Maximizing the Power of Excel With Macros and Modules

Transcription

1 Maximizing the Power of Excel With Macros and Modules Produced by SkillPath Seminars The Smart Choice 6900 Squibb Road P.O. Box 2768 Mission, KS Maximizing the Power of Excel With Macros and Modules Copyright SkillPath All rights reserved. Access, Excel, Microsoft, Visual Basic and Windows are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. SkillPath claims no ownership interest in the trademarks.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 3 Macros Explained in Plain English... 3 How to Create a Macro Using the Macro Recorder So You Can Perform a Series of Commands at the Push of a Button... 4 Use a Simple Tool to Learn VBA Syntax, Including How to Reference Specific Cells, a Range of Cells, Worksheets and More... 7 When Your Macro Acts Up Debugging and Troubleshooting Techniques That ll Get You Up and Running... 8 When to Use a Macro and When to Use Visual Basic for Applications... 8 For the Advanced User Understanding Modules and Their Unique Role in Solving Unusual or Difficult Programming Problems... 9 How to Use the Project Explorer and Visual Basic Editor to View and Modify Modules, Forms and Other Worksheet Code... 9 How to Use Loops to Repeat Commands Multiple Times...10 How to Write Conditional If/Then Statements in Your Code That Can Be Used to Execute Other Functions, Control Program Flow, Allow User Input and Perform Many Other Functions...11 Bonus Materials...13

3 Introduction Many users are familiar with the macro recording feature built into Microsoft Office applications. A macro is an action or a set of actions used to automate tasks. The limitation of macro recording is that it is strictly a playback-oriented feature. It records the steps you take to carry out a process and allows you to repeat them as desired with a short combination of keystrokes or even by pressing a button. There may be times when you want to do something that can t be accomplished with a series of steps and which requires some degree of programming. That s where the power of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) comes in. VBA is an easy-to-use programming language built right into the Microsoft Office suite. It s a powerful, flexible programming language that can help you do virtually anything you want to do within Microsoft Office applications. One of the things that make VBA easy to use is its graphical nature. While you ll still have to learn and type some commands to use it, you can accomplish a great many tasks by dragging and dropping different tools, called controls, onto a workspace called a userform. Controls can be anything from a scroll bar to a push button to a pull-down menu, dialog box, etc. You use the commands you type to tell these controls what to do. VBA is often referred to as an object-oriented programming language, although it s more accurate to call it an event-driven language. Every object or control in a VBA program responds to some sort of event, such as the user clicking a mouse or pressing a button. Macros Explained in Plain English Macros are objects used to execute pre-selected Excel actions with a click of a button or upon a specific event such as entering data into a cell. You can save time by using macros for any task that is repetitive and requires several actions, clicks or keystrokes. Macros also provide a high degree of accuracy by executing the exact same actions each time the macro is run. A macro can be used to automate just about any Excel action, such as opening a worksheet, exporting data or printing information contained in a range of cells, and can execute several actions in the order in which they are listed in the Macro Window. These are some of the benefits of using macros: Save time by automating tasks that are both routine and common Reduce errors and increase accuracy, ensuring that tasks are performed consistently Make your worksheets user-friendly by adding command buttons that represent macros that will enable users to easily jump between several worksheets Automate the exporting and importing of data to and from outside sources such as Access 3

4 How to Create a Macro Using the Macro Recorder So You Can Perform a Series of Commands at the Push of a Button Before you start using macros, you may need to adjust the macro security level. It is set to high by default to prevent unwanted, malicious macros from running and you ll need to adjust it to allow your macros to run when you launch them. To change the security level: 1. Click on the File tab and click on Options. Click on Trust Center and then click on the Trust Center Settings button. 2. Click on Macro Settings and you ll see the following options. 3. Select Disable all macros with notification. This is the default setting. Use it if you want macros to be disabled, but you want to get security alerts if there are macros present. This way, you can choose when to enable those macros on a case-by-case basis. 4. If you are sure that none of the files you will be using contain any malicious macros, then you can select Enable all macros. 5. Click OK. 4

