Ug recording excelmacros

VBA Handbook

Recording
Excel
Macros
Learn to Record and Edit VBA Macros
In Microsoft Excel

By Martin Green

Recording Excel Macros

Contents
About This Book .......................................................................................................... 4
Who is it for?.......................................................................................................... 4
What's Inside?........................................................................................................ 4
Introducing Recorded Macros........................................................................................ 4
What is a Macro? .................................................................................................... 4
What a Recorded Macro Can Do and What It Can't ...................................................... 4
Visual Basic or VBA?................................................................................................ 5
About Macro Security .............................................................................................. 5
University of Greenwich Students' Edition

Opening Files Containing VBA Code ......................................................................5
Setting the Program's Security Level..................................................................... 6
Emailing Files Containing Code............................................................................. 7
Starting and Stopping the Macro Recorder ................................................................. 7
The Visual Basic Toolbar .......................................................................................... 8
Recording Macros ........................................................................................................ 9
About the Exercises................................................................................................. 9
Step-by-Step: Record a Simple Macro ..................................................................... 10
for Educational Use Only

Step-by-Step: Test the Macro................................................................................. 12
Step-by-Step: Record and Test a More Complex Macro.............................................. 13
Tips for Recording Macros ...................................................................................... 16
Get More Familiar with Excel .............................................................................. 16
Plan the Macro ................................................................................................. 16
Generalize Your Commands ............................................................................... 16
Correcting Mistakes .......................................................................................... 16
Relative or Absolute References? ............................................................................ 17
Step-by-Step: Compare Relative and Absolute References ......................................... 18
Running Macros ........................................................................................................ 20
Different Ways to Run a Macro ............................................................................... 20
The Macro Dialog.............................................................................................. 20
Toolbar Button ................................................................................................. 20
Menu Item....................................................................................................... 22
Worksheet Button............................................................................................. 23
Graphic Object ................................................................................................. 24
Assigning a Shortcut Key................................................................................... 24
Automatic Macros ............................................................................................. 25
Which Way is Best? .......................................................................................... 25
Undoing a Macro's Actions ..................................................................................... 25
Macro Options........................................................................................................... 26
Macro Names ....................................................................................................... 26
Auto Macros ......................................................................................................... 26
Where Should the Macro be Stored?........................................................................ 26
Personal Macro Workbook.................................................................................. 27
This Workbook ................................................................................................. 27
New Workbook................................................................................................. 27
Summary and Other Options.............................................................................. 27
Changing Macro Options ........................................................................................ 28
Saving and Deleting Macros ................................................................................... 28
Editing Recorded Macros ............................................................................................ 29
Viewing Recorded Code ......................................................................................... 29
The Simple Macro ............................................................................................. 29
The FillEmptyCells Macro ................................................................................... 31
The AbsoluteReferences and RelativeReferences Macros ........................................ 32
The Visual Basic Editor .......................................................................................... 32
Opening the Visual Basic Editor .......................................................................... 32
The Visual Basic Editor Window .......................................................................... 33
The Project Explorer ......................................................................................... 33
Working with VBA Code ......................................................................................... 34
Managing Code Modules .................................................................................... 34
Importing and Exporting Code............................................................................ 35
Running Code from the Visual Basic Editor........................................................... 35
© Martin Green www.fontstuff.com 2


Editing Code .................................................................................................... 36
Getting Help......................................................................................................... 36
Using the Help Menu ......................................................................................... 36
Context Sensitive Help with the F1 Key ............................................................... 36
Editing VBA Code Practical Exercises............................................................................ 38
Step-by-Step: Experiment with Colours ................................................................... 38
Create the Macro .............................................................................................. 38
Summary ........................................................................................................ 44
Step-by-Step: Build a Random Numbers Macro ........................................................ 45
Create the Macro .............................................................................................. 45

Summary ........................................................................................................ 50
What Comes Next? .................................................................................................... 51
Where Do I Go from Here?..................................................................................... 51
Recommended Web Sites....................................................................................... 51
Recommended Reading ......................................................................................... 51
Notes and Further Information.................................................................................... 52
About the Author .................................................................................................. 52
Copyright............................................................................................................. 52

Limitation of Liability ............................................................................................. 52

First Published in 2005 by Martin Green
Web Site: http://www.fontstuff.com
e-mail: martin@fontstuff.com
© 2005 Martin Green – All rights reserved.



About This Book
Who is it for?
This book is for the Microsoft Excel user who wants to increase their productivity and
automate tedious or repetitive tasks with the help of Excel Macros.

Anyone thinking about learning Excel VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming will
also find this a good place to start.

To make the most of this book you should have at least a basic working knowledge of
Microsoft Excel. You don't need to be an "advanced" or "expert" Excel user. You don't need
any prior knowledge of recording or editing macros, nor do you need any knowledge of VBA
programming, or any other programming language.

Recorded macros are useful to Excel users of all skill levels, from those creating or working
with simple spreadsheets to those who use Excel's most advanced tools. Even Excel
developers, skilled at writing VBA programs, find occasional use for this valuable tool.

