Topic: Learning Lisp/VBA

[PHX cadie]

I've been thinking about asking for awhile now, but have been embarrassed(?) so here it goes...

Can anyone point me in the direction to learn lisp or VBA from the ground up?
Pros/Cons: lisp and VBA? 
How did you start off learning?

I have checked the links here and found one I liked, but I guess I do need a very basic tutorial. I tried the tutorial in 05, but got lost after the first chapter and had to revert to the saved example starting the 2nd chapter! I'm not the sharpest knife in the kitchen, but I refuse to believe I'm the dullest. The Autodesk tut had a basic lisp, explained what it does and built it up step by step, but no basics. For me I would like to know simple explanations before starting, ( whats the dif between parathesis and brackets?, if there is an example in a tut, what does EACH word/symbol do?, why is the grass green and the sky blue? I do not like green eggs and lisp, I do not them Mark I am).
This may sound like I am lazy, (perhaps I am?), not doing my own search,  but I would like to know how others start. I'm not good on the internet. I've seen others google a word and go right to the answer, me, I get 2 million pages of unrelated garbage. Plus is it better to learn VBA or another language.

Thanks for your input!

[Slim©]

Have you tried AfraLisp? Kenny put together some realy good tutorials for both Lisp and VBA.

[CAB]

Well this one of my favorites  http://www.afralisp.net/ along with this http://www.smadsen.com/

I you don't mind sharing your progress I suggest starting with posting a lisp here & letting the members help you through it.
Like most things worth doing it's very hard at first but soon the pain subsides & the joy of accomplishment replaces it.

My suggestion is start with a very very very, did you get that, very simple lisp. Too many times a new lisper wants to create his own layer manager as the first real project. Please don't do that.

Also do a search here for "Challange", you'll see some neat stuff.

Note that is very quiet here on the weekends with all the "Honey Do's" and all, so responses my be a bit slow.

I'm off the KILL weeds.

[PHX cadie]

Thanks.
I need to look again. This AM it was getting blocked, like it was gone.

Do you prefer lisp? or are other languages more powerful?

Yes I did like smaden.
I thought moving to AZ would be great not mowing grass every weekend, but with rocked yards the weeds stick out like sore thumbs, good luck w/ the weeds!

[LE]

I have seen the same question in so many years...

Lisp is simple, easy to use, but have a lot of limitations when you move into a mastering level

VBA is maybe easy to learn and does not have some features that lisp has, but the user interfaces (forms) are much better to draw from there compare to DCL.

There are other languages like VB, VB.NET, C#, C++/ARX/MFC.

It all depends of what you are after.... hope you make the right move!

[PHX cadie]

I have seen the same question in so many years...
It all depends of what you are after.... hope you make the right move!

Sorry if I am redundant, but as folks grow the same questions will be asked as they learn. I'm just waiting for someone to ask why they can not pick objects on Defpoints if all other layers are froze, that had me stumped for years! 

Yes exactly what I need. Guess I need advice from the guru's on mapping out my goal. If this old dog is going to lose the hair on top, (they are getting few and still have sentimental value), what is the best language to have a well rounded, versatile education? (taking into account ease)

I am assuming VBA is useful in other applications, (MS Access?), but what would be a good starting point to learn the functions?
Thanks

[Murphy]

I started to learn VBA because of doing some things at work in Excel. The nice thing about VBA is that you can look through the program's list of available properties/objects and it will give you a list of what modifiers/functions you can do with the object. And you can use it in Microstation, Autocad, Access, Word, Excel, Outlook, etc. Just different objects and functions apply to each.

If you do intend to start with VBA you can record a macro in Excel then go in and intrepret what it was doing at each step with the Object Browser.

Good luck!!

[jonesy]

I asked something similar in another thread and got some real useful advice ( I havent yet gone down the road of learning yet... but before the summer is out I will start learning to program).

Good luck

[Dnereb]

If your aim is to program within Acad only Lisp has the advantage off being able to access more of it's features over VBA
If you want to use combinations with....Excel, Access, Word, Powerpoint, Microstation or MatLab or other VB(A) exposing software.. learn VBA.

So it's mostly up to your assessment of what you will be doing in the future.....good luck