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| Introduction | |
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| The AutoCAD VBA Environment | |
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| AutoCAD Programming Solutions | |
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| How AutoLISP Differs from VBA | |
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| Visual BASIC versus Visual BASIC for Applications | |
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| Essential VBA Vocabulary and Concepts | |
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| Getting Comfortable with the IDE | |
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| Starting the VBA IDE | |
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| What's in the IDE? | |
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| Developing Applications with VBA inside AutoCad | |
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| VBA Application Jump-Start | |
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| Description of the Application | |
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| Start Your IDE | |
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| Design the Form | |
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| First Lines of Program Code | |
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| Form Properties | |
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| Add a List Box Control | |
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| Programming the Starting Sequence | |
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| Global Variable Declarations | |
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| Counting Blocks Macro | |
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| Test Run the Main Macro | |
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| List Box Reactor Function | |
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| Test the Program | |
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| Final Test | |
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| Understanding the AutoCAD Object-Oriented Database | |
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| Object-Oriented Programming Introduction | |
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| What's an Object? | |
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| The Management Features of Objects | |
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| Object Concept Example | |
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| Computer Science Description of Objects | |
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| How Objects Are Stored in a Computer | |
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| About Creating New Objects | |
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| The AutoCAD Object Tree | |
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| The Document Object | |
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| Collection Objects | |
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| The Block Collection Object | |
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| Entity Objects | |
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| Learning about Objects in VBA | |
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| The AutoCAD Object Model | |
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| Methods, Properties, and Events | |
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| Exploration of the AutoCAD Object Tree | |
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| Getting to the Application Object | |
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| The Application Object | |
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| Accessing the Document Object in VB | |
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| The Documents Collection | |
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| Document Object Methods | |
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| Document Object Properties | |
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| Document Object Events | |
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| Event Programming Example | |
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| Utility Object Functions | |
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| Collections of Objects | |
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| Entity Objects | |
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| Curved Entity Objects | |
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| Text Entity Objects | |
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| Preferences | |
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| Example Sequence | |
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| Working with Entity Collection Objects | |
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| The Collection Object | |
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| Selection Sets Collection | |
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| Building a Collection of Entity Objects | |
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| Accessing Selection Set Members | |
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| More Selection Set Methods and Properties | |
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| Selection Set Collection Iterations | |
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| ModelSpace and PaperSpace Collections | |
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| Even More Selection Set Methods | |
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| Filtering the Selection Set | |
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| Refining the Filters - Numeric Tests | |
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| String Tests in Filters | |
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| Combining Multiple Tests | |
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| Selection Set Maintenance Issues | |
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| Working with Collections | |
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| Dawing Tables | |
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| AutoCAD Drawing Tables | |
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| Tables Are Collections | |
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| The Dictionary Collection | |
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| The DimStyles Collection | |
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| The Groups Collection | |
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| Groups versus Dictionaries | |
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| The Layer Collection | |
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| The Linetypes Collection | |
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| The Registered Apps Collection | |
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| The Text Styles Collection | |
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| The UCS Collection | |
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| The Views Collection | |
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| The View Ports Collection | |
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| View Port Object | |
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| The Paper Space View Port Object | |
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| The Blocks Collection | |
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| Creating a New Block Definition | |
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| Reading a Block Definition | |
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| Working with Attribute Objects in a Block | |
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| Working with Other Applications | |
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| Object Models | |
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| Interface to Microsoft Excel | |
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| Excel Application 1-Simple Database | |
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| Link to Excel | |
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| Variable Declarations | |
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| Excel Linkage Function | |
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| Closing the Workbook | |
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| Searching the Worksheet | |
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| Another Example Interface to Microsoft Excel | |
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| Using Handles | |
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| Object ID versus Handle | |
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| Linking with Other Applications | |
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| Storing Data in AutoCAD | |
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| Dictionary Object | |
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| Xrecord Objects | |
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| Accessing a Dictionary | |
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| Xrecord Contents | |
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| Reading Xrecords | |
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| Group Codes in Xrecords | |