What's Inside?
This document is about recording macros in Microsoft Excel. It describes the process of
recording a macro and illustrates different techniques with step-by-step practical exercises.

It explains the different ways of running macros and introduces the Visual Basic Editor,
Excel's tool for editing the programming code behind the macros. It concludes with some
step-by-step exercises in editing existing macros and writing VBA code to create new ones.

Each section is illustrated with helpful screenshots throughout.

The material in this book is relevant to all recent versions of Microsoft Excel from Excel 97
onwards.

Introducing Recorded Macros
What is a Macro?
A macro is a collection of commands written in the Visual Basic programming language.
When is macro is run the commands are executed and perform their various tasks. Macros
are used to carry out routine, repetitive or laborious tasks automatically and with speed.

Macros can be written by hand using the Visual Basic Editor which is included as part of most
Microsoft Office programs. Some Microsoft Office programs (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) have a
Macro Recorder. This tool lets you create a macro without requiring any knowledge of Visual
Basic programming. It works by recording your actions as you perform a task in the
program. You can save the recorded macro and play it back to have the same task
performed automatically.

Although you can record and use macros without any knowledge of Visual Basic
programming, with a little skill you can edit or modify recorded macros to improve their
power and functionality.

This document will show you, with the help of some practical examples, how to record a
macro in Microsoft Excel, how to carry out some simple editing of recorded macros using the
Visual Basic Editor, and how to assign a macro to a menu item or toolbar button.

What a Recorded Macro Can Do and What It Can't
A macro records commands. The commands can be made by clicking a button or choosing a
menu item with the mouse, or you can use keyboard shortcuts. It makes no difference to
what is recorded or how the macro performs.

The Macro Recorder can record almost everything you do with the mouse or keyboard but it
has its limitations...



• It can not create looping code - code which when executed will repeat as many times
as is necessary to perform a task.

• It can not create conditional code – in Visual Basic conditional statements are used to
determine how code is executed.

• It can not create code that interacts with the user. The Visual Basic programmer can
include messages and dialogs into their programs to provide information to and
gather information from the user.

But despite its limitations the Macro Recorder is a very useful tool...

• The Macro Recorder can be used very successfully without any knowledge of
programming.

• The Macro Recorder is an excellent learning tool for VBA programming.

• Even experienced developers occasionally use the Macro Recorder to quickly create
code procedures, especially those that are quick to record but complex to write such
as those involving charts or pivot tables.

The macro recorder records commands, not the time taken to carry them out so the length

of time it takes to record a macro is largely irrelevant. Timing can become a factor in hand-
written VBA code but you can not record time intervals or pauses.

Visual Basic or VBA?
Visual Basic is a long-standing and established programming language developed from an
early computer programming language called Basic. Visual Basic can be used to create many
different types of "standalone" programs which can function independently. There have been
many versions of Visual Basic, the last being Visual Basic 6 (VB6). After VB6 Visual Basic
became part of Microsoft's .NET programming platform in the form of VB.NET although its
form is largely unchanged.

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a subset of the Visual Basic programming language for
use within Microsoft Office applications. Each component of Microsoft Office has it's own
version of VBA and all are compatible with each other allowing the programmer to control
not only the host program but also other Microsoft Office programs from one application.

Unlike Visual Basic, VBA can not create standalone programs. VBA code has to run from
within a Microsoft Office host application.

In practice there is little difference between Visual Basic and VBA. The differences lie in the
way that the code is hosted and executed.

About Macro Security
Opening Files Containing VBA Code
Everyone working with macros should be aware of the security implications of working with
files containing code. Unscrupulous people can create malicious code such as viruses and
distribute it embedded in innocent-looking files such as Word documents and Excel
workbooks. For this reason all Microsoft Office programs are equipped with security
measures to detect whether or not a file contains programming code at the point at which
the file is opened.

If the program detects code in a file a warning message is displayed (Fig. 1). The dialog
allows you to disable the code before opening the file if you wish.



Fig. 1 A macro security warning message

The fact that you see this message does not mean that malicious code has been detected,
merely that code is present. If you know that there are macros in the file (perhaps you or a
colleague has created it) then it should be safe to enable the macros and proceed with
opening the file.

If you were not expecting the file to contain macros (perhaps it was sent to you from

someone else) then you should, at least in the first instance, disable the macros. Disabling
safe macros may impair the functioning of the file. If this is the case and you are still unsure
of the file's safety, have your anti-virus software check the file first. Providing your anti-virus
software is up-to-date and it reports that the file is "clean" then it should be safe to open
with macros enabled.

Setting the Program's Security Level
If you regularly record or write and use macros the security level of the program you are
working in should be set to Medium. You can find out more about security options and set
your chosen security level by visiting the Security dialog (Fig. 2) (Tools > Macro >
Security).

This offers three levels of security. The highest level will automatically disable "unsigned"
macros, only allowing macros from "trusted" sources to be run. A signed macro is one to
which an electronic security certificate is attached and you can specify which certificate
holders you trust. Certificates are issued by respected IT security organisations such as
Verisign™

Fig. 2 The Security dialog

The lowest level of macro security is not recommended as it offers no protection from unsafe
macros.

