[mso] Re: Word 03 and Styles
- From: "Greg Chapman" <greg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 12:03:36 -0500
It *is* a foreign language with absolutely no conjugation, lots of
inconsistencies and all the characteristics of an evolving communication
system...including slang.<g> Why is it easier to learn? The same
principles apply (immersion in the language works best) but the dictionary
for use is usually at hand since the MS Helps files for VB(A)(Script) are
usually pretty complete. They do have the problem, though, of introducing
the entire concept in a way that can get you going.
For instance, I knew what a variable was. Algebra is all about using a
simple set of rules to use a variable as a placeholder to represent a
result. For others, Dian's 'a variable is a bucket in which you can put
anything that will fit' analogy works best. Most courses never take you
down either road...and "Hello World!" ain't worth a damn for anything but
showing you that the system will respond to what you ask it to do.
Here's how I would recommend you dig in:
1. Do you have something to do that you'd like to have an automated
solution for? You need one so that you may dig in to the topic and live
there for awhile.
2. Do you have a resource or two for answers to your questions or even to
learn how to phrase a question in a way that will get you help? Get one,
or two, or three. Don't go overboard here, though. It's easy to overwhelm
yourself with too many resources and, suddenly, you find managing those
resources to be as overwhelming as the subject you're trying to learn.
3. Start simple. Any task in life is a single item. Any project is a
collection of those items. Any programming job is a super-collection of
those tasks. You can only work with any one of them at a time *AND* your
code will, from the very start, be created with doing one thing very well
in mind. It will be more reusable as a direct result. You may design the
next killer application all in one shot but you can only develop little
pieces of it at once.
4. This one kills most geeks: stay focused on the job at hand with one eye
out for what it was you wanted to do in the first place. If you can't get
this under control from the start you'll find that you learn all sorts of
things (most of which you really don't care about) but that you'll not
finish the job you set out to do in the first place.
That last one is also the key to succeeding in learning the language of
choice. Accept that it will be work and that you will be living that way
for a while until you are conversant in the process. So treat this
learning experience as a second job that won't pay anything for a while.
This is meant to be an encouraging statement but many only find it
encouraging once they've realized it: it takes only a few months of living
and working this way to become comfortably proficient at most things like
programming, flying, driving and writing novels. It takes only a few weeks
to become rusty at any of them. You CAN do this if you want to and you
won't have to become a rocket scientist to succeed at it.
Greg
-----Original Message-----
From: mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Scot Jones
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 11:37 AM
To: mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [mso] Re: Word 03 and Styles
To me it's like learning a foreign language . . . I failed Spanish twice
in college.
Call me an idealist (or lazy as the case may be), but I just want the darn
thing to do what I want it to . . . without figuring out how to get it to
do that.
Any thoughts on a VERY simple resource for learning VBA or styles for that
matter? I just sat through a "basic" session on VBA at PowerPoint Live in
Tucson, and realized the power of VBA with a program like PowerPoint . . .
but was so overwhelmed I went up to the bar instead. After a few drinks,
even VBA started to make sense.
Scot Jones
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