How To Record Excel Macros That Work

How To Record Excel Macros That Work
How To Record Excel Macros That Work Make your recorded macros
shorter, faster and adaptable to variable-size arrays and workbooks
By John Franco, Feb 26, 2011
Licensing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.
If you want to sell this book, use it for commercial purposes,
distribute it in bulk quantities in your workplace, or a hard copy
version; please Contact me
Disclaimer
The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the
accuracy of the information herein. However, the information
contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or
implied. Neither the authors and Wizdoh.com, nor its dealers or
distributors, will be held liable for any damages to be caused either
directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book, or
by the software or hardware products described herein.
Trademark Notice
Rather than indicating every occurrence of a trademarked name as
such, this book uses the names only in an editorial fashion and to
the benefit of the trademark owner with no intention of
infringement of the trademark.
Excel is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation
Language disclaimer
I do my best but English is not my native language. I apologize for
language errors in my writing.
Table of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................................... 3
TESTIMONIALS ............................................................................................................................................. 6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.................................................................................................................................. 8
ABOUT JOHN FRANCO ................................................................................................................................. 9
PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK ............................................................................................................................ 11
1 - INTRODUCTION TO EXCEL MACROS ..................................................................................................... 13
2 - WHAT IS AN EXCEL MACRO .................................................................................................................. 16
3 - HOW THE EXCEL MACRO RECORDER WORKS ...................................................................................... 22
3.1. THE EXCEL RECORDER REGISTERS EVERY ACTION YOU PERFORM ON EXCEL ....................................................... 23
3.2. THE EXCEL RECORDER GENERATES A VBA INSTRUCTION AFTER THE GIVEN ACTION HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON EXCEL 25
3.3. THE EXCEL RECORDER CHANGES THE PROPERTIES OF EXCEL OBJECTS PROGRAMMATICALLY .............................. 25
3.4. THE EXCEL RECORDER USES THE METHODS OF EXCEL OBJECTS PROGRAMMATICALLY ...................................... 30
3.5.
USING RELATIVE REFERENCE PRODUCES DIFFERENT VBA CODE .......................................................... 31
4 - HOW TO PLAN THE RECORDING OF AN EXCEL MACRO ....................................................................... 35
4.1. GET RID OF RANDOM PATTERNS .............................................................................................................. 36
4.2. BREAK THE MACRO INTO SMALLER CHUNKS ............................................................................................... 37
4.3. DEFINE THE TYPE OF MACRO: STATIC (SPECIFIC) OR DYNAMIC MACRO ............................................................ 39
Use relative references ...................................................................................................................... 39
Use absolute reference ..................................................................................................................... 43
4.4. PLAN ONLY ONE INSTANCE ..................................................................................................................... 44
4.5. FINISH THE MACRO SMARTLY ................................................................................................................. 44
4.6. BACKUP THE FILE BEFORE RECORDING....................................................................................................... 45
5 - HOW TO RECORD AN EXCEL MACRO ................................................................................................... 46
5.1. WHERE TO PLACE THE CURSOR BEFORE RECORDING A MACRO?..................................................................... 47
5.2. WHERE TO PLACE THE CURSOR BEFORE STOPPING A MACRO? ....................................................................... 48
5.3. HOW TO SET UP A MACRO ..................................................................................................................... 49
Use a descriptive name ..................................................................................................................... 49
Assign a shortcut ............................................................................................................................... 50
Define where to store the Macro ...................................................................................................... 52
Set a description ................................................................................................................................ 52
5.4. HOW TO RECORD A DYNAMIC MACRO ...................................................................................................... 52
5.5. HOW TO RECORD A STATIC MACRO.......................................................................................................... 53
5.6. HOW TO START THE RECORDING.............................................................................................................. 54
5.7. HOW TO MODIFY THE MACRO WHILE YOU RECORD ..................................................................................... 55
5.8. HOW TO STOP THE RECORDING OF A MACRO? ........................................................................................... 56
5.9. HOW TO MODIFY THE CODE AFTER YOU RECORD A MACRO ........................................................................... 57
5.10. HOW TO MERGE TWO OR MORE MACROS ............................................................................................... 58
6 - HOW TO INTEGRATE AN EXCEL MACRO INTO YOUR WORKBOOKS.................................................... 61
6.1. HOW TO ACCESS A MACRO FROM THE WORKBOOK IT WAS CREATED............................................................... 62
Access a Macro from the Macro Dialog ............................................................................................ 68

