1. The Basics

   1. Chapter 1 Introduction

      1. What Is VBA?
      2. A Brief History of VBA
      3. What Can You Do with VBA?
      4. Object Models: The Power of Programming with VBA

   2. Chapter 2 Program Structure

      1. Getting a VB Program to Run
      2. The Structure of a VB Program
      3. Ending Your VB Program

   3. Chapter 3 VBA Variables and Data Types

      1. Visual Basic Data Types
      2. Type Conversion
      3. The Variant
      4. Declaring Variables and Constants
      5. Array Variables
      6. User -Defined Types
      7. Variable Scope and Lifetime
      8. Object Variables and Binding
      9. Passing Parameters
      10. Intrinsic Constants

   4. Chapter 4 Class Modules

      1. Properties
      2. Enumerated Constants
      3. Class Module Events
      4. Implementing Custom Class Methods
      5. Creating ActiveX Components
      6. Using ActiveX Components in a Project

   5. Chapter 5 Automation

      1. Creating Object Model References
      2. Reading the Object Model
      3. Working with the Object Model
      4. Collection Objects
      5. Trapping an Automation Server's Events
      6. Automation Examples
      7. Automation Performance Tips

   6. Chapter 6 Error Handling

      1. Building a Robust Application
      2. Error Handling in Procedures
      3. Error Handling in ActiveX Servers
      4. Reporting Errors

2. Reference

   1. Chapter 7 The Language Reference

   2. Chapter 8 The Language Reference, Part 1: #Const Directive–Drives Collection Object (VB6)

   3. Chapter 9 The Language Reference, Part 2: End... Statement–FV Function

   4. Chapter 10 The Language Reference, Part 3: Get Statement–PV Function

   5. Chapter 11 The Language Reference, Part 4: QBColor Function–Year Function

3. Appendixes

   1. Appendix A Language Elements by Category

      1. Collection Object
      2. Conditional Compilation
      3. Data Type Conversion Functions
      4. Data Bindings Objects (VB6 only)
      5. Date and Time Functions
      6. Dictionary Object (VB6 Only)
      7. Err Object
      8. FileSystem Objects (VB6 only)
      9. File and Folder Handling
      10. Financial Functions
      11. Formatting Functions
      12. Information Functions
      13. Interaction Functions
      14. Math Functions
      15. Programming and ActiveX Programming
      16. Printer Object Not available in hosted versions of VBA
      17. Program Structure and Flow
      18. Registry Functions
      19. String Manipulation
      20. Variable Declaration

   2. Appendix B Language Constants

      1. Application Window Style (VbAppWinStyle)
      2. Calendar (VBCalendar)
      3. Call Type (VB6 only)
      4. Compare Method (VbCompareMethod)
      5. Data Binding Update Mode (VB6 Only)
      6. Date Time Format Styles (VB6 Only)
      7. Day of Week (VbDayOfWeek)
      8. Drive Type (VB6 only)
      9. File Attributes (VbFileAttribute)
      10. File System Objects File Attributes (VB6 Only)
      11. First Week of Year (VbFirstWeekOfYear)
      12. IME Status (VbIMEStatus)
      13. Language Constants
      14. Log Event Type Style (LogEventTypeConstants)
      15. Log Mode Constants (VB6 only)
      16. Message Box Result (VbMsgBoxResult)
      17. Message Box Style (VbMsgBoxStyle)
      18. Special Folder Types (VB6 only)
      19. String Conversion (VbStrConv)
      20. TextStream IOMode (VB6 only)
      21. Tristate Constants (VB6 Only)
      22. Variant Type (VbVarType)

   3. Appendix C Operators

      1. Arithmetic Operators
      2. String Operator
      3. Comparison Operators
      4. Logical and Bitwise Operators
      5. Operator Precedence

   4. Appendix D What's New in VB6?

      1. Create DataSource and Data Consumer Classes
      2. Functions Can Return Arrays
      3. Dynamic Arrays Can Be Assigned
      4. Remote User-Defined Types
      5. New Functions
      6. Enhanced CreateObject Function
      7. New Object Models

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language is a Newfoundland dog, a domesticated breed known for its size and sweet temperament. Newfoundlands, from the island of the same name, are semiaquatic, usually black dogs. They stand about 28 inches tall and weigh around 130-150 pounds.

The Newfoundland, descended from European breeds, has traditionally been used as a working dog, on land and around water, for hunting and fishing. Their large, webbed feet, thick coat, powerful frame, and large lung capacity are well suited for work on ships and around water, as well as for the island's climate. The breed is associated with stories of brave animals making heroic ocean rescues and assisting with shipwrecks. Today, the Newfoundlands' docile nature and calm disposition have made them popular pets. Mary Anne Weeks Mayo was the copy editor and project manager for VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language. Melanie Wang, Ellie Fountain Maden, Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary, and Sheryl Avruch provided quality control. Mike Sierra provided FrameMaker support and Seth Maislin wrote the index.

Edie Freedman designed the cover of this book, using a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive modified in Adobe Photoshop. The cover layout was produced with QuarkXPress 3.32 using the ITC Garamond font. Whenever possible, our books use RepKover?, a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds RepKover's limit, perfect binding is used.

The inside layout was designed by Nancy Priest and implemented in FrameMaker 5.5 by Mike Sierra. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. The illustrations that appear in the book were created in Adobe Photoshop 4 and Macromedia FreeHand 7 by Robert Romano. This colophon was written by Nancy Kotary.