Online Training
Excel VBA programming - intensive three-day course
Live online training course - classroom version also available
Three days (09:30 to 16:30 UK time each day)
Our two-day Introduction to VBA course will be sufficient for most people to get them up and running with the programming language built into Microsoft Office. However, there are some important omissions from the two-day introductory course, which the three-day fast-track course has time to cover. Notably:
- Getting Excel to talk to other Office applications using VBA;
- Reading and writing text files; and
- Programming with arrays.
For fast groups the three-day course will also have time to cover linking to databases using VBA.
Our online fast-track courses are only available as tailored courses (you can see why here). They're not for the faint-hearted: the idea is to provide as quick a start to learning software as possible, for people who are IT-ability-rich but time-poor.
Course Contents
This fast-track course combines topics from the following other Wise Owl courses:
Recording macros and buttons
- Absolute and relative recording
- Where macros can be stored
- Assigning macros to buttons
Selecting cells
- Selecting cells (absolute)
- Selecting cells (relative)
- Selecting to the end of a block
- Selecting a range by its corners
The VB code editor
- Using Project Explorer
- Creating modules
- Basic subroutines and comments
Messages and variables
- Input boxes and message boxes
- Declaring variables
- Option Explicit
- Scope of variables
- Constants
Visual Basic explained
- The Excel object model
- Objects and collections
- Methods and properties
- Getting help in VBA
Loops and conditions
- Simple IF conditions
- Multiple IF and SELECT / CASE
- Three main types of loop
Looping over collections
- Object variables
- Looping over collections
Event handling
- Assigning macros to events
- Cancelling events
Functions
- Declaring functions
- Passing arguments
Debugging and error handling
- Setting breakpoints
- Stepping through macros
- ON ERROR statements
Forms
- Drawing forms
- Attaching macros to controls
- Validating form input
Links to other applications
- Referencing other applications
- Instantiating objects
- Writing inter-application code
FileSystemObjects
- Referencing FileSystemObjects
- Working with files and folders
FileDialogs
- Using FileDialogs
- Allowing multiple selection
Working with text files
- Avoiding using INPUT/OUTPUT
- Reading and writing text files
If time
Linking to data
- ADO or Access Database Engine
- Referencing the right library
- Opening and using recordsets
Arrays
- Creating and populating arrays
- Dynamic arrays
- The PRESERVE keyword
Passing arguments
- ByRef and ByVal
- Using optional arguments
- Using ParamArray
If time
Advanced programming ideas
- Using functions in code
- Recursive programming
- Enumerations
If time
Working with shapes
- Adding shapes
- Positioning shapes
- Formatting shapes
Benefits of our online training
Here are some reasons to choose Wise Owl online courses:
- Maximum of 5 people per class
- Excellent colour courseware manual posted to you in advance
- Pre-course set-up included in the days before the course
- No need to install any software on your computer
- All courses given by one of our 6 Wise Owl trainers
What other people have said
Many thanks to those listed below for kindly agreeing to let us use their names. All of the reviews are from the last 3 calendar years (although some may be for classroom courses):
Emily Steer (Cheshire East Council)
Tim Roast (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG))
Anton Breen (Live Nation (Music) UK Limited)
Chris Galloway (Autonet Insurance Group)
Sam Wilkinson (Humankind Charity)
Refresh the page to see a different set of reviews!
How our live online training courses work
We've published a full summary of what it's like to attend a Wise Owl course online - here are the main things you need to know.
You'll need three things for the course:
- A computer (obviously) running Windows.
- A good internet connection.
- A microphone and (ideally) webcam.
In addition you'll find the course very difficult without an additional monitor (so that you can participate in the course on one screen, and use the software you're learning on the other).
Within a few hours of your booking a place on one of our online courses, we'll be in touch to get you set up correctly. This usually takes about half an hour, and can be done at any mutually convenient date/time.
A few days before your course begins you'll receive a parcel in the post (free for UK bookings) containing:
- A full colour courseware manual;
- An exercise booklet to go with the course; and
- A USB stick containing the files for the course, should you need a back-up.
Your parcel will even include a Wise Owl Sheaffer biro (they're good; trust us) and pad.
You won't need to install any software at all on your computer. This is because:
- you'll use Windows Remote Desktop to connect to our computers, and these will have all of the necessary files and software installed; and
- we use Teams for our online training, which you can run through most modern browsers.
On the day of the course itself you will be able to join the course up to half an hour before it begins. This will give you time to:
- familiarise yourself with the set-up;
- meet your trainer; and
- get to know the other delegates!
After the course finishes you'll receive an electronic certificate proving your attendance (we will gladly send a paper copy on request also).
You can see full details of exactly how our online courses work here.