Access a Macro from a shape, picture, or graph............................................................................... 69
Access a Macro from a shortcut........................................................................................................ 71
Access a Macro from an Event .......................................................................................................... 72
6.2. HOW TO ACCESS A MACRO FROM ANY WORKBOOK..................................................................................... 75
Access a Macro from the Ribbon (Excel 2007) .................................................................................. 78
Access a Macro from the Ribbon (Excel 2010) .................................................................................. 80
Access a Macro from a toolbar (Excel 2003) ..................................................................................... 84
Access a Macro from a menu (Excel 2003) ....................................................................................... 88
6.3. WHERE TO PUT A MACRO YOU RECEIVE FROM OTHERS ................................................................................ 92
6.4. HOW TO STOP THE EXECUTION OF A MACRO ............................................................................................. 92
6.5. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR MACRO DONT DO WHAT YOU WANT ................................................................... 92
7 - HOW EXCEL VBA WORKS ...................................................................................................................... 94
7.1. VBA SYNTAX ....................................................................................................................................... 98
7.2. EXCEL OBJECTS PROPERTIES AND METHODS ............................................................................................ 100
7.3. HOW TO FIND EXCEL OBJECTS PROPERTIES AND METHODS?....................................................................... 101
Record instructions in a new Macro and then copy and paste them on the Macro you are modifying
........................................................................................................................................................ 102
Get assistance from the Auto List Members command while you write ..................................... 102
Use the VBA editor Help section...................................................................................................... 105
Use the Object browser ................................................................................................................... 107
Use the Local Windows ................................................................................................................... 109
7.4. EXCEL OBJECT MODEL REVEALED .......................................................................................................... 110
7.5. POPULAR EXCEL VBA OBJECTS ............................................................................................................. 117
Range .............................................................................................................................................. 117
Worksheet ....................................................................................................................................... 122
Workbook........................................................................................................................................ 126
Application (Excel) ........................................................................................................................... 129
8 - HOW TO MAKE A MACRO MORE EFFICIENT: SHORTER, FASTER AND SMALLER .............................. 134
8.1. DELETE INCIDENTAL ACTIONS AND MISTAKES............................................................................................ 134
8.2. POLISH ALL THE WITH STRUCTURES .................................................................................................... 137
Delete unnecessary instructions...................................................................................................... 141
Delete With structures ................................................................................................................. 141
8.3. GET RID OF FAT CODE (UNNECESSARY SELECTIONS AND REFERENCES) ............................................................ 142
Delete unnecessary Selection statements ....................................................................................... 142
Delete unnecessary references........................................................................................................ 143
8.4. ADD VBA CODE HERE AND THERE.......................................................................................................... 143
8.8. MAKE THE CODE MORE READABLE ......................................................................................................... 144
8.6. DOCUMENT EVERY MACRO .................................................................................................................. 145
9 - HOW TO MAKE AN EXCEL MACRO ADAPTABLE TO VARIABLE-SIZED ARRAYS ................................. 146
9.1. MAKE YOUR MACRO VALID FOR STARTING EVERYWHERE IN THE SHEET.......................................................... 147
9.2. HOW TO CHANGE ABSOLUTE REFERENCES INTO RELATIVE ONES.................................................................... 154
9.3. MAKE YOUR MACRO MAKE DECISIONS ................................................................................................... 154
9.4. AVOID REPETITION ............................................................................................................................. 156
For Next Loop ............................................................................................................................... 156
Do Until loop ................................................................................................................................ 158
Use counters.................................................................................................................................... 159

