Macros in Spreadsheet

 Macros in Excel

Macros in Excel are a powerful tool that automate repetitive tasks by recording a sequence of actions. Once recorded, you can run the macro to repeat the same steps, saving time and effort.

What is a Macro?

A macro is a set of instructions or code written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), the programming language used by Excel.

It allows you to perform repetitive tasks with a single command.

For example, formatting a spreadsheet, applying filters, or performing calculations.

How to Create and Run Macros in Excel

1. Enable the Developer Tab

The Developer tab contains the tools you need to create and run macros. It is not enabled by default, so you need to add it:

Go to File → Options.

Select Customize Ribbon from the list on the left.

Check the Developer checkbox and click OK.

2. Recording a Macro

Go to the Developer tab.

Click on Record Macro in the Code group.

In the Record Macro dialog box, give your macro a name (avoid spaces in the name), and optionally assign a shortcut key.

You can store the macro in:

This Workbook (it will only be available in the current workbook).

New Workbook (available in a new workbook).

Personal Macro Workbook (available across all Excel workbooks).

Click OK to start recording.

Perform the tasks you want to automate (e.g., applying a specific format, entering values, etc.).

When you are done, go back to the Developer tab and click Stop Recording.

3. Running a Macro

Go to the Developer tab.

Click on Macros in the Code group.

Select the macro you want to run from the list and click Run.

Alternatively, you can press the shortcut key if you assigned one during macro creation.

4. Editing a Macro

Macros are stored as VBA code. You can edit them to add more functionality:

Go to the Developer tab.

Click on Visual Basic (or press Alt + F11) to open the VBA editor.

Select your macro from the list, and edit the VBA code as needed.

Save and close the VBA editor.

5. Saving a Workbook with Macros

When saving a workbook with macros, you must save it in a special format:

Go to File → Save As.

Choose Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm).

Example Macro: Formatting a Sheet

Here’s a simple macro that changes the font, font size, and applies bold formatting to a selected range of cells.

Steps:

1. Select a range of cells.
2. Go to Developer → Record Macro and give it a name, like Format Cells.
3. Apply your formatting (e.g., change the font to Arial, font size to 12, and bold the text).
4. Stop recording.

Now you can run this macro whenever you want to apply that specific formatting to a range of cells.

Benefits of Using Macros:

    Time-saving: Automate repetitive tasks.

    Accuracy: Reduces human errors.

    Customizable: Macros can be edited and tailored to fit specific needs.

    Efficiency: Can be reused across different Excel files.

Macros with Parameters in Excel VBA

Macros in Excel VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) are commonly used to automate repetitive tasks. Sometimes, a macro may need to accept parameters to make it flexible, allowing the user to control certain aspects of the macro’s behavior. Here’s an overview of how macros with parameters work:

Macros with parameters make your Excel automation more powerful and adaptable. By passing arguments to macros, you can perform tasks dynamically, making your macros more versatile and efficient.

Benefits of Using Parameters in Macros

Flexibility: Macros with parameters allow for greater flexibility since the behavior of the macro can be controlled dynamically.

Reusability: Instead of creating multiple macros for different tasks, a single macro with parameters can be reused for various scenarios.

Efficiency: Parameters reduce the need to edit the code frequently, thus saving time and preventing errors.

1. What is a Macro with Parameters?

A macro with parameters allows you to pass information (arguments) to the macro when it is called. These parameters can be used to control what the macro does without editing the macro itself every time.

Example Use Case: Instead of hardcoding a specific range to format, you can pass the range as a parameter and use the same macro for different ranges.

How to Define a Macro with Parameters?

When creating a macro that accepts parameters, you define the parameters in the macro's Sub statement or the Function Statement as follows:

 Public Sub TestArguments(a As Integer, b As Integer)
         MsgBox "a = " & a & " b = " & b
 End Sub


Public Function Identity(a As Integer, b As Integer)
   'declaring variable to store result of computation (a+b)^2
   Dim res As Integer
   res = (a ^ 2) + (2 * a * b) + (b ^ 2)
   Identity = res
End Function