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Not in Text CP212 Winter 2012

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No VBA Required

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Regular Programming traditional programming is sequential in nature o one command executed after another o even with looping and conditional statements o program has a flow to it Sub myProgram() Dim var As String ' Do this result = Msgbox ("Welcome") ' Then do this If result = vbYes Then ' check this Msgbox "Great!" ' Either do this... Else MsgBox "Not good!" ' or this End Sub

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Event-Driven Programming modern, graphical oriented programs are driven by events a program will be running in memory, waiting for the user to do something o or possibly waiting for the system to do something things the user does (or the system) are called events

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A Typical Event Driven Program

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Events and Event Handlers typical events would include clicking a button, moving the mouse, or typing in text when an event happens, the code that responds to that event is executed o this code is called an event handler the event is said to have fired or been triggered

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Graphical User Interfaces in the early days programs were written to run from command prompts such as DOS or Unix o the only event was a user typing something and pressing enter creating a program with a graphical user interface (GUI - pronounced gooey) uses event-driven programming windows, buttons, forms, icons, desktop, dialog boxes are standard terms in graphical user interface design user interface design is an art and a science google "user interface design" "human-computer interaction" "hci" "human factors" or other related topics

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GUI Controls the primary layer for a GUI is a window or a form as a programmer, you add controls (also called widgets) to the form

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GUI Controls o Java has a complete library of controls called the Swing library makes writing GUIs quick and easy well...easier than doing it by hand! o VB and VBA (and Microsoft Visual [Anything]) allows for drag-and-drop GUI design o simply make a form, add some controls and you have a very fast prototype a (usually non-functioning) sample of your application

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Simple Events you can then add code to the event handlers for each widget some code you write will never be executed! try it out: drop a control on a form o double-click the control to display the default event handler

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click the drop-down list on the right side to see the events you can program for the current object the list on the left allows you to choose from the objects on the form

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Basic Events Userform events: o Initialize (default), Activate, Click, DblClick, KeyPress, Resize Button events: o Click (default), Enter, MouseUp, MouseDown, Exit (will fire when the form closes) TextBox events: o Change (default), AfterUpdate, BeforeUpdate

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Other Events Application, Workbook, Worksheets and Charts can all have events Workbook_Open: runs code as soon as file is opened, not recommended when distributing to the public, most apps have macros disabled anyway. Chart_Activate: fires when a chart is activated (clicked on) Worksheet_Change: cells on the worksheet are changed Worksheet_Activate: a worksheet is activated Worksheet_Deactivate: a worksheet is deactivated Experiment in the VBE to find other events

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Design Options developing GUI software can start with simple sketches on a napkin software mockups can be created in a graphics program like Adobe Photoshop o nice to look at but no interaction other software is availble to help design the look of the software

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iPhone Design Template (Photoshop) Layered, to make changing layouts easy.

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Rapid Prototyping one of the benefits of VB / VBA quickly and easily create a mockup of your software o no code required! can let users see it and play with it o can add basic message boxes to make it interactive allows users to work with the product and see what works and doesn't work can easily make changes based on their feedback

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UX - User Experience UX - the intersection of Art, Science and Craftsmanship The subjective experience a user has when performing a task while using your software (make them happy, not angry)

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References Jakob Nielsen: A User Design Specialist o http://www.useit.com/ http://www.useit.com/ User Interface Design Tips, Techniques and Principles o http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/userInterfaceDesign.html http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/userInterfaceDesign.html Excel 2007 Power Programming with VBA by John Walkenbach (now in an Excel 2010 version) Excel 2007 Power Programming with VBAExcel 2010 Mockup Screens - $99 software! (video)video Free GUI design add-on for Firefox: http://www.evolus.vn/pencil/http://www.evolus.vn/pencil/