10 - HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT AN EXCEL MACRO .................................................................................. 162
10.1. FIX VBA SYNTAX ERRORS ................................................................................................................... 162
10.2. FIX COMPILATION-TIME ERRORS .......................................................................................................... 165
10.3. FIX RUN-TIME ERRORS ....................................................................................................................... 166
Ignore an error ................................................................................................................................ 167
Proceed certain way when an error is produced ............................................................................. 168
11 - STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF RECORDED MACROS ..................................................................... 169
11.1. WHAT THE EXCEL MACRO RECORDER CAN DO........................................................................................ 170
11.2. WHAT THE EXCEL MACRO RECORDER CANNOT DO .................................................................................. 170
Dear John,
This is the book I was waiting for! Looking forward to your online
Excel School on VBA
TNX!
Fondest Regards,
Dick
PS: Im verry glad to see you back online again
Dick
Just wanted to say thanks for putting out such wonderful, helpful, easyto-understand tips and instructions. Youre one of the best resources
for Excel on the web! I look forward to learning about VBA!
Will
Hi John,
I downloaded your ebook 'How to record excel macros that work' last night
and found the information great. The organisation where I do the course
through has been very little help in this area and only has information on
Excel 2003 (Can u believe that??). Anyway, your information was much
more helpful than anything MS had online - it was great
Thanks again for helping me and everyone else.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Kind regards
Kylie
Its a wonderful book, helps me to augment my knowledge,

tx john !
6
Dave
Dear John,
I would like to tall you that you do a good job as you give it free. I am a
Executive of a pharmaceuticals & I worked here as a Cost Accountant and
I believe that I can do a lot better with your book.
Thanks
Hasan
You are enjoying a better Excel Macro book because I received the great advice
and suggestions of a spontaneous/welcomed editor.
Thank you Ron S.
I believe Excel empowers us to express our creativity at work, life and

business, and the more you understand it, the more you enjoy working
with data and information, and the more things you can do (with less
effort).
am John Franco, Excel author of many books like

How to write Excel macros from scratch,
Understanding Pivot Tables mechanics, How to
design Excel dashboards, How to record Excel macros
that work, and many more. Since 2009, I have been
teaching Excel in a fresh, integrated and intuitive
way, using explanations that make sense so you
apply Excel tools and tricks to your own context.
During this time, I have served to more than 10000
subscribers and more than 1000 customers.
I unified all my Excel websites into Wizdoh.com, an
online training portal dedicated to make you Understand
Excel More
I worked as a Civil Engineer for 8 years, for one of the 25 th
biggest construction companies in the world. At that time I
worked under a very stern boss. He was from Brazil, and he
was VERY particular in the way he wanted things done. He
was also considered an Excel god! He could do things with a
spreadsheet that I never even knew were possible!
And because of HIS expertise, he required a lot out of ME. So
this forced me to learn how to become a guru myself. Its
true that when you surround yourself with people who are
better than you at something, YOU become better in the
process!
Know my full Excel story here
Thanks
9
Email me at: john@wizdoh.com

Find the education you need to Understand Excel More at:
http://www.wizdoh.com
10
Hi dear Excel user, welcome to my book: How to Record Excel Macros that
Work - Make your recorded macros shorter, faster and adaptable to variablesize arrays and workbooks
The purpose of this book is empowering you to delegate to the
machine all the tasks that can be done by it. This way you will
save tons of hours of tedious work, you will be happier and more
efficient at work.
To do that, you will take full control of the recording Macro feature in Excel.
After reading and practicing the book concepts you will
Understand what a Macro is

Understand the approach Excel uses to record Macros
Plan and record Excel Macros efficiently
Increase your confidence to alter the VBA Macro code that is created
Integrate your Excel Macros into your workbooks using buttons, menus,
ribbons, etc.
Get rid of fat code consistently and make your macros shorter and faster
Make Excel Macros usable for variable-size arrays
And much more
Keep in mind that this book does not cover Excel VBA language to
its fullest. However, I guarantee that you will develop a practical Excel
VBA foundation to move to highest stages with confidence (writing Excel
Macros from scratch).
How to take full advantage of this book?
The book was written for Excel 2007+ users in mind, but I included Excel
2003 directions so both users groups could benefit.
I recommend you start at chapter one: Introduction to Excel Macros. Do it even
if you are already familiar with recording Excel Macros, the reading is simple
and you will refresh vital concepts. Otherwise, jump to the area that most
interests you by using the table of contents.
11
All my experience with recording Excel Macros is here, nothing is left behind. I
hope you enjoy the book.
John Franco
12
Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living Nicholas Negroponte
acros are for your work on Excel the same thing an Excavator for a
Building construction project. Excavating a given building foundation by
hand would take maybe months
13

