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Visual Basic for Office 2011
#14624 03/09/11 05:43 AM
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I've concluded that I need to explore learning Visual Basic for Office 2011. Currently, I'm running Office 2008 that does not support VB. For many years, I have resisted learning to use programming tools. I've considered my time more valuable on the scientific side of my job and have relied on programmers to do the programming. The only exception to this was when I created macros for Excel 4 in the old days, but Microsoft pulled the rug out from under my considerable efforts and destroyed my extremely helpful and time-saving macros by discontinuing support for them. Primarily, I'm interested in reinstating my Excel macros by using VB, but I'm willing to learn to program in VB or some other language to obtain maximum utility from the language. However, I'm leery about investing a lot of time and effort if Microsoft is likely to discontinue VB after I've invested my effort to learn it. With this background, I'd greatly appreciate knowledgeable programmers answering these questions:
1. Is VB exclusive property of Microsoft or is it available from other sources?
2. Does VB only work on MS products or can I make stand-alone applications with it that run on Mac OSX?
3. Microsoft has been ruthless in abandoning macros twice in the past. Is there some way to program macros in a language other than VB that will operate on Excel regardless of whether MS "supports" them or not? (this may be a dumb question, but I'm motivated by traumatic past experience with MS)

I think you can see where I'm headed with this, if there are answers to questions I haven't asked that would guide me in the right direction, please tell me what I should have asked and also please provide the answers. If this last request requires mind-reading, just ignore it. <grin> Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.


Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
JoBoy #14638 03/09/11 05:22 PM
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  1. Visual Basic is a Microsoft proprietary product and there is little chance it will ever be anything else
  2. See this Wikipedia article
  3. Short of your engineering a hostile takeover of Microsoft and managing it to your personal tasts there is no way of guaranteeing continued support of VB on the Mac. If you have to have VB my recommendation would be to buy a Dell.
Without knowing what your specific requirements are it is very difficult to make any specific recommendations. There are a number of powerful and flexible programming languages included in OS X and Apple's free developer tools are about as good as they get. With Developer Tool and the OS X Cocoa environment you can create almost any software you can imagine. If you want a relatively easy to learn and use programming language for the Mac, Objective-Basic might be just what you are looking for. If you are interested in developing full blown cross platform applications then iOS X's Developer tolls offers for your consideration Java, Objective-C, C++, and C because while these are among the most powerful of programming languages and built in to OS X they are not particularly easy to learn.

There are also several more specialized scripting languages included in OS X such as Apple's own Applescript, PERL, PHP, Python, Tcl, and Ruby all of which are cross platform, open source, and likely to be around for a long time.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
joemikeb #14641 03/09/11 08:25 PM
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Joemikeb: Thank you for the very clear explanations. I read the Wikipedia article. For five years I owned a Dell that I used alongside my Mac Pro. I used the Dell for applications I needed that did not have a Mac equivalent. When the Dell died, I went to VMware Fusion 3. Initially, it was pretty buggy, but the current version 3.1.2 is a stellar performer and it enables me to have only one computer at my workstation and to move files back and forth between Windows and Mac operating systems as needed. VMware with Windows 7 also backs up as part of Time Machine's image so only one backup is needed for both operating systems. (but I digress)

Mac OSX is my preferred system, but there is not as yet another Mac equivalent to MSExcel/Mac. I made another post in this forum where I was looking for a Mac equivalent to Excel and where I mentioned my need to be able to utilize Excel's capacity to resolve circular references by iterative calculations. From that discussion, I concluded I need to stay with Excel until something better comes along. Having made that decision, I'm loathe to invest the effort required to re-create the extensive set of macros unless I can protect myself from Microsoft's changes to Excel's macro functionality. If I could find an open source spreadsheet that possessed Excel's capability and for which I could construct macros that would not be disabled by the manufacturer's business decisions, I would be willing to endure the pain of learning a programming language. But if not, I'll remain content with the adjustments I have already made in response to the loss of my beloved macros.

I hope this explanation clarifies my fundamental need. The secondary advantage of learning a programming language would be the additional opportunities for putting creative thought into practical application. The question still unanswered in my mind is whether it is worth it to me to make the effort. I realize only I can make that decision, but a clear understanding of the available choices is something this forum can provide. Thank you for your first run at it. You may have already completed the job, but if there is anything you'd care to add, it would be gratefully received. Best regards.


Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
JoBoy #14642 03/09/11 08:37 PM
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I realize that this is not the answer you're looking for, but is it really necessary for you to keep current with Excel...software that devolves as it evolves?

Why don't you just run an older version that suits your needs, and maybe even keep one or two spare Macs around against the fall of night?


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
artie505 #14643 03/09/11 09:40 PM
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Actually, I did just that. The macros I'm still mourning were made under Mac Classic. Eventually, the two Macs I kept around finally died and went to trash and Apple abandoned Classic altogether. The reason I'm so hot to recreate the macros is that I now have a similar, but more advanced project compared to the earlier one for which the macros were made. I've kept the files containing the macros, but they won't run under Mac OS X.


Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
JoBoy #14644 03/09/11 10:14 PM
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> I've kept the files containing the macros, but they won't run under Mac OS X.

How about partitioning a machine and running Tiger, which, I think, was the last version of OS X to support Classic Mode?

If necessary, you can just buy a coupl'a used Macs (against the fall of night, as I said)...and, most assuredly, for a lot less than the value of the time you'd have to invest to recreate your macros.

Edit: And, for what it's worth, I'm running Excel from Windows X in Snow Leopard, and it doesn't deem to have any issues.

Last edited by artie505; 03/09/11 10:17 PM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
artie505 #14646 03/09/11 11:04 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
How about partitioning a machine and running Tiger, which, I think, was the last version of OS X to support Classic Mode?

Note Artie's suggestion will only work if JoBoy's Mac was built prior to November 2007 and JoBoy never buys a newer Machine. Macs will not run versions of OS X that preceded the version they shipped with and in November of 2007 Macs were shipping with OS X 10.5.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
joemikeb #14647 03/09/11 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
Originally Posted By: artie505
How about partitioning a machine and running Tiger, which, I think, was the last version of OS X to support Classic Mode?

Note Artie's suggestion will only work if JoBoy's Mac was built prior to November 2007 and JoBoy never buys a newer Machine. Macs will not run versions of OS X that preceded the version they shipped with and in November of 2007 Macs were shipping with OS X 10.5.

Thanks for making the point that clarifies my "If necessary...."


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
JoBoy #14660 03/10/11 05:37 PM
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Consider learning REALBasic. Recently changed its name to Real Studio . Its environment is better than VB, it cross compiles to mac, pc, and linux. The syntax and functionality is extremely similar... at one point in the past it would import VB apps.

The compiler is written in RB. How's that for eating your own dogfood?


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: Visual Basic for Office 2011
Virtual1 #14663 03/10/11 09:58 PM
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OK, here's the question that pops into my mind: If I write macros in Real Studio, will they operate on Excel 2008 spreadsheets? 2011?


Mac Pro dual Quad-Core Intel Xeons Early 2008; 16GB RAM; MacOS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.5

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