If you have a brand new installation of Microsoft Office you might find (depending on which
version of Microsoft Office you are using) that the default security level is set to High. If this



is the case you will see a different message when you attempt to open a file containing
macros (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3 This message is displayed when the security is set to High.

This message does not give you the option to enable the file's macros. If you want to make
use of the code in the file you must set the program's security level to Medium then close
the file. When you reopen the file you will see the usual message (Fig. 1) allowing you to
enable its macros.

Emailing Files Containing Code
The proliferation of viruses in recent times has resulted in increased email security measures

and you must bear this in mind when sending or receiving files containing macros. Recent
versions of email programs such as Microsoft Outlook can detect whether or not files
attached to email messages contain code and may strip these attachments from the
message. Sometimes these measures are implemented at the email post office. Either way
the user usually can not change the built-in security settings.

When sending files containing macros it is a wise precaution to pack them into a .zip file.
This has the result of effectively "hiding" the code from the email security and also rendering
the file "safe" for the recipient at Inbox level. If you are emailing a file containing macros to
someone you should always warn them that this is the case. You should always virus-check
any file that you receive from someone else which contains macros, even if they are trusted
by you.

If you find that even "zipping" your code-containing files is not enough (some email security
software has the ability to look inside .zip files) make use of your zipping program's option to
encrypt the file, then include the password for decrypting the file in the email message.

Starting and Stopping the Macro Recorder
The Macro Recorder works the same way in all the Microsoft Office programs in which macro
recording is available. To start the Macro Recorder open the Tools menu and choose Macro
> Record New Macro. This opens the Record Macro dialog box (Fig. 4) where you can
choose various macro options. The Macro Recorder does not start recording your actions
until you click the OK button on the Record Macro dialog.

Fig. 4 The Record Macro dialog box in Microsoft Excel.

As soon as recording commences the Stop Recording toolbar (Fig. 5) is displayed. This
toolbar carries a button to stop the Macro Recorder when you want to finish recording. If the
Stop Recording toolbar is not visible you can stop the Macro Recorder by opening the Tools
menu and choosing Macro > Stop Recording.



Fig. 5 The Stop Recording toolbar.

Although the general principles of macro recording are the same in each of the programs in
which it is available there are some differences between them.

• The appearance of Record Macro dialog box differs in each program to reflect that

programs abilities and requirements.

• The Stop Recording toolbar in Excel displays a button for specifying the recording of
relative or absolute cell references. In Word there is a Pause button. PowerPoint has
only the Stop button.

• In Excel the word Recording is displayed in the Status Bar whilst recording is in
progress. Neither Word nor PowerPoint do this but in Word the appearance of the
mouse pointer is different during recording.

The Visual Basic Toolbar
If you are a regular user of the Macro Recorder you might find it useful to display the Visual
Basic Toolbar (Fig. 6) (open the View menu and choose Toolbars > Visual Basic). This
toolbar carries several useful buttons saving the effort of multi-click visits to the Tools menu.

Fig. 6 The Visual Basic toolbar



Recording Macros
In this section the principles of recording and editing macros a illustrated with a few simple
examples.

NOTE: The VBA code recorded in the following exercises, and how to view and edit it, is
explained in the section Editing Recorded Macros later in this document.

About the Exercises

My experience of training IT in a classroom has taught me that even the most intelligent of
people can get confused when following instructions in a subject new to them. When doing
an exercise from a book such as this it can be even more confusing since individual authors
have their own way of saying things. So here is an explanation of the conventions I have
used for the Step-by-Step exercises in this document. Please take a moment to read it
before embarking on the exercises to make sure you understand exactly what I'm asking you
to do.

Follow the instructions exactly. Read the instructions carefully and do exactly what they

say. Take care when typing. Remember that the computer takes all your instructions
literally.

Things you have to do are highlighted grey. I explain and illustrate the process as the
exercise proceeds so to distinguish my text from your practical instructions everything you
need to do has a grey background like this.

Instructions are sequentially numbered. So that you can keep track of where you are in
an exercise each step is numbered e.g. Step 1, Step 2 and so on.

"Click" means on the screen. If you have to "click" something it means with your mouse
on the screen, such as a button on a dialog box e.g. Click OK or Click the OK button. Unless
otherwise stated, mouse clicks are made with the primary (usually the left) mouse button. If
it is required to use the secondary (usually the right) mouse button you will be asked to
right-click.

"Press" means on the keyboard. If you have to "press" something it means a key on the
keyboard e.g. Press [Enter] or Press the Enter key.

When Key presses or keyboard shortcuts are required special key names are enclosed
in square brackets e.g. [Enter]. When combinations of key presses are required they are
written thus [Control]+[Enter]. This means hold down the Control key whilst pressing the
Enter key. Function keys are indicated thus: [F8] , [F11] etc.

Choosing menu items is usually indicated by Open the Tools menu and choose Macro then
Macros. Sometimes this is shortened to Go to... or Choose Tools > Macro > Macros.

