart on the left, and the cost chart on the right. That is why I need the vb programme reading the data on a loop, so whenever it changes in the file, vb changes the value in excel.

I can work on getting puredata to do that part of it, I just have no idea how to get visual basic to do the rest

I hope that is explained clear enough, thank you very much in advance!


Do you think i could do that in vba or will i need to learn visual basic express? once again thanks for all the help!

Bob Phillips
04-04-2009, 12:56 PM
Let's scotch one thing absolutely, you do NOT need Visual Express.

You just want to do simple data manipulation, but the problem is in knowing exactly what you want, what is x36, what is y24? Why/how do you move y24 to y26? What file? How are the charts linked to the data.

Probably best to post that workbook with answers to those questions.

fuze
04-04-2009, 01:00 PM
By y26 etc I mean the cursor position, so by clicking and dragging on a certain cursor position that is over the graph, it tells the cells to change so that the graph moves in accordance with the cursor. At the moment the workbook is a simple spreadsheet with no code in it. i have uploaded it anyway. cheers!