VBA Overview

BlueZone Plus VBA

Overview

What is VBA?

Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a powerful development technology for rapidly customizing Windows applications like BlueZone, and integrating them with existing data and systems. VBA offers a sophisticated set of programming tools based on the Microsoft Visual Basic development system.

Visual Basic for Applications provides a complete Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that features the same elements familiar to developers using Microsoft Visual Basic, including a Project Window, a Properties Window, and debugging tools. VBA also includes support for Microsoft Forms, for creating custom dialog boxes, and ActiveX Controls, for rapidly building user interfaces. Integrated directly into BlueZone, VBA offers the advantages of fast, in-process performance, tight integration with the host application, and the ability to build solutions without the use of additional tools.

VBA Is a Shared Component

VBA is a shared component, which means you have one copy of VBA for all applications on your system that use it. Although each application uses the same Visual Basic files, the Visual Basic Editor configuration is stored separately for each product. This means that when you open the Visual Basic Editor from BlueZone, it will show your BlueZone project as you last used it, even if you have used the Visual Basic Editor for other applications.

What are the differences between Visual Basic, VBA, and VBScript?

Visual Basic is a stand-alone tool for creating separate software components, such as executable programs, COM components and ActiveX Controls, and is useful when you must build a specialized solution from scratch.

VBA offers the same powerful tools as Visual Basic in the context of an existing application, and is the best option for customizing software that already meets most of your needs.

VBScript is a lightweight version of the Visual Basic language, and is designed specifically for use on Web pages. While scripting can sometimes be used for simple automation, VBA is the premier technology designed specifically for application automation. Unlike VBA, VBScript does not have an IDE.