Working with the Object Model

1
Working with the Object Model
2

• Visual Basic for Applications

2
Objectives
2

• In this unit, you will learn how to
• Refer to the objects contained in an
  applications object model
• Use the Object Browser in the Visual Basic Editor
• Enter instructions in the Immediate window in the
  Visual Basic Editor
• Refer to the most commonly used objects in Excel,
  Word, and Access

3
Concept LessonUnderstanding the Object Model
2

• Although all VBA-enabled applications share the
  same language, each contains its own unique set
  of objects, referred to as the applications
  object model
• A collection object, typically referred to simply
  as a collection, is a group of one or more
  individual objects treated as one unit

4
PowerPoint Object Models

• PowerPoint 2000 Object Model
• PowerPoint XP Object Model
• PowerPoint 2003 Object Model
• PowerPoint 2007 Object Model
• ? PowerPoint 2010 Object Model
• PowerPoint 2013 Object Model

5
Referring to the Objects Containedin an
Applications Object Model
2

• You can refer to an individual object within a
  collection using either its name or its position
  number in the collection
• The Application rectangle represents the
  Application object
• Immediately below the Application rectangle is
  the Presentations (Presentation) rectangle, which
  represents both the Presentations collection and
  the individual Presentation objects within the
  collection

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The Most Commonly Used PowerPoint Objects
2
Exhibit 2-1 The most commonly used PowerPoint
objects
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Application object

• Represents the entire Microsoft PowerPoint
  application.
• Contains application-wide settings and options
• Contains properties that return top-level
  objects, such as ActivePresentation.
• You can use the following properties of the
  Application object without the object qualifier
• ActivePresentation
• ActiveWindow
• Presentations

8
Referring to the Objects Containedin an
Applications Object Model
2

• The Slides (Slide) rectangle is one level down
  from the Presentations (Presentation)
  rectanglein the object model
• The plural word Slides denotes the name of the
  collection, and the singular word Slide indicates
  the type of object included inthe collection

Exhibit 2-2 The PowerPoint objects and
collections
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Referring to Objectsin VBA Code
2

• You can use VBA to refer to any element in an
  applications object model, but to do so you must
  specify the objects exact location in the object
  models hierarchy
• You begin at the top of the hierarchy, with the
  Application object, and then work your way down
  each level until you reach the desired element
• You can refer to a specific object within a
  collection using either the objects name,
  enclosed in quotation marks, or its position
  number within the collection, referred to as its
  index
• In most collections, the index of the first
  object in the collection is 1

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Referring to an Objects Properties and Methods
in VBA Code
2

• A property is a characteristic of an object, and
  a method is an action that an object can perform
  on its own
• The Application object has a Name property that
  stores the Application objects name, and it has
  a Quit method that is used to end the application
• You use the expression.property syntax in a VBA
  instruction to access an objects property, and
  you use the expression.method syntax to invoke
  one of its methods

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Referring to an Objects Properties and Methods
in VBA Code
2

• Before you can customize an application, you need
  to become familiar with the objects in its object
  model
• One way to do so is to use the Object Browser,
  which is available in the Visual Basic Editor

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The Object Browser
2

• A class is the formal definition of an object it
  defines the properties that control the objects
  appearance, and the methods and events that
  control the objects behavior
• All of the information pertaining to an
  applications object model is stored in an object
  library, which is simply a file

Exhibit 2-3 The Object Browser showing only
PowerPoint classes
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Getting Help in theObject Browser
2

• You can view an objects Help screen by clicking
  the objects class in the Classes list box, and
  then clicking the Help button located at the top
  of the Object Browser window
• According to the Help screen, the Application
  object represents the entire Microsoft PowerPoint
  application
• To view a listing of these lower-level objects,
  you need simply to click the Multiple Objects
  rectangle doing so will open the Topics Found
  dialog box

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Getting Help in theObject Browser
2

• To view a Help screen for one of these objects,
  you select the objects name in the list, and
  then click the Display button

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Presentations Collection Object Help Screen
2
Exhibit 2-4 The Presentation collection objects
Help screen
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Using the Immediate Window
2

• In addition to the Code window, the Visual Basic
  Editor also provides an Immediate window into
  which you can enter VBA instructions

Exhibit 2-5 The Immediate window showing the VBA
instructions
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Using the Immediate Window
2

• In the ?Application.Presentations.Count
• Application.Presentations specifies the location
  of the Presentations collection in the object
  model
• Count specifies the desired property
• In the ?Application.Presentations(2).Name
• Applications.Presentations(2) is the expression
• Name is the property whose value you want to
  display

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Printing Code from the Immediate Window
2

