Do you use conditional compilation arguments?

[jeffreybrown]

Just curios, I heard about conditional compilation arguments the other day and not quite sure when or how I would use it. Does anybody use this technique and in its basic form how would you use it?

 

[diddi]

my limited understanding is that they are used to include or exclude bits of code which wont run under different OSs or versions of excel. i havent been in the position to need to use it, but i have seen it used when accessing the API to draw windows in xl97.

 

[shg]

You could use it, for example, to develop an application earlybound (for IntelliSense), and then switch to latebound for deployment:

[FONT=Consolas][COLOR=#595959]#Const EarlyBound = False[/COLOR][/FONT]
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
[FONT=Consolas][COLOR=#595959]Function WriteUTF8(sText As String, sFile As String) As Boolean[/COLOR][/FONT]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]  ' Returns True if sText saved successfully as UTF-8 in sFile[/FONT][/COLOR]
<o:p></o:p>
[FONT=Consolas][COLOR=#595959]   On Error GoTo Oops[/COLOR][/FONT]
<o:p></o:p>
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]  #If EarlyBound Then[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]      ' Requires a reference to Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]      With New ADODB.Stream[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]  #Else[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]      ' No reference required[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]      Const adTypeText As Long = 2[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]      Const adSaveCreateOverWrite As Long = 2[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]      With CreateObject("ADODB.Stream")[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]  #End If[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]          .Type = adTypeText[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#595959][FONT=Consolas]          .Charset = "utf-8"[/FONT][/COLOR]

 

[shg]

I dunno where the HTML came from -- it's not mine.

 

[Sandeep Warrier]

I've also seen it used when codes across versions are written.

For example

#If VBA6 Then
    'Do Something
#Else
    'Do Something
#End If

 

[Peter_SSs]

I dunno where the HTML came from -- it's not mine.

Did you compose the code text in another program (eg Word) then copy/paste into your thread?

 

[obiron]

I have used them in the past in a language called DataFlex where we used them to include/exclude client specific behaviour.

The problem with them is that you can't simply distribute the compiled code to all your users; you have to compile a number of times with different compile options.

(this also means that you should TEST with every set of compile options...)

Obiron

 

[RoryA]

It can be handy if you need to develop for Mac and Windows.

 

[Ruddles]

I've used it in the past to include Debug.Print statements during development then exclude them for live releases.

 

[jeffreybrown]

Thanks to all. Well it seems at this point I may not have much use for this technique, but you never know, maybe one day.