VBA vs. VB

Hope this isn't too off topic. But, im curious if someone can tell me what the main differences are between VBA and VB? I am currently learning VBA for Excel, but may need to learn VB for scripting stuff in Windows Network environments. I see they are similar. But are they really?

Are they close enough that if you learn one, you know the other? Or are they completely different?

I appreciate it.

PC

Hello Proxy_Cypher,

As you have already noticed there are many similarities between VB and VBA. The basic objects like Frames, Labels, TextBoxes, ListBoxes, ComboBoxes, UserForms, CommandButtons, CheckBoxes, and Option Buttons are almost identical. The Events are also similiar, but you need to familiarize yourself with their differences. Design wise there really is no major difference in coding practices.

A couple of the major differences are VBA comes with Office. You don't have to purchase it as a separate program. This is can be beneficial especially if you want to distribute your programs. With VB the user must purchase the program to run your code because it is under license. Also, you will have to import all the necessary libraries and DLLs needed for code and install them if needed.

VB does offer the advantage of compiling the finished code into an executable program (.exe) and provides tools to for more advanced programming such as creating DLLs. This level of programming requires an in depth knowledge of Windows and a good understanding of te C language.

VBA's strength lies in being able to manipulate and automate data and tasks between Office programs. The downside is the plethora of Events, Methods, and Properties as they vary with the object and also it's enviroment (office program).

So, learning one will certainly help with learning the other. They are however distinct and separate languages. Which one you use depends largely on what you want you need to accomplish. There's no substitute for using the right tool for the right job.

Hope this helps,
Leith Ross