• You can use either a text editor or a word
  processorfor example, WordPad or Wordto print
  the instructions entered in the Immediate window
• Like the Object Browser and the Help screens, the
  Immediate window is an invaluable tool for
  learning an applications object model

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Summary
2

• To refer to an object in an applicationsobject
  model
• Specify the objects exact location in theobject
  model
• If the object is a member of a collection,
  include either the objects name or its index in
  a set of parentheses following the collections
  name
• To access the property of an object
• Use the expression.property syntax
• To invoke one of an objects methods
• Use the expression.method syntax

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Summary
2

• To view information about the various objects
  available to your application
• Open the Object Browser window by clicking the
  Object Browser button on the Visual Basic
  Editors Standard toolbar
• Select the appropriate object library from the
  Project/Library list box
• Click the appropriate keyword in the Classes list
  box, and then click the Help button

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Summary
2

• To use the Immediate window in the Visual Basic
  Editor
• Open the Immediate window in the Visual Basic
  Editor by clicking View on the Visual Basic
  Editor menu bar, and then clicking Immediate
  window
• Enter the instruction in the Immediate window
• You can copy and paste instructions from one part
  of the Immediate window to another

22
Excel LessonUnderstanding the Excel Object
Model
2

• Exhibit 2-6 shows the portion of the Microsoft
  Excel object model that includes the most
  commonly used Excel objects

Exhibit 2-6 The Excel Object model
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Understanding the Excel Object Model
2

• A Range object in Excel is defined asa cell, a
  row,a column, ora selectionof cells containing
  one or more contiguous or noncontiguous blocks of
  cells

Exhibit 2-7 The Excel objects and collections
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Using the ObjectBrowser in Excel
2

• The Object Browser is a useful tool for
  understanding the structure of an object model
  and for studying the various objects included in
  the model, as well as the properties and methods
  of the objects
• To access the Object Browser in Excel, click the
  Object Browser button in Visual Basic Editor
• A Multiple Objects rectangle representsthe next
  level of objects in the objectmodel hierarchy

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Using the ImmediateWindow in Excel
2

• Unlike the Code window, the Immediate window
  allows you to test a line of code without having
  to create and run anentire procedure

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Referring to Range Objects
2

• A Range object in Excel is defined as a cell, a
  row, a column, or a group of contiguous or
  noncontiguous cells

Exhibit 2-8 Referring to a Range object in Excel
27
Word LessonUnderstanding the Word Object Model
2

• Exhibit 1-9 shows the portion of the Microsoft
  Word object model that includes the most commonly
  used Word objects

Exhibit 2-9 The Word Object model
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Word objects and collections
2
Exhibit 2-10 The Word objects and collections
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Understanding the Word Object Model
2

• A Range object in Word is defined as a contiguous
  area in a document it can be assmall as the
  insertion point or as large as the entire
  document
• Although a paragraph is a contiguous area in a
  document, it is considered a Paragraph object
  rather than a Range object
• The Application object, which refers to Microsoft
  Word, contains one Document object in its
  Documents collection
• The Document objects name is Word Lesson.doc

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Understanding the Word Object Model
2

• The Word Lesson document also contains five
  sentences in its Sentences collection each
  sentence is a Range object
• Like the Sentences collection, the Words
  collection also consists of Range objects
• The Characters collection also consistsof Range
  objects, but each Range object in this collection
  is composed of exactly one character

31
Using the Immediate Window
2

• You will enter several VBA instructions into the
  Immediate window in the Visual Basic Editor
• Recall that, unlike the Code window, the
  Immediate window allows you to test a lineof
  code without having to create and run an entire
  procedure

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Using the Range Objects Select Method
2

• You can use the Range objects Select method to
  select a word, sentence, paragraph, or character
  in a document

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Access LessonUnderstanding the Access Object
Model
2

• Exhibit 2-11 shows the portion of the Microsoft
  Access object model that includes several of the
  most commonly used Access objects

Exhibit 2-11 The Access Object model
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Understanding the Access Object Model
2

• In Access, forms and reports are considered
  AccessObject objects
• You will use the Object Browser in the Visual
  Basic Editor, to display a Help screen for the
  Application object in Access

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Using the Object Browser in Access
2

• When you enter the Quit method in either the
  Immediate or Code windows, the Auto List Members
  list shows that the names of the constants are
  acQuitPrompt, acQuitSaveAll, and acQuitSaveNone

36
Using the Object Browser in Access
2

• Notice that a Multiple Objects rectangle, which
  represents the objects located on the next level
  in the object model hierarchy, appears below the
  CurrentProject rectangle in the Help screen

37
Using the ImmediateWindow in Access
2

• You will enter several VBA instructions into the
  Immediate window in the Visual Basic Editor