I.

Development of GUI (step by step methodology in creating the GUI)

A User Form is a custom-built dialog box that you build using the Visual Basic

Editor. While this example works in Excel you can use the same techniques to create

a UserForm in any of the Microsoft Office programs that support VBA. With a

UserForm you can create a user-friendly interface for your workbook or document,

making data entry more controllable for you and easier for the user.

A. Building the User Form

Learning the basics of making a Graphical User interface in Visual Basics is one

way of making a user friendly application and the other is to really understand the

concept on solving the problem of evaporator. In creating user form, Start Excel and

open the Visual Basic Editor (keyboard shortcut: [Alt]+[F11]). The user needs to use

both the Project Explorer and the Properties Window so if they are not visible opens

them from the View menu. After opening the User form, the GUI designers layout

the desired design they wanted show. The designer used an image to represent the

flow of the unit operation to be solved and created a command buttons and option

buttons to make the GUI more users friendly.

Figure 1: Designed Interface for solving a triple effect evaporator

B. User form Codes

For the codes to be used in executing the operations of the GUI the designers

uses the linkage between the VBA, excel spread sheet and modules. By calling

the cell number or module where the data or macro program is located or the

designed algorithm is set.

Figure 2: Sample code in calling the algorithm location

The designer created a program on a command button to execute the

designed algorithm on solving an evaporator problem that is located in the

module 1 in the module folder.

C. Testing the program stability

After setting up the codes to execute the program the designer run the

program multiple times to check the stability of the program and to make the

program more flexible for the user’s benefits. The program is tested in a problem

from the book of unit operation with an answer, to compare the answers from the

solution of the book to the solution of the programmed evaporator GUI. The

program showed the same answer in the book.

Figure 3: Final Output