I’ve been publishing my ExcelTips newsletter for quite a long time now, approaching 17 years. Every week, without fail, I’ve published tips on how to use almost every aspect of Excel.
During that time, I’ve also conducted various seminars on teaching people how to use Excel. I’ve also developed a good number of e-books and real books about how to use Excel.
One thing that I haven’t done, however, is to create any video-based training materials about Excel. I’ve had people ask about them, but I’ve always shied away from them because of, I guess, being a harsh critic of myself.
Well, I’m thinking of changing that situation and coming up with a new online course about how to create macros. The course would be geared toward beginners—those who haven’t ever created their own macros before. (I may do a more advanced macro course later, but it is generally best to start at the beginning.)
Like I said, I’m still toying with the idea; trying to get my head around what the course would (or should) contain. This is always the toughest part for me—figuring out what to include and what to leave out.
Do you think offering such a course would be a good idea? Do you have thoughts as to what such a course should cover? If so, I’d love to have a bit of feedback. Please, let me know below what you think.
I have purchased several of your products and have use them to augment my own self learning. The way I found your website was through searching the internet. So in summary, I think the market already has the idea you are proposing, but it could sure use something a little more professional. Good luck.
Great idea and please keep me posted!!
Zimmy
Hi Allen,
it’s a great idea! I would love to have such courses – just from you… You know, I’m working with EXCEL for years, I have unnummered links to helping sites, I have senn at least hundreds of videos and teaching courses. But if I face a real problem I end with Excel Tips and yours e-books and there I find real help.
Yours
Zuzana
Yes – a very good idea! Like many, I am sure, I have a very basic grasp of macros gained largely through recording keystrokes with a few programming amendments thrown in (usually after lengthy research!). I suspect many of us are in a similar position and would welcome instruction to bring us up to the next level, i.e. an understanding of basic programming syntax – but nothing too complex! Of course, others will have different needs but I suspect the ‘mass market’ would somewhere just above basic level.
I know there are many publications covering this area but, at least in my view, video would probably be the best method to use provided the course is broken up into reasonably self-contained sections.
I have subscribed to your Excel tips for some years now and would like to thank you for this very useful, and readable, source of information. Much appreciated!
Best wishes
Rory MacLennan
Would love a course like this for beginners. Have tried to write a macro using keystrokes, but don’t really know what I am doing so they never work.
Allen,
While I have been receiving both Excel Tips and Word Tips for what seems like an eternity (and both have helped me when I get “stumped” using either application), I for one like visual presentations. I think it provides another aspect to the entire training/learning process.
Good luck and hopefully you get enough positive responses to take on this new challenge!
Jerry
A video based training course on macros fro beginners is an excellent idea.
As I have not used macros, but am aware of what they are, I cannot offer any advice on what to include in the course.
Regards.
I get enough info for my needs at present and probably would rarely if ever play a video. Thanks!
Thanks, James, for taking the time to provide feedback. I need (and value) all types!
-Allen
Allen,
I think it would be a great idea – IF – it does not cost an arm and a leg. In addition, having taken on-line courses in the past, the course should be in bits and pieces (with a hyperlink index) so that a student can go back to a particular part when they can’t remember something – like in a textbook you can go back to the page and paragraph without having to reread the entire book. Just my 2 cents.
Good luck,
Pat Rourk
Good ideas, Pat, and they mirror what I’m thinking about right now. (I especially like the short, topic-oriented approach. I’m envisioning a bunch of videos about 2 to 12 minutes long each.)
-Allen
Good morning Allen. I tend to agree with you in that starting with the simplest and working towards the complex is the best way to proceed. I also agree that it can be disturbing to “put yourself out there” for all to see. However, with your background and immense knowledge of Excel, I can’t think of anyone who would be better at creating a video. Good luck. And I look forward to your first venture!
Allen,
I think your idea to offer video courses is a great one! I’ve learned so much from Excel Tips over the years, I’m sure seeing your insights in action would benefit not only newbies, but also some of us old timers too!
Best regards,
Guy
I think it is a great idea. I have always wanted to build a results/standings sheet for World Cup Soccer, but was never able to get by one obstacle. What I would like to do is enter each games score and have my sheet do all the calculations for standings. The problem is: FIFA usually has 5 or more tie-breakers. and this is where my problem lies. How to incorporate the tie-breaker logic into the sheet.
I hope sincerely that you proceed with this idea, I anxiously wait for your first video, your tips have helped me a lot, I can only imagine the videos would be even more help. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I think it’s a great idea.
I’ve ‘dabbled’ with macros, but don’t have a lot of confidence in my ability. I am sure an online course would help people in my position. So, please, bring it on!
Allen,
I agree about a video. I have found that most people do best with both and explanation and a visual reference when doing macros and other functions. The number of times that I’ve explained even simple formatting to folks that have been using Excel for some time and use of the settings and values doesn’t click until they see it at work and the impact of functions on data they already have. Definitely start at the beginning. Good idea thanks for all the insight over the years. Keep it up. New generations out there looking for input.
Perhaps the easiest thing to start with is to demonstrate what macros can be used for. Then move on to recording macros….then you can talk about taking the recorded code apart to show what each bit does. Then demonstrate that the recordings can be modified. After that, I’d show a little bit about “basic” control structures, what a variable is and how that all translates into VBA….it gets complex after that!
