XLM Editor Available?

[john.ransdell]

Hello All

So, VBA isn't supported in Office 2008. And the only built-in cross
platform scripting option seems to be something called XLM.

Does anybody know where I can get editor for this? Do I have to buy
it? If so, from whom?

I'm evaluating all my options including a switch toward open source,
which supports not only Microsoft's file formats but also VBA... See
this: www.neooffice.org

Kind regards,

JP

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

Hello All

So, VBA isn't supported in Office 2008. And the only built-in cross
platform scripting option seems to be something called XLM.

Does anybody know where I can get editor for this? Do I have to buy
it? If so, from whom?

I'm evaluating all my options including a switch toward open source,
which supports not only Microsoft's file formats but also VBA... See
this: www.neooffice.org

Kind regards,

JP

XLM is Excel's old, original macro language. There is no editor for it. You
need Excel, and code formula strings directly into an Excel 4 macro sheet.
Apple-F11 will add one to a workbook. Google XLM macro Language to generate
a bunch of references. You may also be able to find some old (Excel 4 and 5
vintage) books.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi John,

I was going to put up a web page to help people decide how to approach
automation in Office 2008, but it's still too soon. Not enough is known to
make hard and fast recommendations for various scenarios.

Saying "VBA isn't supported" goes too far. More precisely, the Visual Basic
Editor and Compiler will go be gone in Office 2008. The VBA object model and
its commands, properties and methods will remain. The question is how do you
get at it?

One way is known for sure: AppleScript. The April, 2007 edition of MacTech
magazine has the skinny on this approach (written by Paul Berkowitz another
Mac MVP). Microsoft has publicly announced support for this approach.
http://www.mactech.com/news/?p=1009354

The AppleScript approach takes advantage of the OLE Automation feature of
VBA. OLE Automation is how one application's VBA can control the object
model of another application. For example, you can write VBA in Word that
controls Excel or PowerPoint in Office 2004 and earlier. OLE automation
exposes most, but not all, of the VBA object model programmatically.

Applescript has some nice pluses: it's system wide so you can control a wide
variety of Mac applications and have interactions among them. If you learn
AppleScript for Office applications you are also learning it for other
applications - so you get a lot of bang for your investment of time.

But if you're a cross-platform Office application programmer then the
AppleScript approach just adds a lot of overhead. There might be another
way, but it's too soon to tell for sure.

There is a potential for RealBasic support. RealBasic is a code editor and
compiler that builds cross platform (Windows and MacOSX) applications.
RealBasic also relies on OLE Automation. Given that it appears that Visual
Basic for Applications on Windows is also scheduled to disappear, RealBasic
offers developers on both Windows and Mac a path that looks very attractive
right now. Unfortunately, I don't know whether or not Office 2008 will work
with RealBasic. I periodically check the RealBasic site for an announcement
about Office 2008 but so far I see nothing.
http://realbasic.com/support/whitepapers/portingvisualbasic/

Up in the air is how Office 2008 will handle XML (Extensible Markup Language
- as opposed to Excel's XLM macro language).

As Bob Greenblat points out, at this point in time we fully expect that
Excel 2008 will continue to support old-fashioned XLM macros. If these
macros can satisfy your needs by all means consider using them.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

Hello All

So, VBA isn't supported in Office 2008. And the only built-in cross
platform scripting option seems to be something called XLM.

Does anybody know where I can get editor for this? Do I have to buy
it? If so, from whom?

I'm evaluating all my options including a switch toward open source,
which supports not only Microsoft's file formats but also VBA... See
this: www.neooffice.org

Kind regards,

JP

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[JPenSuisse]

Hi John,

I was going to put up a web page to help people decide how to approach
automation inOffice2008, but it's still too soon. Not enough is known to
make hard and fast recommendations for various scenarios.

Saying "VBAisn't supported" goes too far. More precisely, the Visual Basic
Editor and Compiler will go be gone inOffice2008. TheVBAobject model and
its commands, properties and methods will remain. The question is how do you
get at it?

One way is known for sure: AppleScript. The April, 2007 edition of MacTech
magazine has the skinny on this approach (written by Paul Berkowitz another
Mac MVP). Microsoft has publicly announced support for this approach.http://www.mactech.com/news/?p=1009354

The AppleScript approach takes advantage of the OLE Automation feature ofVBA. OLE Automation is how one application'sVBAcan control the object
model of another application. For example, you can writeVBAin Word that
controls Excel or PowerPoint inOffice2004 and earlier. OLE automation
exposes most, but not all, of theVBAobject model programmatically.

Applescript has some nice pluses: it's system wide so you can control a wide
variety of Mac applications and have interactions among them. If you learn
AppleScript forOfficeapplications you are also learning it for other
applications - so you get a lot of bang for your investment of time.

But if you're a cross-platformOfficeapplication programmer then the
AppleScript approach just adds a lot of overhead. There might be another
way, but it's too soon to tell for sure.

There is a potential for RealBasic support. RealBasic is a code editor and
compiler that builds cross platform (Windows and MacOSX) applications.
RealBasic also relies on OLE Automation. Given that it appears that Visual
Basic for Applications on Windows is also scheduled to disappear, RealBasic
offers developers on both Windows and Mac a path that looks very attractive
right now. Unfortunately, I don't know whether or notOffice2008 will work
with RealBasic. I periodically check the RealBasic site for an announcement
aboutOffice2008 but so far I see nothing.http://realbasic.com/support/whitepapers/portingvisualbasic/

Up in the air is howOffice2008 will handle XML (Extensible Markup Language
- as opposed to Excel's XLM macro language).

As Bob Greenblat points out, at this point in time we fully expect that
Excel 2008 will continue to support old-fashioned XLM macros. If these
macros can satisfy your needs by all means consider using them.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

Quoting from "(e-mail address removed)" <[email protected]>, in article
(e-mail address removed), on [DATE:

Hello All

So,VBAisn't supported inOffice2008. And the only built-in cross
platform scripting option seems to be something called XLM.

Does anybody know where I can get editor for this? Do I have to buy
it? If so, from whom?

I'm evaluating all my options including a switch toward open source,
which supports not only Microsoft's file formats but alsoVBA... See
this:www.neooffice.org

Kind regards,

JP

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP infohttp://mvp.support.microsoft.com/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hello Jim

Thank you very much for the informative post. I guess I have to
somehow get mentally ready for taking the leap and accpet the coming
changes.

I would guess that the people from RealBasic would see the coming
oppurtunity to exploit. So, let's hope they can change the coming
cross-platform gap.

I'll be checking the forms for any futher posts that might be made on
this subject.

Kind regards to all the MVPs and readers,

JP