If you don't understand an instruction don't panic! None of these exercises can harm Excel or
your computer. I recommend that, at least to begin with, you always carry out the practice
exercises in a new workbook. If things go wrong you can simply stop the exercise, throw
away the workbook, and start again.

These exercises have been thoroughly checked and tested. If you find an error in one of
them please let the author know about it. For contact details see: About the Author on
page 52.



Step-by-Step: Record a Simple Macro
This simple exercise demonstrates how the Macro Recorder works. Later you will find out
how you can view and modify the code it creates. Take care to follow the instructions
exactly!

Step 1: Start Microsoft Excel and in a new, empty workbook type a piece of text (such as
your name) in a cell. Any cell will do.

Step 2: Press [Enter] to accept your typing then click on the cell to select it.

Your worksheet will look something like this:

A cell containing text is selected

Step 3: Open the Tools menu and choose Macro > Record New Macro.

Step 4: When the Record Macro dialog box appears click its OK button to dismiss it.

When you do so a small toolbar with just two buttons (the Stop Recording toolbar)
appears...

The Stop Recording toolbar.

Step 5: On Excel's formatting toolbar click the Bold and Center buttons, then choose a
Fill Color and a Font Color.

Bold, Center, Fill Color and Font Color toolbar buttons

Step 6: Click the Stop button (the one on the left) on the Stop Recording toolbar.

The formatted cell

Step 7: Save the workbook.

This completes this Step-by-Step exercise.

The Macro Recorder recorded all your actions within Excel from the point at which you
clicked the OK button on the Record Macro dialog box until the point when you clicked the
Stop button on the Stop Recording toolbar.



Whilst the Macro Recorder was active the word Recording was displayed in the Status Bar at
the bottom of the Excel window (Fig. 7). If you can still see this message it means that you
did not switch off the Macro Recorder – you may have closed the toolbar by mistake. If this
is the case open the Tools menu and choose Macro > Stop Recording.

Fig. 7 The Status bar indicates that recording is in progress.

The action of saving the workbook in this case also saves the macro, because in the Record
Macro dialog box the option was to store the macro in This Workbook. The appropriate place
to store macros is covered later (see: Where Should the Macro be Stored? on page 26).

In the next exercise you test the macro by playing it back. This is called "running" the
macro.



Step-by-Step: Test the Macro
You should always test your macros in several different circumstances to make sure they
work as you intended. This exercise tests the macro you recorded in the previous section:

Step 1: In the same workbook as you recorded the macro in the previous exercise, select
a block of cells and fill them with text.

HINT: A quick way to do this is to select the cells and type your text (you will see the text
appear in just the "active" cell of the selection) then press [Control]+[Enter]. This is the
Block Fill command and will fill all the selected cells with your typing.

Step 2: Select a different block of cells, including some of those containing the text you
just entered.

Select a different block of cells

Step 3: From the Tools menu choose Macro then Macros to open the Macro dialog box.
You will see the name of the macro that you recorded in the previous exercise
("Macro1"). Click on it to select it and click Run.

Select the macro name and click Run

All the selected cells have now been formatted by the macro.

Step 4: Select one of the empty cells that you had selected (you can see that the macro
has correctly formatted the cell's fill color). Type some text into the cell.

This completes this Step-by-Step exercise.

The text you type appears bold, centred and coloured showing that the macro has formatted
all the selected cells correctly.

The macro formatted all the selected cells even though some of the formatting was not
evident until the cells contained data (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8 The result of running the macro.

Since the selection of the cells was not recorded, the macro works on any cell or cells that
are selected when it is run.



Step-by-Step: Record and Test a More Complex Macro
The previous example was a very simple one and intended to show the principles of
recording macros. This example is more complex and requires more steps. It shows how
useful and time-saving a macro can be.

Acknowledgement: This macro was inspired by an example in Excel 97 Visual Basic Step by
Step by Reed Jacobson (Microsoft Press ISBN: 1-57231-318-8). I used this excellent book
when I started learning VBA and highly recommend it for anyone embarking on this
fascinating subject.

The data on this worksheet contains a number of
empty cells. Whilst the data is easy to read and
understand, these cells must be filled before the
data can be analysed with Excel.

To you and I the figure of £1,949.00 in cell C4
clearly belongs to the South region and is part of
the January data.

But as far a Excel is concerned it is simply a
number sitting on its own in row 4. Excel
understands that it is probably related to the rest
of the numbers in column C but there isn't any
other information in the same row to tell Excel how
it relates to the rest of the data.

The solution is to fill each empty cell with data
from the cell above. So each empty cell under
January should also contain the text January, the
empty cells under South should also contain the
text South and so on.

Each row of data will then contain all the
Fig. 9 Sample data for the More Complex information it needs.
Macro

The macro you record in this exercise will fill the empty cells in a block of data of any size or
shape using the rule that each empty cell should hold the same data as the first non-empty
one above it.

First, prepare a worksheet containing data similar to that shown in the screenshot above
(Fig. 9). You might also find it useful to copy the data on to another sheet so that you can
test the macro later. Then follow these step-by-step instructions to record the macro...

Step 1: Select any cell that contains some data (i.e. not an empty cell).

Step 2: Open the Tools menu and choose Macro > Record New Macro.

