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overview of UDFs

This chapter could focus on a couple aspects of UDFs. High level topics:

  • Using them to return simple info that is hard to get otherwise (e.g. Range.Formula)
  • Using them to hide complicated logic that could be done in a formula but would be a mess
  • Using them to do things that are not possible otherwise

UDFs are a great way to extend Excel with some common features

Could include some examples of where this has been done in bUTL:

  • String processing is much easier with UDFs instead of formulas (concatenation)
  • Doing logic that might otherwise require an array formula
  • UDFs are a great way to simplify formulas for conditional formatting
  • UDFs are a great addition to a personal addin where the functionality is available without copying/changing formulas

Some technical points to hit:

  • THe pitfalls of using Ranges outside of the ones referred to
  • Making a function Volatile and what that means