Chapter 6: VBA Language Elements

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) has its origins in Visual Basic, a programming language developed by Microsoft. It is important to understand that VBA is not a standalone program, meaning that you cannot compile code and run it as a separate program outside the MS Office environment.

Its main reason for existence is the customization of the MS Office host applications in which it runs: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Visio, and Publisher. Companies such as Corel also make use of VBA to allow customization of their applications.

Customization involves the recording and creating of macros to automate repetitive tasks. It is also used to generate custom forms, including event-driven buttons and fields.

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