While doing it by machine, would take only days
When you use manual labor, your productivity is set by your muscle power and
the time you can employ your force decreases as you use it because you get
exhausted.
Even worst
All the important tasks (pouring concrete, raising pillars and walls, etc.) are
halted during the excavation process. You cannot pour any drop of concrete
until you finish the foundation hole, only occurring after 12 months.
Yes, your goal is finishing the building but you are limited to employ your force
and talent on digging, for some boring months.
On Excel, the time you employ copying/pasting or moving cells using your
mouse is manual labor. While you are doing this industrious work, you cannot
employ your energy and talent on the things that add value to your work and
organization: analyzing data, finding relationships, etc. (in other words,
finishing the building).
Here is the good news
You can reduce your excavation time from months to days by shifting the use
of your hands for an excavator.
On Excel, you are able to transform your PC from manual to machine mode.
14

How do you do it?
By recording a Macro.
Would you excavate by hand if you know an excavator can do the work for
you?
Would you do the work with your mouse if you know the
computer can do it?
Lets get deeper!
15
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors
Author unknown
ave you used a voice recording?

The main benefit of such device is that everything you spoke once
can be repeated over and over again without you physically speak
again. Your voice is in the tape.
You can even be heard without you been there.

The Excel Macro recorder feature is a similar device. The difference is that you
store Excel actions instead of your voice. These actions can be repeated again
and again without your physical intervention on Excel. For example:
Select a given data region, insert a table, and create a Pivot Table Select
a heading of a given table and apply a particular formatting Delete all
the empty sheets
Delete all sheets except the current one Arrange cells in a particular
layout
And more
An audio tape is a set of recorded sounds.

A Macro is a set of recorded instructions.
What kind of instructions? Actions like: changing the color of a cell, renaming a
sheet, creating a table, sorting, filtering, etc.
16

To reproduce your voice you hit the Play button on the recording device; on the
other hand, to reproduce a set of actions on Excel you run a Macro. At the
same time, your voice is recorded on a magnetic tape, while your Excel actions
are recorded in a text file, specifically in a Sub procedure inside a text window
called Module. See below
Here is where your instructions are stored
Your
instructions
are recorded
here
How do you record instructions in a macro?

If you are using Excel 2007 or 2010, go to: View>Record Macro>Macro
name:>Ok
17

Or click the status bar. See below
The Excel 2007/2010 status bar also indicates that Excel is in recording mode
On Excel 2003
Go to: Tools>Macro>Record New Macro
And specify the Macro configuration (name, description, etc.)
After pressing OK, the status bar indicates that Excel is in recording mode
While this mode is activated, EVERYTHING you do on Excel will

be recorded.
This is not so good as it might appears; the same way your voice recording
device registers your hesitations and background noise, the Excel recorder
captures all your mistakes and incidental actions.
This creates the need to edit recorded actions in Macros.
18

Tip
While Excel is on recording mode, its behavior is normal, with one exception: in
the background, Excel creates a Module (Module1, Module2, Module3,
ModuleN) and a Sub procedure with the name you specify on the Record
Macro dialog. By default: Macro1, Macro2, Macro3, MacroN.
Now I will record a simple Macro (Macro1). Proceed as above to put Excel in
recording mode.
Want to see whats going in the background?
Split the Excel and the Excel VBA editor windows by right clicking on the
Windows task bar (arrange windows vertically).
See below the code window (Module1) with the Sub Macro1 before I do my
first action on Excel
In other words, this is Macro1 before I start any action on Excel.
No
actions
recorded
yet
19

This is Macro1 after I select the cell A1 on Excel
This is Macro1 after I write the words Hello world on the cell A1 and press
Enter:
This is Macro1 after I select the cell A1 again and delete the content:
If you have never recorded a Macro, you have understood little of what was
written on the code windows above. Dont worry; you will learn the Excel VBA
basics on the chapter: How Excel VBA works on page 84. This way you will
20

better interpret instructions, get rid of fat code and turn specific Macros into
general ones.
You will learn now the essential behavior of the Excel Macro recorder
21
Computers have lots of memory but no imagination - Unknown
he Excel macro recorder is a built-in engine that traces and stores your
actions in Excel; its capabilities and features must be understood so you
record efficient macros.
Additionally, you will need the Macro recorder even after you learn
how to write macros from scratch; I still use it to record simple macros
and as an Excel VBA content provider.
So lets start
22
On your audio recording device; while the Record button is pressed,

everything is recorded: your voice and the background noise. On Excel;
the same thing happens; while it is in recording mode every action is
recorded.
These actions might be: selecting a cell, writing a formula, scrolling, formatting
a cell, zooming, etc.
And every action is written on a line per line basis. Give a look
The same way a voice recording captures your hesitations and

background noise, the Macro recorder captures everything you do,
including your mistakes and incidental actions.
23

