Page 480 - Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Programming Inside Out

Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Programming Inside Out

You probably noticed that while this code was executed, you received a warning similar to the
one in Figure 21-4. The security against viruses has increased dramatically since the release of
Office XP. The trend has continued with the release of Office 2003. Any attempt by programs
trying to access e-mail addresses will execute a warning message. You’ll also receive a warning
each time an e-mail message is sent using VBA code.

Figure 21-4. Warning message you get when executing code that interrogates your Contacts
folder in Outlook.

Inside Out

Early Binding vs. Late Binding
Chapter 21
Both early binding and late binding have advantages and disadvantages. Late binding is
slower than early binding because the binding occurs during run time. When you complete
the work in design time, the code will run faster. When you are writing code using late bind­
ing, you lose some conveniences. Specifically, you aren’t able to use the IntelliSense that
displays the available properties and methods available for the objects that you’re using.
The Object Browser also won’t list the objects for the application objects that you’re pro­
gramming. Another disadvantage is that the convenience of built-in constants isn’t avail-
able when using late binding.
It would appear that a strong case has been made to use early binding; however, there’s
one strong advantage to late binding that shouldn’t be overlooked. When late binding is
used, it doesn’t matter which version of the application is installed. The application object
will search for the version installed on your system and choose the correct object mode to
reference. In early binding, you’ll choose the application’s Object Library from the Refer­
ences list. The References list will contain only installed object libraries. If you choose to
share your procedure with others, the list will be coded specifically to the version of the
software that’s installed on your system.

The moral of the story is to write your code initially using early binding, but before distribut­
ing the file you should modify the code to use late binding. It would be a good idea to modify
your personal projects to late binding as well, so a problem won’t arise when your software
is upgraded in the future.

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Part 6: Excel and the Outside World: Collaborating Made Easy