VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) in Microsoft Excel – creation of complex forms and code optimisation

Training process

Training needs analysis

If you have specific requirements regarding the training programme, we will carry out a training needs analysis for you. This will guide us on which aspects of the programme should receive greater emphasis, so that the training programme meets your specific needs.

What will you gain?

Faster macro development - You will organize your VBA workspace so you can build and run macros faster, spot issues more easily, and create clean code that is easier to maintain and extend later.

Better logic control - You will learn how to choose the right conditions and loops, so you can handle more complex scenarios, avoid unnecessary actions, and simplify the flow of your procedures.

Custom Excel forms - You will build UserForms with input fields, lists, and buttons, making data entry easier for users, reducing manual typing in worksheets, and improving overall usability.

Forms linked to worksheets - You will populate form controls from worksheet data and save or update records from the form, so you can create practical tools for structured data entry and editing.

Fewer data errors - You will add field validation and user messages, helping you block incorrect entries, enforce complete forms, and improve the quality of data stored in your workbook.

Your own worksheet functions - You will create custom VBA functions for calculations, text handling, and date or time operations, so you can extend Excel with formulas tailored to your daily work.

Faster data processing - You will use arrays, collections, and dictionaries to process and search larger datasets more efficiently, reduce worksheet interactions, and improve solution performance.

End-to-end report automation - You will automate copying, filtering, merging, reporting, printing, and exporting, while also using events and project practices to build tools ready for team use.

Training programme

1. Review of VBA basics and organization of the work environment

discussion of the structure of the VBE editor and modules,
creating and running simple procedures,
good practices in writing code: naming, comments, formatting.

2. Effective use of conditional statements and loops

extended If...Then...ElseIf statements,
For, For Each, Do While loops – comparison and application,
nesting of structures and flow control (Exit, Continue).

3. Creating user forms (UserForm)

inserting forms and adding controls (TextBox, ComboBox, ListBox),
setting properties of forms and form elements,
assigning code to buttons and events.

4. Dynamic interaction of forms with data in the worksheet

filling controls with data from the worksheet (e.g. ComboBox with a customer list),
transferring data from the form to the worksheet,
reading data from the worksheet into the form and updating it.

5. Data validation and error control in forms

checking the correctness of data entered by the user,
displaying error messages and hints,
blocking the form in the case of incomplete or incorrect completion.

6. Creating custom user-defined functions (UDF)

principles of building functions in VBA,
examples of numeric, text, and date/time functions,
using user-defined functions directly in the worksheet.

7. Working with arrays and collections

declaring and populating static and dynamic arrays,
processing data in arrays without writing to a worksheet,
using collections and dictionaries (Scripting.Dictionary) for fast data lookup.

8. Automation of operations in Excel using VBA

automatic copying, filtering and merging of data,
creating reports and summaries based on source data,
controlling printout and data export.

9. Code and performance optimization

reducing the number of operations on the worksheet (ScreenUpdating, Calculation, DisplayAlerts),
using working variables and data buffering,
comparison of the speed of operation of different approaches and structures.

10. Handling events in the worksheet and workbook

using events such as Worksheet_Change, Workbook_Open,
responding to user actions (e.g. changing a cell, saving a file),
limiting errors and blocking undesired actions.

11. VBA project organization and good practices

separating code into modules, forms, and sheets,
creating universal helper procedures,
protecting code and forms with a password against editing.

12. Practical application – building a complete tool

designing the interface of a complex form with multiple controls,
implementation of the full logic: input, saving, editing, data filtering,
preparing the solution for teamwork or further development.

What are the prerequisites for participating in the training?

Basic Excel skills - You should move confidently around a workbook, work with sheets, cells, and ranges, and handle common tasks such as copying, filtering, and sorting data in Excel.

Basic VBA knowledge - You should be able to open the VBA editor, run a simple procedure, and understand core code elements such as variables, conditional statements, and basic loops.

Understanding macro logic - You should understand how a macro follows steps and changes worksheet data, so you can more easily build larger procedures and analyze how they behave.

Readiness to work with code - You should feel comfortable editing and testing code, fixing errors, and checking macro results, because the training is focused on practical programming tasks.