5 To create a macro using the Macro Recorder, follow these steps: 1. Open an Excel workbook. On the Developer tab, from the Code group, click Record Macro. This will open the Record Macro dialog box. 2. Name the macro. There are a number of restrictions you need to take into account when naming a macro; for example, the first character in the name must be a letter and the name cannot have spaces. Alternately, you can also choose to use a shortcut key. Simply click in the entry box in the Shortcut key section and press the key combination you want to use (choosing either lower or upper case, in which case you will actually be pressing Ctrl + Shift + [chosen letter] when you want to run the macro). You cannot use numbers for your shortcut key nor any special characters such as!, # or %. 3. If you want to use the macro in additional workbooks (not just the one you have open), click the down-arrow in the Store macro in section and choose Personal Macro Workbook. 4. In the Description section, enter a description of what the macro does. When you are done entering in the information, click OK. 5. Go to Cell E1 and type in Monday; then go to cell E2 and type in Tuesday. 6. Click Stop Recording from the Code group. 7. Delete the contents of cells E1 and E2, and then place the cursor on B1. 5

6 8. Run the macro by going to the Code group and clicking Macros. The Macro dialog box opens. 9. Select the name of the macro you just created, and then click Run. Notice the Macro entered the days in cell E1 and E You can also run the macro by pressing your shortcut key(s). 6

7 Use a Simple Tool to Learn VBA Syntax, Including How to Reference Specific Cells, a Range of Cells, Worksheets and More Since all macros use VBA, the quickest way to learn VBA syntax is to look at the corresponding code. When you create the macro with code you want to examine, you should always perform simple steps. For example, if you want to determine what the code is to select the cell next to the active one in VBA, initially record a macro as previously described; then look at the resultant code in the Visual Basic Editor. To access the Visual Basic Editor: 1. Choose the Developer tab. 2. Select the Visual Basic command from the Code group. 3. Double-click the Modules folder and the Module icon to view the Visual Basic screen. The Microsoft Visual Basic screen will display the Macro s code for you to study. If you have created several Macros, scroll down and look for the correct Macro s name and code. To reference a specific cell in a worksheet, use the following syntax: Range( Cell ).Select To reference a sheet in a workbook, use the following syntax: Sheets( Sheet ).Select To reference a range of cells in a worksheet, use the following syntax: Range( Cell:Cell ).Select 7

8 When Your Macro Acts Up Debugging and Troubleshooting Techniques That ll Get You Up and Running Once you have created your macro, it may not perform the actions exactly as you planned. Fortunately, Excel provides some built-in testing procedures for macros. There are two methods for running a macro, either step by step or all commands at one time. By having the macro run step by step, you can review the results of each step to ensure that the macro was programmed correctly. When you run through a macro one action at a time, you can make changes and retest the macro as often as you like to correct any problems. To test and debug your macro, use the following instructions: 1. Click Macros from the View ribbon, and then click the macro you wish to debug. 2. Click the Step (Single) Into button, which is located on the right of the Macro dialog box. 3. Press the F8 key to step through the code line by line or you can select Step Into from the Debug menu. 4. Continue pressing the F8 key until the macro is complete or until you encounter an error. When you encounter an error, a message box will appear to indicate the nature of the error. Click OK to close the box. 5. Click the Reset button to halt the debugging process and make any necessary changes. You can then restart the debugging process by simply pressing the F8 key again. When to Use a Macro and When to Use Visual Basic for Applications Macros and modules help you utilize Excel more effectively and efficiently. Both of these methods require some basic understanding of the concepts of programming and the ability to follow a process logically through its actions. Although there are some tasks that can be done with either a macro or a module, there are some guidelines and rules that will guide your choice of which is better for the task. Macros are a simple and easy way to take care of repetitive tasks such as opening and closing worksheets or printing a range of cells. Macros are also easier to create than modules because you really don t have to know the programming syntax, and you are not presented with as many options. One particular time when you have to use macros is when you make global shortcut key assignments. There are, however, at least four occasions when you should use a module rather than a macro in Excel : 1. If you have unique function procedures, such as a unique formula for calculations 2. If you want to mask error messages. Excel contains error messages that can be confusing to some users, but with modules, you can write a module to detect the errors and display your own custom messages. You can also have Excel take a specific action in response to the error instead. 3. If you need to send information to or receive information from other Microsoft Office applications. Unfortunately, macros cannot be used for very many tasks outside your Office applications, but the VBA code stored in modules can allow you to send and receive information between applications. 4. If you have to dynamically determine cell references in your procedure, then you should use a module. In other words, if your cells that are referenced in a macro may change, then you must use a module instead of a macro or edit the macro to include the programming language necessary to determine the correct cells. 8

