Coding as a Non-Coder: Excel VBA Project

Completed a Small Project: Coding as a Non-Coder As someone who doesn’t know how to code, embarking on a technical project can often feel like hitting an immovable wall. But sometimes, you’ve just got to channel your inner resolve and snap on the metaphorical "Infinity Gauntlet" (a.k.a. ChatGPT), and say, "Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Recently, I faced a challenge in Excel that inspired me to get creative. While features like Trace Precedents and Trace Dependents are useful, I found myself constantly switching between the keyboard and mouse ( But it is much easier in googlesheet ). It felt cumbersome and interrupted my workflow. That’s when I decided to write a VBA code to navigate precedents and dependents across multiple sheets and workbooks seamlessly. What started as a “small project” turned into a surprisingly time-consuming journey — 8 hours on the main solution and another 6 hours experimenting with ideas due to my zero-level coding skill. Here are some of my attempts: 1. Popup Comments/Notes with Hyperlinks • I tried embedding hyperlinks to referenced cells within popup comments or notes. Unfortunately, this didn’t work as expected. 2. Dynamic Popup Spreadsheet with a VBA UserForm • My next attempt was to create a userform that displayed a miniature spreadsheet to navigate references dynamically. This was a cool concept but didn’t quite pan out. 3. Popup Shapes Styled as Spreadsheets • I experimented with shapes that mimicked a spreadsheet layout, complete with hyperlinks. Creative? Yes. Functional? Not quite. 4. Adding Referenced Cells to the Watch Window • I thought automating references into the Watch Window might be the solution, but this approach hit some roadblocks. 5. Interacting with Trace Arrows Directly • I explored selecting the trace arrows (as they’re technically objects) to automate navigation. Sadly, no luck here either. Finally, I found a solution that worked! I created a notification bar with simple Yes, No, and Cancel buttons to navigate through precedents and dependents. It’s not the flashiest solution or clean or effective but does the job beautifully for me. However, there’s one catch — I don’t even know if this code works on other computers except for mine! So, if anyone has better solutions or suggestions for adjustments, I would genuinely appreciate the help. If you think this approach can be improved or if there’s a smarter way to tackle this problem, I’m all ears! This little adventure reminded me that problem-solving is often less about immediate success and more about persistence, experimentation, and creativity. https://lnkd.in/dEtu_dch