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So new functions in the spreadsheets instead writing those functions in VBA? If VBA was too hard, Microsoft thinks that functional programming will go down eas
by wombatpm 5y ago
So new functions in the spreadsheets instead writing those functions in VBA? If VBA was too hard, Microsoft thinks that functional programming will go down easier?
- icegreentea2 5y agoThis lets you more easily reuse excel formulas (within a spreadsheet) without enabling VBA or extension modules, which is a big boon from a security standpoint. Given the existing wonkiness of the excel formula programming model, anyone who already had a grasp of actual tables and array formulas (which to be fair, is already a small subset of excel formula users) will be able to pick up these pretty easily.
- nexuist 5y agoWhy not? VBA is confusing and outdated. If they ported macros to JS I think a lot more people would be comfortable with it. In the same vein being able to stay in Excel's formula language instead of teaching yourself VBA seems a lot more tenable for formula gods who haven't quite figured out imperative programming outside of Excel yet.
- resoluteteeth 5y agoJs is already supposed to be the preferred way to make addins now since it's the only way to make them work in both the desktop and web version. There's just no built in editor.
- zamadatix 5y agoVBA was "too powerful" in 2 ways. Primarily it was a security risk, it had way too much capability beyond implementing custom functions on spreadsheet data. Secondarily it was too decoupled from the spreadsheet, an programming environment bolted on top of the spreadsheet, while lambdas are much smaller in scope targeted specifically at just reusable spreadsheet functions.