Step 3: In the Record Macro dialog box enter the name FillEmptyCells in the Macro
name text box.
Choose Personal Macro Workbook from the Store macro in drop-down list.
Type a brief description of the macro in the Description text box, for example:
Fills each empty cell in a selection with data from the cell above.



Enter the macro options

Step 4: Click the OK button on the Record Macro dialog box to start recording the
macro.

Step 5: Open the Edit menu and choose Go To. On the Go To dialog box click the button

marked Special then in the Go To Special dialog choose Current Region and
click OK.

This selects a rectangle of cells entirely enclosing the data.

HINT: You can quickly perform this sequence of actions by using the keyboard shortcut
[Control]+* (or [Control]+[Shift]+8).

Step 6: Open the Edit menu and choose Go To. In the Go To dialog box click the button
marked Special then in the Go To Special dialog choose Blanks and click OK.

This creates a multiple selection of just the empty cells within the previous selection.

In the next step you will type a formula then use the Block Fill command to enter it into all
the empty cells.

Step 7: Type an Equals Sign then click the Up Arrow key on your keyboard, then press
[Control]+[Enter].

This has the effect of filling each selected cell with a formula which displays the value
displayed in the cell above it.

Step 8: Press [Control]+[Shift]+8 to select the current region again.

Step 9: On the Edit menu choose Copy (or click the Copy button on the toolbar or press
[Control]+C).

Step 10: On the Edit menu choose Paste Special then in the Paste Special dialog box
choose Values and click OK.

Step 11: Press the [Escape] key to take Excel out of Copy Mode.

Step 12: Click the Stop button on the Stop Recording toolbar.

Before testing the macro create another set of data containing gaps, similar to the one you
used when recording the macro (NOTE: the block of data should contain no completely
empty columns or rows) or switch to the worksheet containing a copy of your test data if you
made one). Then proceed to test the macro as follows...

Step 13: Select a non-empty cell within the data.

Step 14: From the Tools menu choose Macro then Macros to open the Macro dialog box.

HINT: You can use the keyboard shortcut [Alt]+[F8] to open the Macro dialog box.

Step 15: Select the FillEmptyCells macro from the list.

Note that because this macro was stored in a different workbook (the Personal Macro
Workbook) the workbook's name is shown in front of the macro name.



Select the macro from the list

Step 16: Click the Run button on the Macro dialog box.

This concludes this Step-by-Step exercise.

If you have recorded the macro correctly, all the empty cells in the block of data will now be
filled.



Tips for Recording Macros
Get More Familiar with Excel
You don't need to be an Excel expert to create useful and time-saving macros, but as you
learn more about Excel you will be able to build more powerful macros.

The previous exercise used a number of tools that are very handy when recording macros
but many users have never come across them. Particularly useful is the Go To Special
command (Fig. 10) which lets you select cells according to certain predefined criteria, and

the Paste Special command (Fig. 9) which allows you to specify different options for pasting
copied data or objects.

Fig. 11 The Paste Special dialog.
Fig. 10 The Go To Special dialog.

Plan the Macro
Even when recording simple macros it is easy to forget a step or to do things in the wrong
order. Before recording a new macro it is a good idea to do a "practice run" first to
familiarize yourself with exactly what you have to do. If the macro contains many steps write
a list of actions that you can follow when you are recording.

Generalize Your Commands
Try to generalize your commands wherever possible. This makes the resulting macro flexible
and suitable for use in different circumstances. Commands like Go To > Special > Current
Region and Go To > Special > Blanks, as used in one of the earlier exercises, are good
examples of non-specific commands. If you had manually selected the block of data or the
empty cells, that specific selection would have been recorded into the macro (see: Relative
or Absolute References? on page 17).

Movement keys (the Up, Down, Left and Right Arrow keys) either on their own or in
conjunction with the [Control] key (for moving to the end of a row or column of data)
and/or the [Shift] key (for selecting cells as you move) are particularly useful in this
respect.

Correcting Mistakes
Remember that the macro recorder does not record time so there is no need to hurry
through a procedure when recording a macro. Take your time and try to be as accurate as
possible.

Nevertheless, it is easy to make a mistake whilst recording a macro. If this happens, don’t
panic! If you can immediately undo your mistake (using the Undo button on the toolbar or
with the keyboard shortcut [Control]+Z) you should do so and then carry on as normal.

If you immediately undo an action this way you will probably find that the Macro Recorder
does not include it in the final code. Sometimes it is unable to do this and your resulting



macro carries out your mistakes then undoes them just as you did when recording it. If this
happens you can edit out the unnecessary lines of code later (see: Editing Recorded Macros
on page 29).

Sometimes you will just get into a mess and have to stop recording and start again. When
you do this, and specify the same name for the macro that you just used, Excel will ask you
if you want to replace the existing macro (Fig. 12). Answer Yes to discard the original macro
and replace it with the new one.

Fig. 12 Excel warns you if a macro name already exists.

Relative or Absolute References?