9 For the Advanced User Understanding Modules and Their Unique Role in Solving Unusual or Difficult Programming Problems A module is basically an Excel object that contains custom procedures that you code using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Modules provide some added features that macros just can t perform. Although macros are very powerful and flexible, several tasks cannot be carried out with macros or are better suited to a VBA procedure. The following circumstances should provide you with some basic guidelines for when to use modules: Handling errors in your application Creating a new function Passing values and parameters or accepting return values Interacting with other Microsoft Windows -based applications Calling Windows API functions How to Use the Project Explorer and Visual Basic Editor to View and Modify Modules, Forms and Other Worksheet Code The Project Explorer is located on the left-hand side of the Microsoft Visual Basic window. It contains all of the projects that are currently open. If you do not see the Project Explorer window, click the View menu and select Project Explorer. The three buttons in the Project Explorer control what you view. The first button, View Code, lets you view the code of the object you have selected in the Project Explorer. The second button, View Object, displays the object associated with the selected item. The final button, Toggle Folders, allows you to hide the object folders. Macros that are stored in a workbook are listed as modules in the Project Explorer. In the example shown above, the macro called Module1 is selected, with the code window open. Notice that the macro is written in VBA code. The Sub statement defines the name of the macro. Comments are accented out and will appear as green text in the code window. The actual code will appear as black text. Below the Project Explorer is the Properties window. If you do not see the Properties window, click the View menu and select Properties window. This contains the properties of any item selected in the Project Explorer. 9

10 How to Use Loops to Repeat Commands Multiple Times The purpose of loop structures is to allow you to repeat a command or a series of commands more than once. There will be many instances in which you will want to repeat a task several times or even many times, depending on what you want your program to do. For this reason, looping structures are an essential component of the Visual Basic.NET programming language. In Visual Basic.NET, there are three distinct looping structures. We will examine each one in turn. For Next: This is probably the most widely recognized loop structure. With this loop, the computer will perform a loop for a set number of times based on a variable End, which tells the compiler how many times the loop will be performed. The variable Start tells the compiler what the initial value of the loop is. The loop structure uses another variable called the counter that increases or decreases in value after each cycle of the loop. The For Next loop structure uses the following syntax: For counter = Start To End [Step] Statement Block Next [counter] All of the variables are numeric values. The values in the square brackets are optional. You do not have to state the counter variable at the Next statement, but you should do so for clarity. The Step variable tells the compiler how much to add to the counter at the end of each loop. If no value is set, the compiler will assume that the counter will increase by one each time a loop is completed. When you run a For Next loop, the initial value of the counter is set to the value of the Start variable and, as the loop runs, it adds one to the value of the counter each time until the value of the counter variable is the same as or greater than that of the End variable. For example, the following loop will be executed five times: For n = 0 to 25 step 5 [Statement Block] Next n 10

11 How to Write Conditional If/Then Statements in Your Code That Can Be Used to Execute Other Functions, Control Program Flow, Allow User Input and Perform Many Other Functions In order for programs to react to certain conditions, they need to use a series of test statements to ask if certain conditions have been met: The value of a variable changing, for example. In computer programming, this is called a test structure. Test structures differ from control structures in that the program must make decisions when using test structures. VBA supports the conditional If/Then statement. This test structure determines whether a condition has been met, for example, if a value is true or false. If the expected condition is true, then the program will process the following statement; otherwise, it will go on to the next statement in the syntax. In VBA, to run one statement based on a condition, the syntax would be: If condition Then Statement where condition is an evaluation, for example if A = B. If the evaluation is true, the program will execute the statement; otherwise, it will go to the next line. The above example is for a single-line statement; if you wish to spread a statement over several lines, conclude with the end if statement, for example: If condition Then Statement End If You are not limited to just one statement. You can have as many statements as you wish, depending on what you want to do. Shown below is an example of a macro called Color using a condition statement: Sub Color() Color Macro Macro recorded by John Doe If ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = 8 Then ActiveCell.Select With Selection.Interior.ColorIndex = 20.Pattern = xlsolid End With End If ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Range( A1 ).Select End Sub Remember, when using a multiple-line statement, you have to use the End If command, which tells the compiler where your test structure ends. 11

