Worksheet Functions and VBA, HELP

Location: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/wsfunct.htm Home page: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm [View without Frames]

It is frustrating that preinstalled software does not come with manuals. The documentation for all the software on your system if printed would fill up a truck or a plane or something and cost you more in storage for printed material than the price of your software. Even the price of one bookshelf of manuals from the bookstore relating to one software package might cost more than all of your software. That being said...

Worksheet Functions HELP

You can see all of the worksheet functions if you use the Function Wizard.
Double-clicking on a cell or single-click on the formula bar will show [fx] button to left of the formula bar.
Click on the function wizard [fx]. Choose ALL in the left hand window. You can select anything in the right window to get more help. Use the HELP button in lower left corner for help. Also notice the brief description just above the help button. Clicking on the function name in the right window will start the function wizard for that function.
When you use HELP on the main menu the worksheet functions have a specific format. The function name is capitalized followed by the words Worksheet Function.
Within HELP also look at the "See Also" and the "Examples".

More information in HELP

Check out the following topics and their subtopics

Function Wizard
Functions, see subtopics described, syntax, worksheet function index
Worksheet Functions, see subtopics

VBA Help

Use of Tools --> Record Macro will provide something to work with.
Some Help Topics that will help with VBA use HELP Find (VBA)
- Visual Basic Equivalents for Macro Functions and Commands
- Using object variables in Microsoft Excel
- List of Worksheet Functions Available to Visual Basic
- Using Microsoft Excel worksheet functions in Visual Basic
- Excel Find --> xl i.e. xlScreensize
- (for XL97) Look in Help "Find" in the VBA Editor "Excel VBA Help"

To be included above

Excel:
A list of builtin Functions and User Defined Functions can be found
by clicking on the  Paste Function Wizard [fx].   If the [fx] button is not
on your toolbars you can move it there from "insert"  toolbar group
in customize.   On the lefthand size choose ALL and the names of all
of the functions will be listed on the right.  To see a list of only your
own User Defined Functions,  Choose  "user defined functions" on
the left alphabetical so it is near the bottom.   When you select a
function a brief description will appear -- for more help look up
the builtin functions in HELP.

VBE (Visual Basic Editor) and VBA (Visual Basic for Applications):
The help for VBA is seen when you are in the VBE  (Alt + F11)
which is where you enter your own macros.

F1 (Help) --> Contents --> Language Reference --> Functions
    List of all VBA functions in alphabetical groups
    **I think this is what you were asking for**

F1 (Help) --> answer wizard --> functions --> (choose from list)
   List of Worksheet Functions Available to Visual Basic.
      which lists worksheet functions not VBA functions
   New Properties (Alphabetic List)

F2 (View --> Object Browser)
with  selected at the top, will list all functions.


Where to find a VB tutorial.
 The quickest way would be to purchase a book that suits you.
  I would recommend that you look at John Walkenbach's books.
  BTW,  look at the Excel 2000 books there is not much difference
  between Excel 97 and Excel 2000 and  the difference will probably
  be noted.   Since I don't have a Mac, I don't know if there are XL 98
  books, but since the macro language is the same I can't imagine
  it would make any difference.

  Read the VBA Help Contents

  Use of   Tools --> Record Macro   will provide something to work with.

  Microsoft Excel for Windows -- Visual Basic for Applications 101
    VBA 101, meaning, of course, an introductory course in VBA
    http://support.microsoft.com/support/excel/content/vba101/default.asp
    http://www.microsoft.com/officedev/articles/Opg/toc/pgtoc.htm

More VBA help
  see my home page in the "Excel Lessons & Tutorials" area.
  Many of the MS Excel MVP's that post here have pages
     http://www.mvps.org/links.html#excel
    Some don't have web pages, and the Deja Archives provide
    a web presence for everyone posting in the newsgroups.

Some General Information

From a reply to a rather ambigous question.

Shortcut Keys:

I put the shortcut keys together on one webpage where they can located easily with Find (Ctrl+F).
Shortcut Keys in Excel 2000 (Excel Version 9)
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/shortx2k.htm

Worksheet Functions:

A list of Worksheet Functions supplied with Excel for use on the Worksheet (as opposed to programming). You can bring up a list with the [fx] toolbar button or the shortcut Shift+F3 There is a brief description there but for more information use F1 (Help) use the index tab and for help with say SUM use the index: SUM Worksheet Function and should see the help information directly.

Origin of Excel Worksheet Function Names Descriptive summary of functions and how they were named. - by janma, (the rest of his Excel site, "Excel Skill Training Hall", is in Japanese).
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/excel/functioninenglish.html\

Worksheet Functions, summarizes where to find additional information

Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can be found in Shortcut Keys in Excel 2000 (Excel Version 9), which makes use of your web browser's Find key (Ctrl+F) and works a lot easier than using Excel Help in finding shortcuts. The equivalent of the Excel Help for shortcut keys is not as easy to use as mine, but is probably still easier than using the Excel Help.
http://support.microsoft.com/support/Office/InProdHlp/contents/Excel/tocxldefault.asp

Related materials

Some Worksheet Function Examples

See Chip Pearson's Excel Pages particularly his Excel Formulas.
John Walkenbach's pages Especially his Developer Tips Archive
Excel Function Dictionary « by Peter Noneley is a reference to definitely download and maintain on your computer, the workbook has 157+ sheets each with an explanation and example of an Excel function.

Microsoft

The entire HELP file in Excel 2000 can be found online
Microsoft Excel 2000 Help
http://support.microsoft.com/support/Office/InProdHlp/contents/Excel/tocxldefault.asp
What's new in Microsoft Excel 2000? don't be thrown off by the URL - it says it is about Excel 2000, but who knows
http://support.microsoft.com/support/Office/InProdHlp/Excel/xldecWhatsNewInMicrosoftExcel97.asp
What's New for Microsoft Excel 2000 Developers
http://support.microsoft.com/support/Office/InProdHlp/Excel/xlmscObjectModelChanges2000.asp
Key information for upgraders and new users
http://support.microsoft.com/support/Office/InProdHlp/Excel/xldecKeyInformationforUpgradersandNewUsers.as

You are one of many distinguished visitors who have visited my site here or in a previous location since created on July 3, 1998.

Visit [my Excel home page] [Index page] [Excel Onsite Search] [top of this page]

Please send your comments concerning this web page to: David McRitchie send email comments