TypeScript to VBA Transpiler

1.0.1 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

TSTVBA is a Node.js CLI tool (v1.0.1) that transpiles TypeScript into VBA modules (.bas and .cls) for Excel/Office automation. It requires Node >=18.0.0 and TypeScript >=5.0.0 as peer dependencies. Key features include class-to-class module mirroring, try/catch-to-On Error mapping, for...of iteration bridging, configurable namespace prefixing, and bundle output with manifest. Unlike generic code generators, it produces real VBA classes, source maps, and integrates directly with tsconfig.json via tstvbaOptions. Maintenance is active on GitHub.

Common errors

error TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'kind') ↓

cause TypeScript version <5.0.0; AST node shape differs.

fix

Upgrade TypeScript to >=5.0.0

error Error: Could not find a valid tsconfig file in path ↓

cause Missing tsconfig.json or tsconfig.tstvba.json; --init not run.

fix

Run 'npx tstvba --init' to generate tsconfig.tstvba.json

error CLI error: 'tstvba' is not recognized as an internal or external command ↓

cause Global install missing or not in PATH.

fix

Use 'npx tstvba' instead of global binary

Warnings

gotcha Node >=18.0.0 required; older versions (e.g., Node 16) will fail with syntax errors. ↓

fix Update Node to version >=18.0.0

gotcha TypeScript peer dependency must be >=5.0.0. Using an older version may break AST traversal. ↓

fix Install TypeScript >=5.0.0 as a devDependency

gotcha Global install vs npx: Global install may conflict with project-level TypeScript versions. Use npx to avoid global dependency issues. ↓

fix Use npx tstvba instead of global install

gotcha Generated .cls files contain metadata headers (VERSION/BEGIN/END + Attribute ...). Copying lines above 'Option Explicit' manually will break class import. ↓

fix Use VBE -> File -> Import File... to import .cls files

Install

npm install typescript-to-vba

yarn add typescript-to-vba

pnpm add typescript-to-vba

Imports

tstvba CLI
wrong
```
npm install -g typescript-to-vba && tstvba --init
```
correct
```
npx tstvba --init
```
Global install is optional; use npx to avoid global pollution.

config import

wrong

import { transpileProject } from 'typescript-to-vba';

correct

const { transpileProject } = require('typescript-to-vba');

Package is CommonJS only (no ESM build).

Quickstart

Initialize a project, validate config, and transpile a TypeScript file to VBA.

npx tstvba --init
# Generates tsconfig.tstvba.json and lib/vbalib.bas stub
# Then run:
npx tstvba check -p .
npx tstvba -p .
# Output: dist/vba/MyProject.bas + dist/vba/tstvba-manifest.json