from VBA to DLL VB6 for security's sake:recommendations sought

[Matthew Dodds]

I've used VBA code to automate various Excel data analyses and
charting. For code security's sake I'd like to transfer most of this
functionality into DLLs. (And, to be honest, as an exercise for
learning VB6 - yes I know VB6 is now unsupported and we're all
supposed to be seguing to .NET but frankly where I work we'll transfer
to .NET no time soon)

Question is - where to start? Right now my my VBA coding is functional
& I've got Paul Lomax's 'VB and VBA in a Nutshell'.

What would everyone's recommendations be on
- other books? Visual Basic 6 Core Language Little Black Book: The
Indispensable Guide of Day-to-Day VB6 Programming Tips and Techniques
(Paperback) by Steven Holzner (Author) is one that has caught my eye,
As has Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction
(Paperback)
by Steve McConnell (Author) 900 pages $26 ... a little ambitious,
perhaps, but learning about good design structure presumably no bad
thing.

- software; Enterprise edition of VB6? or Visual studio? Which would
be best? why?

- and has anyone some recommendations for neat tutorials out there?
I've digested ChipPearson's 'Creating a COM Addin', and the ms pages
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/238228 & http://support.microsoft.com/?id=291392;
needless to say ChIP's was the most comprehensible. Are there any
sites for taking this further?

Many thanks in advance

Matthew

 

[Doug Glancy]

Matthew,

You should take a look at Professional Excel Development. It has good
content on calling VB6 dlls from Excel:

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Excel-Development-Applications-Addison-Wesley/dp/0321262506

Once you've got the mechanics of that down, it's not much different from
coding VBA.

hth,

Doug

 

[Bob Phillips]

I've got a little example VB6 DLL that is invoked from Excel. It is the full
package, VB6 code, an executable, and an Excel test harness. If you would
like, I can send you a copy. Is that a valid email?



--
---
HTH

Bob


(there's no email, no snail mail, but somewhere should be gmail in my addy)

 

[Jon Peltier]

I was going to suggest this book. It's the best Excel development book there
is.

- Jon

 

[Matthew Dodds]

I've got a little example VB6 DLL that is invoked from Excel. It is the full
package, VB6 code, an executable, and an Excel test harness. If you would
like, I can send you a copy. Is that a valid email?

--
---
HTH

Bob

(there's no email, no snail mail, but somewhere should be gmail in my addy)

Not for the first time I think praise be to this newsgroup; thank you
Doug, Jon, Bob for your responses. I should have known to look out for
the book you recommended; I have their Excel 2000/Excel 2002 VBA
Programmer's Reference (Wrox Press) and it's the most well thumbed
book in the house.

Bob, yes that's a real email, and thank you for your kind offer - I
suspect I'm not yet able to make good use of it, but please yes, that
would be very helpful. What does it do? I'd like to be able to view
the code so I can understand better - hope that can be possible, once
I sort out the software-to-buy issue. Thank you.

My remaining unaddressed issue (besides trivial matter of the VB6
learning curve, lol) is software package availability, versions and
recommendations; I'm a bit at sea as to what distinguishes the various
editions - can anyone offer a quick precis & recommendation? I want to
be able first and foremost to write in-process DLLS for Excel, to
create installation packages (if that's the right terminology) so
their distribution is idiot proof, and to be able to release time-
limited versions so they go dead after a trial period. (I've just come
across "Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition - ( v. 6.0 ) - media
- CD - Win - English." at less than £30 - shurely shome mistake?))

What would the group recommend?

Thanks in advance for your contributions, and enjoy the weekend.
Matthew

 

[Bob Phillips]

You can view the code even before you get VB6, the class file is just a text
file. The code is amazingly simple, meant to show the technique, not to
provide product. Here is an extract from the Readme file that tells what it
does

______________________________________________________________________
This VB project is a simple demonstration of a VB6 DLL Function Library that
can be used
within other applications.

This project consists of one simple function, 'SheetExists', which returns
True or False if
the nominated worksheet exists. Although a function library can in principle
be used within
many applications, this function is only relevant to Excel.
______________________________________________________________________

I'll put it in the mail now.

As to the software, at £30 I would get the VB6. It is cheap, but it is
unsupported now, so it is not so surprising.

