r/vba • u/RobynWood • 8d ago
Solved VBA Consignment Doc Pack Generation
I've been using free versions of various AI models to build an excel workbook that will allow a user to input information into only one tab, then the VBA will complete the packing list, commercial invoice, package markings and delivery note per consignment.
It will also generate the subfolders within the project filing system, name the folders in a certain layout I've set for it and then save each document as a PDF with layout I've set for it as well.
Should a pack need to be redone, I've also arranged that it generates only 1 "Old" folder within the consignment folder and move the old PDFs to that folder within a date & time stamped folder that it also generates.
The board of directors now wants this to go company wide and will assign a budget to me. However, I need to choose the best AI for this first.
I would appreciate feedback from the community on the best AI to use for this project and any feedback on the project itself is also welcome please.
The company does not want to integrate AI into the actual workbook as they are afraid our IP or a client's IP is accidently leaked.
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u/kay-jay-dubya 17 8d ago
Forgive me if I missed it, but I don’t see what role AI would play in this scenario. From your description, it seems like an Automation process, which VBA was designed to do.
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u/HFTBProgrammer 204 8d ago
I'm guessing it's just that they think using AI to develop it would be cheaper.
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u/MindInLoop 8d ago
All major LLMs can give you excellent support with VBA development. If you need a full integration in your VBE without copy/paste and loss of context, you could give vbassistant.ai a try.
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u/themrlawrence 8d ago
I use Claude and Codex for my VBA development. Granted, I already knew VBA before AI so that helps with prompting and troubleshooting.
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u/krijnsent 1 8d ago
Hi there, looks like an interesting project you got there. Some point regarding the project: it certainly won't need AI inside the tool itself. I mean: what you're basically seem to be building is an Excel/VBA tool that automates part of the tasks. It's great that you have AI around to help you code stuff, but there is basically no need to have AI inside the tool if you simply have a repetitive task.
So what AI would be best for you... No clue, most modern ones are quite okay at helping you writing VBA. Most programmers head towards Claude, but I'm not sure how good it is with VBA & Excel.
Depending on how you roll "your program" it out, you might want to think a bit about newer versions/updates and/or incoming issues/bug reports. I mean: building something is one, getting it to work on many different computers is 2 and supporting it so people keep using it is 3 :-).