When recording macros it is usually advisable to generalise commands wherever possible so
that they refer, for example, to the selected cell or cells rather than to a specific cell or
selection of cells. Doing this means that the macro will behave in a similar way whenever it is
used and in different circumstances. But sometimes you will want to specify a particular cell
(or range of cells, column, row or worksheet).

This distinction between using generalisations or specifics is referred to as using Relative or
Absolute references and the principle is similar to that of writing formulas on a worksheet.
For example, if you were to write a formula in cell A1 that read: =B1+C3 and then copied
that cell and pasted it on to cell D5 you would see that the formula changed automatically to
=E5+F7. This is because cell references in formulas are by default relative and change when
a formula is moved or copied so that the formula refers to the same cells relative to its new
position. What the formula really says is "the cell one column to my right in the same row
plus the cell two columns to my right and two rows down".

If you want the formula always to refer to the same cells wherever it occurs you must use
absolute cell references. When writing formulas absolute cell references are denoted by a
dollar sign before the row and/or column part of the reference. So, if you were to write a
formula in cell A1 that read: =$B$1+$C$3 it would remain unchanged wherever it was
copied or moved to. Often, just part of a formula needs to be "frozen" in this way so writing
the formula =$B$1+C3 in cell A1 then copying it to cell D5 would result in =$B$1+F7. This
formula really says "the cell B1 plus the cell two columns to my right and two rows down".

The same principle applies to recording macros with an important difference. By default all
cell references are recorded as absolute unless you tell Excel otherwise. If whilst recording
your macro you click on, for example, cell B5 the macro will record that you want cell B5 to
be selected. If, however, you have told Excel that you want to record relative references
then the macro will record that you wanted to select a cell a certain number of rows and
columns away from the current selection.

To determine whether or not the macro records relative or absolute references there is a
button on the Stop Recording toolbar (Fig. 13). When you start recording your macro the
button is not pressed in and the macro is expecting to record absolute references. If you
click the button the macro will record relative references until it is clicked again. Sometimes
you will want all the macro's references to be relative and sometimes only certain ones. Use
the Relative References button to switch the feature on and of as required.

Fig. 13 The Stop Recording toolbar with the Stop button (left)
and Relative References button (right).

The next exercise demonstrates the use of this feature when recording a macro.



Step-by-Step: Compare Relative and Absolute References
The following exercise uses a couple of simple examples to demonstrate how this works...

Step 1: Start Excel and open a new, empty workbook.

Step 2: Select cell C10.

Step 3: From the Tools menu choose Macro then Record New Macro.

Step 4: In the Record Macro dialog box enter the name AbsoluteReferences, choose to

store the macro in This Workbook and then click the OK button.

Step 5: Select cell B5.


Step 7: Select cell C10 again.

Step 8: From the Tools menu choose Macro then Record New Macro.

Step 9: In the Record Macro dialog box enter the name RelativeReferences, choose to

store the macro in This Workbook and then click the OK button

Step 10: Click the Relative References button on the Stop Recording toolbar.

Step 11: Select cell B5.


You now have two macros which recorded identical actions (the selecting of cell C5) but in
different ways. The first recorded absolute references and the second recorded relative
references. Now test the two macros to see how each works...

Step 13: Select cell I15.

Step 14: Use the keyboard shortcut [Alt]+[F8] to open the Macro dialog box. Choose the
AbsoluteReferences macro and click the Run button.

Which cell did the macro select?

Step 15: Select cell I15 again.

Step 16: Use the keyboard shortcut [Alt]+[F8] to open the Macro dialog box. Choose the
RelativeReferences macro and click the Run button.


Step 17: Select cell E2 and run the AbsoluteReferences macro.


Step 18: Select cell E2 again and run the RelativeReferences macro.

You got an error!

Step 19: Click the End button on the Microsoft Visual Basic error message box.

This concludes this Step-by-Step exercise.

The way the two macros behaved when they were run demonstrates the difference between
recording absolute and relative references.

The AbsoluteReferences macro noted the address of the cell B5 when you clicked on it so
when you ran that macro it always selected cell B5.

But when you clicked on cell B5 when you were recording the RelativeReferences macro it
noted the cell's location relative to the previous selection (i.e. one column to the left and five
rows up) so when you ran this macro from cell I15 it selected cell H10. But when you tried
to run the macro from cell E2 there was an Error. Macro errors occur when for some reason
a macro can not execute a line of VBA code. The code in this macro told Excel to select a cell
five rows above row 2 and since there is only one row above this row Excel couldn't do as it



was instructed and an error resulted. Clicking the End button aborted the macro at that
point.

When writing VBA code conscientious programmers rigorously test their work in an effort to
ensure that errors will not occur when the code is being used, and they include error
handling procedures to deal with both expected and unforeseen errors.



Running Macros
Different Ways to Run a Macro
There are several different ways to run a macro. Choose the method that is the most
convenient to you.

The Macro Dialog
Using the macros dialog requires no prior preparation. Open the Macro dialog (Fig. 14) from

the Tools menu by choosing Macro then Macros (or use the keyboard shortcut
[Alt]+[F8]) then select a macro from the list and click the Run button.

Fig. 14 Running a macro from the Macro dialog box.