I've got a little example VB6 DLL that is invoked from Excel. It is the
full
package, VB6 code, an executable, and an Excel test harness. If you would
like, I can send you a copy. Is that a valid email?

--
---
HTH

Bob

(there's no email, no snail mail, but somewhere should be gmail in my
addy)

Not for the first time I think praise be to this newsgroup; thank you
Doug, Jon, Bob for your responses. I should have known to look out for
the book you recommended; I have their Excel 2000/Excel 2002 VBA
Programmer's Reference (Wrox Press) and it's the most well thumbed
book in the house.

Bob, yes that's a real email, and thank you for your kind offer - I
suspect I'm not yet able to make good use of it, but please yes, that
would be very helpful. What does it do? I'd like to be able to view
the code so I can understand better - hope that can be possible, once
I sort out the software-to-buy issue. Thank you.

My remaining unaddressed issue (besides trivial matter of the VB6
learning curve, lol) is software package availability, versions and
recommendations; I'm a bit at sea as to what distinguishes the various
editions - can anyone offer a quick precis & recommendation? I want to
be able first and foremost to write in-process DLLS for Excel, to
create installation packages (if that's the right terminology) so
their distribution is idiot proof, and to be able to release time-
limited versions so they go dead after a trial period. (I've just come
across "Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition - ( v. 6.0 ) - media
- CD - Win - English." at less than £30 - shurely shome mistake?))

What would the group recommend?

Thanks in advance for your contributions, and enjoy the weekend.
Matthew

 

[Doug Glancy]

Matthew,

I'm not positive, but I'd think you'd be fine with the professional version.
The price you quote is too good to be true, or at least legal. I suspect
you'd send off your money with no return, but I'm not sure how these
super-cheap software vendors work.

I'm sorry I'm not more help, but since you're not getting other answers,
thought at I'd at least try.

Doug

I've got a little example VB6 DLL that is invoked from Excel. It is the
full
package, VB6 code, an executable, and an Excel test harness. If you would
like, I can send you a copy. Is that a valid email?

--
---
HTH

Bob

(there's no email, no snail mail, but somewhere should be gmail in my
addy)

Not for the first time I think praise be to this newsgroup; thank you
Doug, Jon, Bob for your responses. I should have known to look out for
the book you recommended; I have their Excel 2000/Excel 2002 VBA
Programmer's Reference (Wrox Press) and it's the most well thumbed
book in the house.

Bob, yes that's a real email, and thank you for your kind offer - I
suspect I'm not yet able to make good use of it, but please yes, that
would be very helpful. What does it do? I'd like to be able to view
the code so I can understand better - hope that can be possible, once
I sort out the software-to-buy issue. Thank you.

My remaining unaddressed issue (besides trivial matter of the VB6
learning curve, lol) is software package availability, versions and
recommendations; I'm a bit at sea as to what distinguishes the various
editions - can anyone offer a quick precis & recommendation? I want to
be able first and foremost to write in-process DLLS for Excel, to
create installation packages (if that's the right terminology) so
their distribution is idiot proof, and to be able to release time-
limited versions so they go dead after a trial period. (I've just come
across "Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition - ( v. 6.0 ) - media
- CD - Win - English." at less than £30 - shurely shome mistake?))

What would the group recommend?

Thanks in advance for your contributions, and enjoy the weekend.
Matthew

 

[Doug Glancy]

Bob,

In terms of pricing, my experience was that because it's no longer in
production, it's rare and usually goes for at least a couple of hundred
(£100, I think). But that was a few years back, so maybe it's cheaper now.

Doug

 

[Howard Kaikow]

Start with Gary Cornell's Visual Basic 6 from the Ground UP.
As an experienced VBA programmer, you'll pick things up quickly

Also, get O'Reillly's Visual Basic Controls in a Nutshell.

 

[Bob Phillips]

You may be right Doug, I have never to purchase it that way, I bought mine
many years ago. I just applied what seemed feasible logic to me (I almost
said common sense, but if you are right, it's not that common <G>).

--
---
HTH

Bob


(there's no email, no snail mail, but somewhere should be gmail in my addy)

 

[Doug Glancy]

Bob,

Just keep that license number backed up!

Doug