Jaa

Migrating from VBA to VSTO Part 2

  • Artikkeli

Regular readers of my blog will rightly wonder where Part 1 of this topic is. Well, I didn't write it. OfficeZealot kingpin, Chris Kunicki, did in a recent post about resources to aid in migrating from VBA to VSTO. It's a great topic, but sadly, there isn't a lot of guidance out there right now. FWIW: I pitched the Office Developer Marketing folks to spend some $$$$ (I'm not sure how many dollar signs) on dealing with this topic straight on. I'm not sure what, if any, of my idea made the cut. There are a lot of things that legitimately need to be addressed, so I can understand if my idea didn't get traction. Nonetheless, there is still a gap out there.

The real issue I see in migrating from VBA to VSTO is not the language or switching to a new runtime. Converting from one language to another can be done via a wizard of some sort. I grant that a lot of work goes into creating those wizards (thanks to the die-hards who do it for us!), but to the solution developer, it's a piece of cake. Changing to a new runtime is a big decision, but it is a fairly straight-forward deal. For example: exception handling used to be done like this, not it's done like that; data access used to be done with ADO, now it's done with ADO.NET. Also, there are loads of new classes to learn, but the journey is worth it.

The more important factor is how the migration will affect the architecture of the application. It is important to ask questions like: Does the new runtime make it possible for me to code this differently at a more fundamental level? Can I cut lots of code? Can I add some security features we just couldn't get with VBA? Can I integrate Web technologies more effectively now? Can I dramatically improve the UI, make things easier? Can I more easily integrate other platforms and 3rd party technologies?

These are the questions that have greater impact. How do you put that in a book or seminar and convey it properly? I'm not sure. So much of it depends on experience from in-the-trenches analysis and coding along with having a keen eye on the future. Whoever codifies this well will become a star.

FWIW: Work, no matter how interesting, is a drag. I'd much rather be home. Not a person you and I are working with will be visiting us in our old age while we putter around the house. I'm grateful for five sons and a wife who give a fig if I'm still breathing.

Rock Thought for the Day: OK- the Rolling Stones have dusted themselves off once again for a new tour. Keith Richards is completely pickled, so he will most likely live forever. Mick Jagger reportedly made some deal with the dark side, so he will live nearly as long as Keith. Watts has made quite a career out of a very small drum kit. He's my hero as far as that goes! He can laugh at any critics as he vacations in a private villa in Nice. Ron Wood has it about as easy, but heaven bless him for it. Whatever. I still think, "Gimme Shelter" , is one of the best rock songs ever. Also, 'Beast of Burden" , and "I'm just waiting on a lady" are immortal tunes.

Rock On

Comments

  • Anonymous
    August 17, 2005
    ...er, don't you mean "Waiting On A Friend"?

    -bill
  • Anonymous
    August 18, 2005
    While I agree with the premise that the more important factor is how the migration will affect the architecture of the application, I don't agree with any of the questions you're asking. Even if I answer YES to all of them, I'll still be in the position of making lots of changes to the app, without moving forward in my users' eyes.

    A better question to ask is "Does the new runtime make it possible for me to deliver valuable new features to my users that couldn't (practically) be delivered before?", and that is much harder question to answer with a definite "Yes".
  • Anonymous
    August 24, 2005
    you can't overlook "Sympathy for the Devil"!
  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2005
    reviews of this tour have been very upbeat. i guess i was wrong - they are doing more than self-parody. one reviewer compared them to a jazz band. just looked at tickets for atlanta show: $5,100 for front row.
  • Anonymous
    September 02, 2005
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    September 02, 2005
    Stephen,

    I agree with your comments. I was implying that the questions were looking for more than a yes/no response. I really meant them to be looking for open-ended responses. You are very right!
  • Anonymous
    September 08, 2005
    A couple of weeks ago I blogged about VBA migration. My main contention was that migration has a lot...