Datasheet

Creating a custom button

You can customize your Quick Access Toolbar with your own buttons that

execute the macros you write. Office workers tend to be very impressed by

this sort of thing.

Developing new worksheet functions

Although Excel includes numerous built-in functions (such as SUM and

AVERAGE), you can create custom worksheet functions that can greatly

simplify your formulas. I guarantee you’ll be surprised by how easy this is.

(I show you how to do this in Chapter 21.) Even better, the Insert Function

dialog box displays your custom functions, making them appear built in.

Very snazzy stuff.

Creating complete, macro-driven

applications

If you’re willing to spend some time, you can use VBA to create large-scale

applications complete with a custom Ribbon, dialog boxes, on-screen help,

and lots of other accoutrements. This book doesn’t go quite that far, but I’m

just telling you this to impress you with how powerful VBA really is.

Creating custom add-ins for Excel

You’re probably familiar with some of the add-ins that ship with Excel.

For example, the Analysis ToolPak is a popular add-in. You can use VBA to

develop your own special-purpose add-ins. I developed my Power Utility

Pak add-in by using only VBA, and people all around the world use it.

Advantages and Disadvantages of VBA

In this section, I briefly describe the good things about VBA — and I also

explore its darker side.

Part I: Introducing VBA

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