What Is VBA?

The previous chapter introduced you to programming with Outlook forms. Forms enable you to store and transmit data using a customized Outlook item. You can add code to forms to create items automatically and even manipulate other applications from Outlook.

The one drawback to forms is that they respond only to item-level events. A form can't tell when you receive a new email message or know when Outlook opens or closes. To respond to application-level events such as these, you need to use Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). VBA in Outlook has a number of uses. Some of those uses include

• Send reminders to your pager or cell phone

• Automatically launch an application on your computer in response to an email

• Display messages when Outlook opens or closes

• Solicit information from users through the use of VBA userforms

• Create new Outlook items in response to an email

You can use VBA to respond to a variety of application-level events and perform a variety of actions in response to those events.

VBA is derived from Visual Basic, a robust programming language used to develop a variety of commercial applications. Although not as powerful as Visual Basic, VBA has many of the features that VBScript doesn't, including IntelliSense, named constants, and distinct variable types. VBA is built in to all Office applications as well as other applications such as Visio and Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management).

The rest of this chapter focuses on VBA within Outlook. All VBA development within Outlook is performed in the VBA Editor. To use the tips and techniques listed in this chapter, you should have a basic knowledge of programming and at least a little knowledge of VBA, although no Outlook programming experience is necessary. To open the VBA Editor, select Tools, Macros, Visual Basic Editor, or press Alt+F11.