12 You can also write code statements that will stop and ask for user input. You can use this feature in a variety of ways such as creating your own Find function that will search in the range that you specify for the value the user will input in the box. The code shown below is an example of this feature. Sub Macro1() Macro1 Macro Range( E1 ).Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = Monday Range( E2 ).Select MyNum = Application.InputBox( Enter a value ) ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = MyNum Range( E3 ).Select End Sub When executed, it will enter the word Monday in E1, then move to E2 and display a text box which asks for user input. When the user clicks the OK button, it will enter whatever the user typed into E2, then move to E3 and stop. The image below shows the input box that is displayed when the above code is run. 12

13 BONUS MATERIALS How to Add Flexibility and Speed With Special Keyboard Techniques Key combinations In Excel, there are a couple of ways to use the keyboard to provide the flexibility you want while creating your spreadsheet. You may be familiar with some of the keyboard combinations used with earlier versions of Excel. Many of these are still available today with Excel. The following is a partial list of key combinations. Shortcut Ctrl + B Ctrl + C Ctrl + D Ctrl + R Ctrl + F Ctrl + H Ctrl + I Ctrl + N Ctrl + V Ctrl + X Ctrl + Y Ctrl + Z Shift + F2 Shift + F10 F11 Ctrl + PgDn Ctrl + PgUp Description Makes selected cells bold Copies the selected cells Fills down Fills right Displays the Find dialog box Displays the Replace dialog box Makes selected cells italic Creates a new workbook Pastes copied or cut item into a cell Cuts the selected cells Repeats the last command Undoes the last action Allows you to edit a comment in the active cell Displays the shortcut menu for the selected item Creates a chart from the selected data Activates the next worksheet Activates the previous worksheet 13

14 Access keys Access keys give you easy access to commands on the Ribbon. The keys relate directly to tabs and commands that are seen on the screen without using the mouse to click the Ribbon. When using the Ribbon, normally you must click the tab to open the group of spreadsheet tools available. If you prefer to open items the old-fashioned way, by using the keyboard, it will still work. The picture of the Ribbon above shows what it looks like by default. You must click the tab with the mouse and then select from the group of commands to accomplish the desired task. If you prefer to use the keyboard, just press the Alt key and you will see the Access keys appear on the screen. Notice the letters below the tabs on the Ribbon. Select any of the letters after pressing the Alt key to change to the group of available commands for the tab selected. Some Tricks With the Worksheets Excel allows you to assign names to the worksheets in your workbook. Suppose, for example, the third worksheet (currently named Sheet 3) contains mailing addresses and you want to give it the more meaningful name Addresses. The procedure is simple: Right-click on Sheet 3 Rename Type: Addresses (or any other name) Enter To insert a new worksheet: Right-click on Sheet 3 Insert Select Worksheet in the window OK Similarly, to delete a worksheet: Right-click on Sheet 3 Delete Excel asks you to confirm your desire OK Sometimes, you may need to enter the same data in the same location in several worksheets. For example, you may want to insert the same initial table in each of worksheets Sheet 1 and Addresses (remember, we changed the name of Sheet 3). To do so, simply: Press and hold Ctrl Click on Sheet 1 and on Addresses (or on any other worksheet that you want to select) Release Ctrl You can still move among the worksheets as before. The only difference is that if you type something in one of the selected worksheets, the same data will appear in all the selected worksheets in the same location. To discontinue this feature: Right-click on Sheet 1 or the tab of any worksheet in the selection Ungroup Sheets 14

15 How to Put Things in the Correct Order by Using the Sort Function A very common operation with tables is to sort them with respect to a certain column. You can sort the data in the table either numerically or alphabetically, which can help you find the data you are looking for anywhere in the worksheet. When sorting data in a worksheet, you must first define which information you want Excel to use when sorting the data. Then you must decide how to sort, in ascending or descending order or in alphabetical order. You are also able to sort on more than one set of criteria. To do a sort on the data in a spreadsheet: 1. Choose a cell within the table. 2. Click the Data tab and then click the Sort option in the Sort & Filter group and you ll see the Sort dialog box shown below. 3. Use the drop-down box under the Column heading to select which column you will use to sort by. 4. Use the drop-down box under Sort On to determine if you will sort on values, cell color, font color or cell icon. 5. Use the drop-down box under Order to determine the sort order. 6. If you want to add another level, you can click on the Add Level button to create another sort level. When you have completed all the settings, click the OK button and your data will now be sorted according to your selections. You can quickly sort by clicking on a cell in the column you want to sort by and click one of the options to the left of the Sort option, either A-Z or Z-A. 15

