VBA Book Project in Progress

I have been working on and off for some time on whether or not to release a VBA book that covers in great depth from what I have ventured down the path in the past.  I am proud to announce that I will be going forward with this project and if anyone out there has any feedback to what they would like to see I am open to listening to them.  Below is a summary of the chapter titles that will be included in the VBA for AutoCAD book.  The book once completed should be some where in the neighborhood of 26 chapters and over 450 pages.  I am hoping to have it completed in the next couple of months.

Chapters
Introduction
1. AutoCAD Commands for VBA
2. Visual Basic Editor
3. Components of a VBA Project
4. Error Handling and Debugging Code
5. Conditional and Looping Statements
6. Basic VBA Functions
7. Object Browser and Getting Help
8. AutoCAD Entities - Part 1
9. AutoCAD Entities - Part 2
10. AutoCAD Document
11. Application Object
12. User Input Outside of a UserForm
13. Storing & Retrieving Data for Future Use
14. Modifying Objects in the Drawing
15. Formatting with Colors, Linetypes, Lineweights and Layers
16. Annotation - Text, Tables and Dimensions
17. Blocks and Xrefs
18. Selection Sets
18. Views and Zooming
19. Layouts and Plotting
20. Manipulating the AutoCAD UI (Menu bar and Toolbars)
21. Responding to Events
22. Accessing Files and Folders
23. Working with the Internet
24. Accessing Other Applications from AutoCAD
25. Odds and Ends
Appendixes, Glossary and Index

I have read many different VBA books throughout the years and some just seem to be way to intense or just not very basic for the beginner.  I hope to be able to bring a blend of content that will help those that are new and familiar to VBA programming in AutoCAD.  I have been using VBA with AutoCAD since R14 so I have been using it since the beginning.  I hope to show a variety of samples that some might have never seen before.  Like I mentioned earlier I would like to hear what people would be looking for in a book that they might be interested in purchasing on VBA for AutoCAD.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Comments

[Mike Walsh]

Lee,

Do you plan on including Visual Basic.Net connections to an AutoCad Drawing? It seems that AutoCad 2006 may include more Dot Net objects. This would mean that Com Interop would not have to be used nearly as much.

I would be the first in line to buy it if you included information such as interacting with object handles to and from a Dot Net database application. By interacting I mean real basic stuff like selecting fields would highlight those objects within the drawing and selecting objects would generate a dataset or highlight within a database list with its specific fields displayed. The Dot Net database would have to be created so that a key field would have to have the proper relationship linked to AutoCad's Database which would include any designated object with the AutoCad 2006 Drawing.

Thank you. Mike Walsh of Bismarck, ND.

[Lee Ambrosius]

Hello Mike,

The current book doesn't outline any .Net due to the fact that there are a lot of VBA users out there yet. I do have plans to develop a complete .Net book sometime this year. I know many people will be excited to see .Net exapnded in AutoCAD 2006 if that is going to happen, but the casual programmer I feel is still atracted to VBA and LISP due to no additional tools to purchase, until the Express Edition of VB .Net is out of Beta. So a .Net book is in the works and should be out some time this year, the goal of this book is for VBA users and to develop a good work flow to expand to .Net, so hang in there. Help is on the way. If there is anything else that you have questions about just let me know.

Sincerely,
Lee

[John Burrill]

Hi Lee,
I have a suggestion for an appendix subject in your book consisting of two parts:
linking to a database through ADO (maybe populating a AutoCAD table obect from an Access table.
Writing a simple XML stylesheet and schema and pushing data from AutoCAD to an XML file that can populate it.
John Burrill

[Jim Shipley]

Lee,

-Looking forward to this information. If I were to make one suggestion it would be to leave out the beginner VBA material, you can get that in any VBA book. Put more emphasis on EXAMPLES!!

Let us know when it is ready.

Thanks,
Jim

[Ron Baril]

Hi Lee,

First of all, let me say that I really enjoyed your class at Autodesk University last December. I really like the way you organize your code. It looks good and it's easy to read. Although you did get into some really advanced stuff. If your book is as organized as your code examples, it'll be a great book.

What I didn't see in your list of chapters is Dictionaries, XRecords, and Extension Dictionaries. I've used the first two quite a bit and they're not that difficult, but have yet to use Extension Dictionaries because I really don't know where I would use them.

Definitely get some database connectivity stuff in there. And not just Access but Oracle and SQLServer.

How about LISP and VBA talking to each other?

I think the Events chapter should get allot of emphasis.

I think that's about it. I know you'll write an excellent book and I will be anxiously waiting for it to become available. Keep us all posted on the release date.

Good luck,
Ron Baril

[MANJULA VENKATESAN]

Looking forward this information

good luck
manju

[Mohamad]

I am student and i need a free copy of the book vba for autocad.
thank you

[Nguyen Duy Huy]

I want to have a vba for autocad book. Could you send me it.
Thank you very much
From:
Nguyen Duy Huy
Department of Informatic for Mining
Faculty of Information Technology
Ha Noi University of Minign And geology
Dong Ngac-Tu Liem-Ha Noi-Viet Nam

[Ruben Rodriguez]

I'd love to have this book, but I really need it now. Please let me know how much and how quickly I can receive it.

Thanks!

Ruben

[Ruben Rodriguez]

I wrote and said I'd like a book, but have not heard from anyone.

Please acknowledge.

[tran minh diep]

Hi mr Lee
I'd love to have this book, but I really need it now. Please let me know how much and how quickly I can receive it.

[Lee]

The book can be purchased at the following URL: http://www.hyperpics.com/eBooks/index.asp

Sincerely,
Lee

[Paul Redd]

I really need this, Hurry !
I can lisp a little, But, This is the way to go. Thanks, Paul