The Macro dialog box lists all the macros currently available. The names of macros stored in
workbooks other than the current one are prefixed by the name of their host workbook. In
the illustration above (Fig. 14) you can see that the FillEmptyCells macro is located in the
PERSONAL.XLS workbook (the Personal Macro Workbook).

If there are a lot of macros in the list, you can refine it by choosing to show Macros in: All
Open Workbooks (the default setting), This Workbook or PERSONAL.XLS.

Note that The Description area at the bottom of the dialog box displays any description that
you might have entered in the Record Macro dialog box prior to recording the macro. If you
did not add a description at the time of recording your macro you can do this later (see:
Changing Macro Options on page 28).

Toolbar Button
Excel's Customize tool offers the ability to create a custom toolbar button to which you can
assign a macro. Access the tool from the Tools menu by choosing Customize or right-click
on any existing toolbar and choose Customize from the context menu.

In the Customize dialog box select the Commands tab then scroll down the Categories list
in the left-hand list box until you find the Macros entry (it is near the bottom - the list items
are not in alphabetical order!). Click on Macros to reveal a list of commands on the right-
hand list box (Fig. 15). One of the commands is Custom Button.



Fig. 15 The Customize dialog box.

To add a button drag Custom Button from the dialog box to a position on one of your
toolbars then release the mouse button to place the new button on the toolbar (Fig. 16). You
can rearrange and edit your toolbars and menus as much as you want when the Customize
dialog is open...

Fig. 16 Placing a custom button on a toolbar.

To remove a custom button from a toolbar open the Customize dialog and simply drag the
button off the toolbar. When the mouse pointer displays an X release the mouse to remove
the button (Fig. 17). Alternatively right-click on the button you want to remove and choose
Delete from the context menu.

Fig. 17 Dragging a button off the toolbar.

Whilst the Customize dialog is still open right-click on the custom button for a menu of
options...

Assign Macro: opens the Assign Macro dialog box which is similar in appearance to the
Macro dialog box (Fig. 14). Choose a macro from the list and click the OK button to
assign the macro to the button.

Name: enter a name for the custom button. This text will appear as a tool tip when the user
points at the button.



Change Button Image: offers a selection of alternative ready-made images to display on
the button in place of the default "smiley". Alternatively you can use...

Copy Button Image: to copy the image used on an existing button. Right click on that
button and choose Copy Button Image then right-click on your custom button and
choose Paste Button Image.

Edit Button Image: opens the Button Editor tool with which you can design a unique
button image yourself (Fig. 18). Choose a colour from the palette by clicking on it then
use the mouse as a brush to paint the colour on to the design grid.

Fig. 18 The Button Editor lets you design your own button images.

Having made your changes to the button's properties click the Close button on the
Customize dialog box to take Excel out of customize mode and enable the button. You can
return to customize mode at any time to make further changes to this or other toolbar and
menu items.

You might prefer to create a new toolbar to hold your macro buttons rather than place them
on an existing toolbar. You will find the facility to create new toolbars on the Toolbars tab of
the Customize dialog box. There is also the facility here to Reset built-in toolbars to their
original "factory" condition.

Menu Item
A macro can be assigned to a menu (either an existing one or a new one) instead of, or in
addition to assigning it to a toolbar button.

First open the Customize dialog from the Tools menu and click on the Commands tab. If
you want to create a new menu choose New Menu from the Categories list. Only one item,
New Menu, will appear in the Commands list. Drag New Menu on to the existing menubar
or one of your toolbars (Fig. 19) (NOTE: a toolbar, properly called a "command bar", can
contain both buttons and menus).

Fig. 19 Drag a new menu on to the menubar.

Right-click on the new menu and enter a caption in the Name text box. If you want to add
an accelerator key to the name (i.e. a letter that appears underlined so the user can open
the menu by typing that letter in conjunction with the [Alt] key) place an ampersand before
that letter in the name.



So, typing &Macros in the Name textbox would produce the caption Macros. The user can
then use the keyboard shortcut [Alt]+M to open the Macros menu.

To add your macros to the new menu (or any existing menu) return to the Customize dialog
and choose Macros from the categories list. Drag Custom Menu Item from the
Commands list on to the menu of your choice and wait for a moment whilst the menu
opens. You can then place the new menu item where you like on the menu. (NOTE: a new
menu without any existing entries opens as a small rectangle. Drop the first menu item on to
this to create the menu (Fig. 20)).

Fig. 20 Add accustom menu item to the menu

The new menu item appears with the caption Custom Menu Item. Right-click on it and use
the Name property to add a more suitable caption. Its other properties can be changed

using the options on the context menu in the same way as for a custom button (see: Toolbar
Button on page 20).

Close the Customize dialog box to implement your changes and activate the new menu and
its contents.

Worksheet Button
An alternative to using menus and toolbars is to place a button directly on a worksheet. This
is particularly advantageous when the macro resides in the same workbook because if you
take the workbook to a different computer the button goes with it.

Fig. 21 The Forms toolbar.

