Utilizing Macros in Microsoft® Excel®

Don't be afraid of macros - learn how to create and effectively use them.

When you find yourself repeating actions in Excel®, whether it's a five-step sequence you use when formatting a certain cell type or the 30 steps you use when you sort, filter, and print multiple worksheets once a week, the possibility exists that you can automate these actions in the form of a macro. Thereafter, you can perform these sets of actions with a simple keystroke combination, a button in a worksheet, or by using a button in the Quick Access toolbar. This topic shows you how to create these macro shortcuts, alerts you to situations ideal for creating macros, and explores the actual code, in the language called Visual Basic, created when you record command sequences. This is not a course in Visual Basic, but you will get a quick look at it and understand its role in creating and using macros. Creating a macro may ultimately involve programming techniques but most macros are developed by recording the way you use standard Excel® commands. This topic will show you how to create macros and give you examples of various macros that handle large amounts of information and interact with multiple files. You will also see how to activate a macro with commands, buttons, keystrokes, or pictures.