I write and use complex macros everyday, but I am still amazed at the number of professionals who are either afraid to use them, or don’t trust them. Half of the challenge is to get people to organise their work into a format that can be easily “read” by a macro, each and every time it’s used. a good error routine is my best friend!
Good luck, and thanks for all of your hard work over the years,
Rick
Good ideas, all, Rick. Thanks for the feedback; it is helpful.
-Allen
Dear Allen,
Yes, your idea is great and the subject choosen even greater. This is already a good start!!!
Normally people avoid dealing with macros either because they do not feel confortable with “programming” or because they have had a bad experience in the past, where they spent time but achieved bad or simply no results.
If you allow me, I will present a few suggestions, based on my personal experiences over my professional life as both a TI professional, as well as as a technical instructor:
1- Whenever one wants to perform any task, he/she, either just mentally for easy tasks, or in the paper for the larger ones, draws his/her plan. That means defining what are the results that must be reached, what are the resources available, and how that could be done. Although this is the MOST IMPORTANT part of any project, it is also the one most overlooked, specially for small project, like a macro.
2- Almost all of us focus on the results only, without clearly defining up front what the results should be (objectives). This is the MOST important part of the “development” process. Indeed, this is so important that there is a science that was created just for that: Requisites Management. So, by knowing and clearly defining what the Requisites are, we can move on to the analysis of the resources available. Many times these resources simply are not enough for obtain the results wanted, so we must go back to the Requisites stage and adjust them accordingly.
3- Once we come up with a set of Requisites that have been fully analised and are agreed to, we can go to the next step, which is the “Planning” stage. In this stage we will focus on the HOW things will be done. In practical terms, when considering a macro, this would be a flowchart. It does not matter which tools you use to draw it, the important is that you THINK about the process and come up with a road map of the actions to be performed, so that you do not waste time later on in the trial-n-error way. It may be a simple sketch on a piece of paper, but it is critical to have it done, before going over to the coding process.
4- After the coding is done, a critical part is the TESTING of the implementation. These tests MUST be performed according to the Requisites defined, to assure all of the requisites are met and to prevent wasting time and efforts for testing conditions the Requisites do no call for. If at this stage, when analysing an error, we find a situation that is not covered by the Requisites defined, we must go back and update the Requisites.
The above is the “development mind” scenario and it is the way to avoid wasting time and resources that is normally the way the “immediate coders” go to, as they simply go directly to the “lines of code”. This may sound way to much for a simple macro at first, but after you go through this process once, you will easily achieve the results wanted. It does not have to be a formal and complex analysis, as required for very large projects, but more than anything, it MUST be an organized way of thinking about a new project.
Talking about macros themselves, using my few experiences with them, I would start in a demnstration mode, with a few very simple, ready and practical examples, to first show the viewer the high productive potential of using macros and how simple they can be to use (no development yet), and only later I would go into the development stage, starting with the very same macros that were shown up front, as the viewers would be already familiar with the outcome and would, then, be able to know the insides of the process, including the structured development stages described at steps 1 thru 4 above.
One key point that I believe must be carefully covered is teaching how to find the variables, as these, in my view, are a key point for the nacros and they are not immediately visible to the user.
I am sure this new project of yours will be a success and will give us all another high quality and useful content, as it has been with your Tips and books. Go ahead.
Warm regards.
This is all gold, Jose. Thank you very, very much for taking the time to put it together.
I will keep your ideas close by if I decide to move forward with the videos.
-Allen
If you do not create video lectures, you will be abandoned shortly.
I think it is an Excel-lent idea, Allen. I agree about starting simple and advancing later. One specific thing I feel should be in the course is actually 2-fold. (A} how to use the macro recorder to capture the code for specific actions, and (B) how to clean out the fluff of the default parameters included in a recorded macro.
A 2nd topic I think should be how to use the object browser combined with right-click Help within the found topics of a search in the object browser.
Thanks for all you do for the Excel community!
Good ideas, Alan. Thanks!
-Allen
Lots of video courses out there. But if you gain a following then you may increase your book sales if you tie your videos to one of your books. Also having companion workbooks is a big plus. And it may be useful to put the penultimate draft of each lesson out to the weekly email readership for comments.
Regards
Brian
Companion workbooks. Hmmm. That’s interesting; I’ll need to give that some thought.
-Allen
Of course Allen. Why not. You do need to go ahead and launch this course. When I search online even, your website shows in the first page for most excel questions. What the course should cover? Why don’t you try some short and some long videos? Short videos could be used to advertise and all 😉
Hello Allen
Given that people absorb information in varying ways, I think video lessons would be a great alternate medium for the visual learners who access your tips. I also understand your reticence at putting yourself out there but I truly believe your authoritative knowledge on the topic of excel will make these videos great learning tools. Thank you for all your hard work over the years – and good luck!
That was my feeling, too, Christiane. (About people absorbing information in different ways.)
Thanks for the encouragement.
-Allen
I love the idea. I can get what I need done on Exel and on Word, but I would like to learn more.
Allen I would love to be able to access this info in a simple video format. I still have not been able to get a handle on macros even with all the great info you have provided. Keep up the good work.
I second Hugh Tannenbaum’s feed-back and ad that for a businessman that’s toiling with excel macros can save a lot of valuable time for sure, but the most useful and versatile tool I found, that alerts management for changes at a macro / micro level is a good DASHBOARD, if possible with kick a… graphics that can be applied from individual analysis to team meetings to board meetings…