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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Kaikow. All rights reserved.
Date: 7 March 1999
From: Howard Kaikow <kaikow@standards.com>
Subject: WordBasic books

The following books are useful if you need to write macros for Word 6/7 using WordBasic. Also see Word VBA books.

Indeed, they can also be useful if you wish to write macros for Word 8 using VBA. Word VBA is inadequately documented. However, there is a useful VBA Help topic Visual Basic Equivalents for WordBasic Commands. Using that Help topic with one, or more of the books listed below, may actually help you learn to use Word VBA even if you never do any WordBasic programming.

• WDK: Every WordBasic programmer should have a copy of the 3rd edition of the Microsoft Word Developer's Kit from Microsoft Press (ISBN: 1-55615-880-7). The book is largely a regurgitation on the online Help, but it does contain some additional useful info. If you have a strong programming background, you may be able to learn WordBasic using only this book.

• TUGWORD: If you do not have a strong programming background, I would suggest getting the WDK, but also getting, and reading first, The Underground Guide to Word for Windows by Woody Leonhard (ISBN: 0-201-40650-0). It is my understanding that this book is no longer published, but you may be able to find it at the online booksellers and, if necessary, take a look at the Advanced Book Exchange (http://www.abebooks.com/) to find hard to find books.

• Hacker2: Once you have absorbed most of the above two books, and the scars have healed, you should also obtain the 2nd edition of Hacker's Guide to Word for Windows by Woody Leonhard, Vincent Chen and Scott Krueger (ISBN: 0-201-40763-9). Unfortunately, this book has more than its share of errors (e.g., there are still many references to Word 2, instead of Word 6, WordBasic commands), however, once you get some experience, this book is well worth having. It is my understanding that this book is no longer published, but you may be able to find it at the online booksellers and, if necessary, take a look at the Advanced Book Exchange (http://www.abebooks.com/) to find hard to find books.

• BEGWBPROG: I feel that I must mention one book about which I have mixed feelings, as I've seen a number of people recommend it, and, if you catch me in the right/wrong mood, I have been known to recommend it.

  Beginning WordBasic Programming by Alex Homer (ISBN: 1-874416-86-9) has a lot of good material and seems to be well organized.

  When I started reading the book, I was enthusiastic, but my ardor was reduced when I realized that the code fragments included in the text were, in my opinion, insufficient, i.e., I found that I had to keep looking at the code listings on the accompanying media. This might be a good way for a beginner to learn and others may not mind this, but I do not like to have to jump back and forth to code listings.