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| Extended Data | |
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| Simple Xdata Example | |
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| Managing Multiple Projects | |
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| Putting Complete Applications Together | |
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| Loading Projects to Run | |
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| Embedded Projects | |
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| Projects on Disk | |
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| Re-using Code | |
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| Running a Macro from Another Project | |
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| Sharing Data between Projects | |
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| Late and Early Binding in VBA | |
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| Multiple Projects in Release 14 | |
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| API Calls from VBA | |
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| What's an API? | |
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| The API Viewer | |
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| INI File Calls | |
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| How the PrivateProfile String APIs Work | |
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| Registry Calls | |
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| The Registry Editor | |
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| The VBA Registry Functions | |
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| System Calls | |
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| Computer Name | |
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| User's Login Name | |
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| System and Local Time | |
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| The Windows Temporary Directory | |
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| System Environmental Variable | |
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| Free Disk Space | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| VBA Toolbox Routines | |
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| Definition of Terms | |
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| Toolbox Overview | |
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| Acquiring Data Items from a Data String | |
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| Add Back Slashes Result to a Path String | |
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| Add Trailing Back Slash to a String Path | |
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| Convert an Object's Entity Type to English | |
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| Count the Number of Occurrences of a Delimiter in a String | |
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| Create a Directory Path | |
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| Determine the Tense of a Word | |
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| Display a Fatal Error Message | |
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| Find a File | |
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| Find a Line in a List Box Control | |
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| Find an Application Window | |
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| Format a Point in a String | |
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| Get the Current View's Corner Points | |
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| Get the Extension from a String | |
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| Get the Left Substring from a String | |
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| Get the Path from a String | |
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| Get the Right Substring from a String | |
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| Pad a String with Spaces | |
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| Remove a String's Null Terminator | |
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| Replace all Requested Characters in a String with Another Character | |
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| Retrieve the System's Windows Directory | |
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| Show a Progress Spinner | |
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| Strip an Extension from a String | |
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| Strip the Path from a String | |
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| Verify a Control Exists on a Form | |
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| Verify a File's Existence | |
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| Verify a Listbox Item Exists | |
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| VB versus VBA | |
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| Quick Comparison of VB and VBA | |
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| Which Language for Which Situation? | |
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| Differences at the System Level | |
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| Porting Issues - from VB to VBA | |
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| Porting Issues - from VBA to VB | |
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| Attaching Your VB Application to the AutoCAD Object Model | |
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| VB and VBA Help | |
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| VB and VBA Help Conclusion | |
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| Gotcha's and Tips | |
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| Divergent Data Type Comparison | |
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| Using Control Keys to Maneuver in VBA | |
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| Class Modules in VBA | |
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| The Special Character for Date and Format | |
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| Named and Optional Arguments | |
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| Using an Array of Doubles versus a Variant as an Array | |
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| Passing an Array to an Object's Methods | |
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| Collections and Procedures | |
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| Short Circuit Evaluation | |
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| Accessing Objects on the Same Level as Your Current Object | |
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| Listbox Columns | |
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| Multiselect in a Listbox | |
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| Variable Name Shortcuts | |
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| Command Line Workaround | |
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| Passing Forms and Controls as Parameters | |
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| Multipage Form Controls | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| Programming Style | |
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| Commenting Your Code | |
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| Keeping Code Concise and Simple | |
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| Proper Use of Subroutines and Functions | |
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| Scope, Precedence, and Life of Variables | |
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| Error Trapping | |
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| Do You Need to Change Your Programming Style for VBA? | |
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| Event-Driven versus Procedural-Driven Language | |
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| The Hungarian Naming Convention | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| Class Modules and Objects | |
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| Not All Objects Are Equal | |
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| The VBA Class Module | |
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| Objects Example 1: Extended Data Manipulations | |
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| Making a Class Module | |
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| Properties | |
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| Methods | |
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| The Extended Data Example Project | |
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| Extended Data Object Conclusion | |
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| Objects Example 2: Hole Chart | |
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| An Object in an Object | |
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| The Inner Object | |
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| The Hole Charting Example Project | |
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| Hole Chart Application Conclusion | |
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| Creating Your Own Object | |