16 Unlocking the Power of the Mysterious Insert Function Dialog Box So You Can Easily Create the Right Formula for the Job Excel is packed with hundreds of built-in functions. This is what makes Excel such a powerful application. The problem, though, is that these functions must be typed in correctly or they don t work. Normally, you would need to have perfect recall or carry a book around with you everywhere to make use of the power of the program, but Excel contains everything you need to get your formulas right the first time. To find the correct function to use in your formula and utilize the correct syntax: 1. Select the Formulas tab. 2. Click the Insert Function button to bring up the Insert Function dialog box as shown in the following image. 3. Select the function needed by scrolling through the list of functions or typing in the search criteria in the Search for a function text box. 4. After you have selected the function you want, you ll see the syntax displayed in the lower section of the dialog box and a brief description of the function. If you still have questions or concerns about how to use the function, just click on the link on the bottom-left side of the dialog box to bring up help on the function you selected. The Help system has in-depth information about every function in Excel. It also includes examples, which you can copy into your worksheet and then modify to meet your needs. 16

17 Styles To get the look you want from your worksheets, you could adjust the font face, change the font size and style, modify the font color and background color, change the cell borders and tweak many more settings; but that would take forever. There is a much easier way to get the look and feel you want and that is by applying predefined styles to your worksheets. Microsoft Excel comes with several predefined styles and you can even create your own and then quickly apply the style to your worksheets. The following steps outline the procedure to quickly apply predefined styles to your worksheets. 1. Select the cells to which you want to apply the style. 2. With the Home tab selected, click the Cell Styles option in the Styles group and you ll see the following. 3. Move your cursor over a style that you like and notice the selected cells will take on the style that your cursor is hovering over. Click on the style you want and it will then be applied to your cells. If none of the styles are to your liking, then you do have the option to create your own style that can be saved and used over and over again. Use the following steps to make your own saved style. 1. Make all the changes to the fonts, borders, colors and other options that you want. 2. With the Home tab selected, click the Cell Styles option in the Styles group and then select New Cell Style near the bottom of the dialog box. 3. You ll then see the Style dialog box. You should first give your new style a name and then review the available options. When finished, click the OK button. Your newly created style will now appear at the top of the list when the Cell Styles option is selected. 17

18 How to Name a Data Range and Use It in Your Formulas to Save Time and Effort Suppose you have a data range of (B2:C7, D2:D7, F8, G9) and you now want to make several formulas that run different calculations on that particular range. You would have to either remember the exact cell references to the range as shown above or simply give the data range a name and then use that name in your formulas. The Name Manager found in the Defined Names group on the Formulas tab is used to create and manage named data ranges. A data range is simply cells in your worksheet, and they do not have to be contiguous. The following steps outline the procedure to use the Name Manager to name a data range. 1. Click on the Name Manager and you ll see the Name Manager dialog box as shown in the following image. 2. Click on the New button and you ll see the New Name dialog box as shown in the following image. 3. Enter a name for your data range. The name should be short, but descriptive so you ll easily understand what it refers to when you see it in the Name Manager or use it in a formula. 4. The Scope setting defaults to workbook, which will be fine for most situations so you can leave this setting as-is. 18

19 5. Enter a comment about your data range. You can include a more complete description of your data range in this setting. 6. Any cells that were selected prior to launching the Name Manager will be displayed in the Refers to box. If you selected your data range prior to launching the Name Manager, you will be finished; but if not, just click the small red arrow on the right side of the text box and you can then select your data range. You should then click the red down-arrow and you ll be taken back to the New Name dialog box. You can then click the OK button and your data range will be named. You can now use the name you created anywhere you would have used the column and row notation of your data range. The following example shows how to use a name (SE) in a formula that sums the values in the data range. 1. Click on the cell where you want the formula to be located. 2. Click in the Formula bar and type =SUM(SE) and then press the Enter key. When you type SE into the Formula bar, you ll see your data range outlined. As you can see, it is a timesaver to use named data ranges in your formulas. 19

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