Microsoft Excel can be much more than just a spreadsheet. It has become adevelopment platform in it own right. Applications written using Excel are partof many corporations' core suites of business-critical applications. In spite ofthis, Excel is too often thought of as a hobbyist's platform. While there arenumerous titles on Excel and VBA, until now there have been none thatprovide an overall explanation of how to develop professional-quality Excel-basedapplications. All three authors are professional Excel developers who runtheir own companies developing Excel-based apps for clients ranging fromindividuals to the largest multinational corporations. In this book they showhow anyone from power users to professional developers can increase thespeed and usefulness of their Excel-based apps.

Table of Contents:
Contents Acknowledgments. About the Authors. 1. Introduction.     About This Book     The Excel Developer     Excel as an Application Development Platform     Structure     Examples     Supported Versions     Typefaces     On the CD     Help and Support     Feedback 2. Application Architectures.     Concepts     Conclusion 3. Excel and VBA Development Best Practices.     Naming Conventions     Best Practices for Application Structure and Organization     General Application Development Best Practices     Conclusion 4. Worksheet Design.     Principles of Good Worksheet UI Design     Program Rows and Columns: The Fundamental UI Design Technique     Defined Names     Styles     User Interface Drawing Techniques     Data Validation     Conditional Formatting     Using Controls on Worksheets     Practical Example     Conclusion 5. Function, General and Application-Specific Add-ins.     The Four Stages of an Application     Function Library Add-ins     General Add-ins     Application-Specific Add-ins     Practical Example     Conclusion 6. Dictator Applications.     Structure of a Dictator Application     Practical Example     Conclusion 7. Using Class Modules to Create Objects.     Creating Objects     Creating a Collection     Trapping Events     Raising Events     Practical Example     Conclusion 8. Advanced Command Bar Handling.     Command Bar Design     Table-Driven Command Bars     Putting It All Together     Loading Custom Icons from Files     Hooking Command Bar Control Events     Practical Example     Conclusion 9. Understanding and Using Windows API Calls.     Overview     Working with the Screen     Working with Windows     Working with the Keyboard     Working with the File System and Network     Practical Examples     Conclusion 10. Userform Design and Best Practices.     Principles     Control Fundamentals     Visual Effects     Userform Positioning and Sizing     Wizards     Dynamic Userforms     Modeless Userforms     Control Specifics     Practical Examples     Conclusion 11. Interfaces.     What Is an Interface?     Code Reuse     Defining a Custom Interface     Implementing a Custom Interface     Using a Custom Interface     Polymorphic Classes     Improving Robustness     Simplifying Development     A Plug-in Architecture     Practical Example     Conclusion 12. VBA Error Handling.     Error-Handling Concepts     The Single Exit Point Principle     Simple Error Handling     Complex Project Error Handler Organization     The Central Error Handler     Error Handling in Classes and Userforms     Putting It All Together     Practical Example     Conclusion 13. Programming with Databases.     An Introduction to Databases     Designing the Data Access Tier     Data Access with SQL and ADO     Further Reading     Practical Example     Conclusion 14. Data Manipulation Techniques.     Excel’s Data Structures     Data Processing Features     Advanced Functions     Conclusion 15. Advanced Charting Techniques.     Fundamental Techniques     VBA Techniques     Conclusion 16. VBA Debugging.     Basic VBA Debugging Techniques     The Immediate Window (Ctrl+G)     The Call Stack (Ctrl+L)     The Watch Window     The Locals Window     The Object Browser (F2)     Creating and Running a Test Harness     Using Assertions     Debugging Shortcut Keys that Every Developer Should Know     Conclusion 17. Optimizing VBA Performance.     Measuring Performance     The PerfMon Utility     Creative Thinking     Macro-Optimization     Micro-Optimization     Conclusion 18. Controlling Other Office Applications.     Fundamentals     The Primary Office Application Object Models     Practical Example     Conclusion 19. XLLs and the C API.     Why Create an XLL-Based Worksheet Function     Creating an XLL Project in Visual Studio     The Structure of an XLL     The XLOPER and OPER Data Types     The Excel4 Function     Commonly Used C API Functions     XLOPERs and Memory Management     Registering and Unregistering Custom Worksheet Functions     Sample Application Function     Debugging the Worksheet Functions     Miscellaneous Topics     Additional Resources     Conclusion 20. Combining Excel and Visual Basic 6.     A Hello World ActiveX DLL     Why Use VB6 ActiveX DLLs in Excel VBA Projects     In-Process versus Out-of-Process     Automating Excel From a VB6 EXE     Practical Examples     Conclusion 21. Writing Add-ins with Visual Basic 6.     A Hello World Add-in     The Add-in Designer     Installation Considerations     The AddinInstance Events     Command Bar Handling     Why Use a COM Add-in?     Automation Add-ins     Practical Example     Conclusion 22. Using VB.NET and the Visual Studio Tools for Office.     Overview     How to Leverage the .NET Framework     Managed Workbooks     Managed Excel Add-ins     Hybrid VBA/VSTO Solutions     The VSTO Security Model     The Big Issues     Further Reading     Practical Example     Conclusion 23. Excel, XML and Web Services.     XML     Web Services     Practical Example     Conclusion 24. Providing Help, Securing, Packaging and Distributing.     Providing Help     Securing     Packaging     Distributing     Conclusion Index.