To place a button on a worksheet you first need to open the Forms toolbar (View >
Toolbars > Forms)(Fig. 21). Click the Button button then click on the worksheet near
where you want to place the button. When you do this the Assign Macro dialog box opens
and you can choose the macro that will run when the button is clicked (Fig. 22).

Fig. 22 The Assign Macro dialog appears when a button is created.

Buttons are automatically named and numbered sequentially. Notice that the default macro
assignment for a button is the click event of the button (e.g. for a button named Button1
the default is Button1_Click). This macro event can be used when you are writing your own
VBA macros. You can safely ignore this and choose a macro from the list.

If you prefer not to assign a macro straight away, or if you change your mind later and want
to assign a different macro, the macro assignment can be changed at any time by right-
clicking on the button and choosing Assign Macro from the context menu.

To make changes to the button it must be selected (when a cross-hatched or dotted border
is visible). If the button is not selected, select it by either right-clicking on it or left-clicking
on it with the [Control] key held down. Avoid left-clicking the button unless you want to run



the macro. A button has two selection modes. When normally selected (Fig. 23 left) it shows
a dotted border and the right-click context menu is fully enabled. If you click on the button
face the border changes to cross-hatching (Fig. 23 right) and you can type directly on the
button to change its caption. In this mode the Assign Macro option of the right-click context
menu is disabled.

Fig. 23 The two selection modes of a button.

You can move a selected button by dragging its border (Fig. 24). To change the size or shape
of a button drag one of the resizing handles located around its edge (Fig. 25). Hold the [Alt]
key down whilst dragging to "snap" the button on to worksheet gridlines.

Fig. 24 Moving a button by dragging. Fig. 25 Resizing a button.

Graphic Object
Most graphic objects (e.g. AutoShapes, inserted images or clip-art) can have a macro
assigned to them so that the macro runs when the object is clicked. After placing the object
on the worksheet right-click on it and choose Assign Macro from the context menu (Fig.
26).

Fig. 26 Assigning a macro to a graphic object.

Assigning a Shortcut Key
The macro recorder offers you the opportunity to assign a shortcut key to a macro before
you record it. If you didn't do that, or change your mind and want to assign one later, open
the Macro Options dialog by going to Tools > Macro > Macros then select your macro
and click the Options button.

In the Macro Options dialog box (Fig. 27) click in the small text box by the heading
Shortcut key and type a letter. That letter when typed with the [Control] key held down
will then run the macro. Remember that many key combinations are already assigned to
routine tasks (e.g. [Control]+P for Print, [Control]+S for Save) and any assignment you
make will override these. (NOTE: ask Excel Help about keyboard shortcuts to see a list of the
current key assignments.)

You can extend the choice of keystrokes by holding down the [Shift] key whilst typing your
chosen letter into the dialog box. Your shortcut key for the macro then becomes
[Control]+[Shift]+letter.



Fig. 27 The Macro Options dialog box.

You can also use the Macro Options dialog to add or change a macro's description.

Automatic Macros

Macros can be run automatically when a certain event happens in Excel. The VBA
programmer can choose from a wide variety of workbook and worksheet events but unless
you are familiar with VBA you are limited to just two, the Auto_Open and Auto_Close
macros. How to do this is explained in full below (see: Auto Macros on page 26).

Which Way is Best?
The most appropriate way to run a macro depends upon where it is located and how
convenient it needs to be. All macros are always available from the Macros dialog (Tools >
Macro > Macros or [Alt]+[F8]).

Assigning macros to toolbar buttons or menu items is user-friendly and very convenient but
they do not travel with the workbook when, for example, you email it to another user or
access it from a different computer. (NOTE: It is possible to write VBA code which builds
menus or toolbars automatically. This code can be embedded in the workbook so that it
essentially takes its own toolbars and menus with it wherever it goes. This topic is not within
the scope of this document.)

Keyboard shortcuts are quick and easy but have to be remembered, and the choice is limited
if you don't want to overwrite existing key assignments. Remember that keyboard
assignments made in the way shown here are specific to the current computer and do not
travel with the workbook. (NOTE: It is possible to write VBA code which assigns a keyboard
shortcut to a macro. Developers often use this to temporarily assign a keyboard shortcut
whilst the host workbook is open. As with toolbar/menu code this travels with the workbook.
This topic is not within the scope of this document.)

If it is possible, the most flexible method for the novice programmer is to assign a macro to
a button or other graphic object on the worksheet itself. Since this object is part of the
workbook it is always available regardless of which computer opens the file.

Use the method that is most convenient for you. You can use more than one method if you
prefer (e.g. a separate button on each worksheet within a workbook, each running the same
macro).

Undoing a Macro's Actions
It is very important to remember that the action of a macro can not be undone by using
Excel's Undo command. The running of a macro effectively clears the Undo memory and
both the Edit > Undo menu option and the Undo toolbar button are disabled immediately
following the macro.

It is often good practice to save the workbook before running a complex macro so that the
macro's actions can be undone simply by closing the workbook without saving the changes,
then reopening it in its original state.


Ug recording excelmacros

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (19)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (20)

Ähnlich wie Ug recording excelmacros

Ähnlich wie Ug recording excelmacros (20)

Ug recording excelmacros