Some common Excel functions translated to Google Apps Script

Quick start to migration – part 1 Excel Liberation

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Google Apps Script migrationMany people are either migrating to Google Docs

or using them alongside Microsoft Office Products

One inhibitor is where VBA automation has been implemented in Excel workbooks. Google Apps Script is essentially javaScript and has some conceptual differences that provide a steep learning curve when coming from Microsoft land.

A strategy for easing and speeding the transition is to mimic common VBA functions in Google Apps Script to minimize code conversion conversion strategymimic vba

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ApproachjavaScript differs considerably from VBA. This deck does

not cover learning javaScript, but rather shows how some common VBA function might be written in javaScript.

In order to minimize changes, we need to break various javaScript conventions (like case conventions for names)

A more detailed javaScript conversion primer and some example project conversions can be found here.

The functions discussed here are a subset of those already available in a Google Apps Script shareable library which you can include in your project.

example projectsExcel Liberation

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String functions - 1

VBA javaScript

RTrim(s) function RTrim(s) {  return CStr(s).replace(/\s\s*$/, "");}

LTrim(s) function LTrim(s) {  return CStr(s).replace(/\s\s*$/, "");}

Trim(s) function Trim(v) {  return LTrim(RTrim(v));}

Len(v) function Len(v) {  return CStr(v).length ;}

CStr(v) function CStr(v) {  return v===null || IsMissing(v) ? '' :  v.toString()  ;}

case conventionmimic vba existing functions

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String functions - 2

VBA javaScript

Left (str,optLen)

function Left(str,optLen) {  return Mid( str, 1 , optLen);}

Right (str,optLen)

function Right(str,optLen) {  return Mid( str, 1 + Len(str) - fixOptional ( optLen, Len(str) )  );}

Mid (str,optStart,optLen)

function Mid (str,optStart,optLen) {  var s = CStr(str);  var start = IsMissing (optStart) ? 0 : optStart - 1;  start = start < 0 ? 0 : start;  var length = IsMissing (optLen) ?  Len(s) - start + 1 : optLen ;  return  s.slice ( start, start + length);}

starting index valuemimic vba – start at 1

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String functions - 3

VBA javaScript

Split (s,optDelim,optLimit)

function Split(s,optDelim,optLimit) {  return CStr(s).split(fixOptional(optDelim,","),fixOptional(optLimit,-1));};

LCase(s) function LCase(s) {  return CStr(s).toLowerCase();}

function UCase(s)

function UCase(s) {  return CStr(s).toUpperCase();}

function Chr(n)

function Chr(n) {  return String.fromCharCode(n);}

function Asc(s)

function Asc(s) {  return s.charCodeAt(0);}

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String functions - 4

VBA javaScript

InStr (optStart, inThisString, lookFor, optCompare)

function InStr(optStart,inThisString,lookFor,optCompare) {// TODO optCompare  var start = fixOptional (optStart, 1);  var s = Mid (inThisString, start);  var p = s.indexOf(lookFor);  return (s && lookFor) ? (p == -1 ? 0 : p+start ): 0;}

InStrRev (inThisString,lookFor, optStart, optCompare)

function InStrRev(inThisString,lookFor,optStart,optCompare) {// TODO optCompare  var start = fixOptional (optStart, -1);  var s = CStr(inThisString);  start = start == -1 ? Len(s) : start ;  return (s && lookFor) ? s.lastIndexOf(lookFor,start-1)+1 : 0;}

More complexNot 100% done

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Conversions

VBA javaScript

DateSerial (y,m,d)

function DateSerial(y,m,d) {  return new Date(y,m,d);}

Year (dt) function Year(dt) {  return dt.getFullYear();}

CLng(v) function CLng(v) {  return isTypeNumber(v) ? Math.round(v) : parseInt(v) ;}

CDbl(v) function CDbl(v) {  return parseFloat(v) ;}

Dates in javascriptVery different to VBA

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Tests

VBA javaScript

IsEmpty (v)

function IsEmpty(v) {  return typeof(v) == "string" && v == Empty();}

IsDate (sDate)

function IsDate (sDate) {  var tryDate = new Date(sDate);  return (tryDate.toString() != "NaN" && tryDate != "Invalid Date") ;}

IsNumeric (s)

function IsNumeric(s) {  return !isNaN(parseFloat(s)) && isFinite(s);}

IsObject (x)

function IsObject (x) {  return VarType(x) == 'object';}

CheckingJust a small subset

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Part 2That’s a brief introduction to some GAS

equivalents (almost) for VBA functions.

Part 2 will look at some of the more workbook specific translations.

A more detailed javaScript conversion primer and some example project conversions can be found here.

The functions discussed here are a subset of those already available in a Google Apps Script shareable library which you can include in your project.

conversion strategyUse a shared library