New to IDEA Scripting

mkeiffer33

Forums

Hi there,
I am new to IDEA and IDEA scripting.  I have a fairly extensive background though with using ACL and scripting in ACL.  I was wondering if there advice that you could give me on some approaches to help me get up to speed with learning how to script in IDEA and also the differences and comparisons between scripting in IDEA and ACL.
One of my first observations is it does seem like the script code for IDEA is longer than what is required in ACL for doing similar tasks.
Any advice, tips or assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much in advance!
Mike

Brian Element Thu, 12/24/2015 - 08:15

Hi Mike, welcome to the site and welcome to IDEA.

I haven not played much in ACL but I have seen their scripts and you are probably correct in that the code for IDEA is longer.  ACL created their own language to support their tool so they could decide on how the commands work.  IDEA took a totally different route by using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) which is the same language used to program Excel, Word, Access and many other programs.  By using VBA IDEA can also control other applications and give options that might not be available in ACL but this is at a cost that this is a full programming language so it is more verbose than ACL.  I have seen opinions that this goes against IDEA I view this as the reverse as it opens up many options that might not be avialable using the ACL programming language.

Best way to create a code is to first do what you want to do in IDEA, you can use the record a macro to get your code or you can go into the history or project overview and obtian the code for what you just created.  You then can go in and modify the code by adding variable, message boxes, input boxes, dialogs, etc.

I have a series of videos on the site that walk you through creating a simple script that you might want to check out and please feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Brian

mkeiffer33 Thu, 12/24/2015 - 16:56

Hi Brian,
Thanks so much for getting back to me.  I completely agree with you and I had a similar conversation with someone about IDEA just the other day.  I think the fact that IDEA does use VBA, which is a true object-oriented programming language, is an advantage because it will allow you to do more things than what might be possible in ACL.
Interestingly enough, even though ACL's language may be shorter in length and some may consider it "easier" to use than IDEA, I still have seen quite a few people struggle with writing scripts and doing programming with ACL.  I think if you have understanding the logic of programming concepts and you have a knack for doing data analytics, I think you will still be able to master IDEA and write effective scripts.  
Thanks for the tips on getting started.  I do like the website very much and I am sure I will be reaching out to you with questions as I start to write more and more scripts with IDEA.
Thanks again for your help!
Mike

Deniz_Appelbaum Tue, 12/29/2015 - 22:01

Hi Brian, I just joined your site as well and like Mike I am quite familiar with coding in ACL but less so in IDEA. I will try your suggestion first to perform the desired tests in IDEA and then modify the history and/or record. I am curious though, can one copy Excel VBA code into IDEA. I will definitely check out your videos asap!
Thanks, Deniz

Brian Element Wed, 12/30/2015 - 05:17

Hi Deniz and welcome to the site.

For Excel VBA code that is kind of a yes and no answer.  If the code is just Visual Basic with no Excel specific code the answer is probably yes but unfortunately IDEAScript uses an older version of VBA so not all functions will work, most will, but not all.  If it contains code to run Excel then it will need some major tweeks to make it work but you can run an Excel macro from IDEA.  If you look through some of my scripts you will see some examples, such a the multiple import script has a section that goes in and reads all the Excel tabs for the import.

Hope you enjoy IDEA and don't be shy with your questions.

Thanks

Brian

dhuffman63 Tue, 07/23/2019 - 15:07

Hi Brian,
If a person is new to scripting would it be beneficial to learn VBA first or just learn IDEA Script through the classes they offer?  I work primarily in IDEA for analysis but use excel for some other things.

Brian Element Wed, 07/24/2019 - 09:41

There are a lot more resources out there to learn IDEAScript then when I started, at that point there was pretty much nothing.  I have some videos on YouTube, do a search on IDEAScripting and you should find them, that walk you through the creation of a basic script along with creating advance dialogs.

If you want to really learn how visual basic is put together I would recommend searching out a VBA course on YouTube to understand the syntax of the language.

CaseWare offers a three day training on using IDEAScript but that just gets you going.  Programming is something that takes some time and interest to really get good at (if you can ever really get good at it).  I have been doing this for years and I am still learning new tricks or better way to do something so it is not something that is static.

Now, what I am saying is if you want to create scripts that you can share with others, if you want to create scripts that are just for you or for your team then you are probably good just watching the videos above and taking the training course.

Unfortunately there isn't one good answer to your question.

Brian

dhuffman63 Wed, 07/24/2019 - 09:45

That helps get me pointed in the right direction.  It'd probably be just me as we only have 3 people here and getting hold of data is difficult at best but who knows it could change...lol.

AllisonJames Tue, 01/21/2020 - 01:29

Hey
I am looking to increase my capabilities with Idea scripting.
Can anyone give any reviews on the book Ideascript: the definitive guide?
Is it worth it?

Brian Element Tue, 01/21/2020 - 08:27

It is a good reference book as it covers almost all of the scripting basics, so nice to have everything in one spot.  I have referenced it a few times but generally I use the Language Browser in the editor.  It was written for V9 of IDEA but scripting hasn't really chanced since then so everything in there is still good.  Once thing I find lacking in the book is that there are no larger projects that tie everything together, each section covers one area but there is nothing in there that shows you how to put it all together.