quick start

[Joe]

I don't do programming very often so I always forget how in between. I just
need some sort of a tutorial or short paper to get me started again. Does
anyone have any suggestions? I definitely don't want to read a 500 page
book, and I don't need to be an expert when done.

 

[Karl E. Peterson]

I don't do programming very often so I always forget how in between.
I just need some sort of a tutorial or short paper to get me started
again. Does anyone have any suggestions? I definitely don't want to
read a 500 page book, and I don't need to be an expert when done.

I'm not sure there are any one-size-fits-all answers, here.

My first suggestion would be to conjure up a fun task you'd like to accomplish, and
try to imagine what the pieces of it may entail. Then, hit Google (both groups and
web) looking for ways to tackle each individual element. One of the best ways to
learn programming is to work your way through existing, well-written code. Start
small.

Another thought might be to even run the macro recorder through some simple task,
then examine what it produced. See how you might improve it, by making the specific
results more generic, so they could be applied to a wider range of situations.

 

[Andy Tischaefer [MSFT]]

If you're specifically refering to programming using VBA in Office
applications, then using the Macro Record functionality for the application
you are in is a good way to re-familiarize yourself with the application's
object model. From there, the help topics can get you further along.

Realizing that you don't want to be an expert, a beginner's guide book might
be just the thing to re-familiarize yourself with basic programming concepts
(if statements, loops, etc) and could save you a bunch of time overall.

For Microsoft applications, there is also MSDN, an online resource.

- Andy Tischaefer
Test Lead, Microsoft Office

This posting is provided as is and confers no rights.