Tip
Overlooked actions like: minimizing a window, adding a workbook, closing the
current workbook, zooming, etc. are also recorded
Look at Macro1 again (below) but now pay attention to some incidental actions
I performed while recording the Macro
Incidental action 1.
Maximizing the window
Incidental action 2. Selecting

Sheet2 to make a visual
check of a given cell
Incidental action 4
Incidental
action 3.
Getting back
to Sheet1
24
When you record your voice, you need to talk first so the recording device
captures your speech; the same thing happens with Excel Macros.
You need to perform an action on Excel (see left window below) so the Excel
recorder registers it. See below
Selection first
Recording
later
This is one of the main shortcomings to develop smart applications. A Macro

does not have flow control, it starts and ends. It has no anticipation, no
decision.
The unique way to build smart applications is by improving a
Macro or by writing it from scratch.
Lets see the next feature
At first sight the produced VBA language is Greek; nothing more far from truth.
Decode the VBA language grammar quickly by reading a
short introduction to objects
On the real world, your hair has properties: length, color, type; you can cut it,
change its shape, etc. Your hair behaves in specific ways: it grows, it falls, etc.
25
Some properties can be changed, like the color. Yes you can apply a cosmetic
treatment and turn your black hair into red, blond, etc.
Some properties are read-only, you can know them but you cant change them.
For example: your hair type: curly, straight.
Lets summarize the features of your hair
A Property is what you hair is: length, color, etc.

A Method is what you can do with your hair: cut it, change its shape
An Event is how your hair behaves: it grows, it falls, etc.
Now back to Excel

Excel has properties and methods too, and you can manipulate them by using
VBA language.
You are fully aware of the way you change properties of Excel objects, you
know how to change the color of a cell, the font, the name of a sheet, etc. But
you are not quite aware of how to change them programmatically; a Macro
preforms that very easily. Lets see it
Record a new Macro, then, change the column A width
26
On the background, Excel translates that into VBA code. For now, imagine there
is one by one correspondence between everything you do on Excel and the VBA
code.
27

So the above action would produce the following code
Now do this action
It would produce the following code
28

This other action
Would produce this code
29
The same way you change the properties, you use the methods of Excel objects
when you cut a cell, delete a sheet, open a workbook, etc.
Here are some examples of how the Excel recorder uses Excel methods:
The following action
Would produce the following code
Here is another example:
30

This action
Would produce this code
These actions
Cut A1
Select B1
Paste
are recorded differently when you set the reference of the Macro to absolute
31

Heres the recorded Macro
When you run this Macro it

will always select the
Range(A1)
How do you set an absolute reference?

On Excel 2007 go to View>Macros>Click on the drop down arrow; and then
Dont press it
On Excel 2013 go to Developer>Code>Use Relative References. Deactivate it
On Excel 2003, use the Stop Recording toolbar (displayed in recording mode)
32

Now if you perform the same actions above: cut, select and paste but using
relative reference, you would get a code like this one
When you run this Macro it

will select the active cell
instead of
Range(A1)
Using relative reference is critical if you want to create Macros

that work for variable-size arrays and workbooks.
How do you set the reference to Relative? See below
On Excel 2007 go to View>Macros>Click on the drop down arrow; and then
Press it
On Excel 2013 go to Developer>Code>Use Relative References. Activate it
On Excel 2003, use the Stop Recording toolbar (displayed in recording mode)
33

Tip
You can change the reference from absolute to relative and vice versa while
you record.
This has been all about how the Excel recorder works.
Now, let me share to you everything about
34
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo Da Vinci
ecording a Macro is very easy from the point of view of the initiation
process; you launch the Record Macro command and Excel starts to
record everything you do.
But the Excel recorder will also record your mistakes, so if you want to record
Macros that make what you want, you need to do some extra steps. I will show
them below.
But before you plan a Macro, you must answer the question: can this given task
be done without Macros? You will know it to the extent you know the available
functions and commands of Excel.
Heres an example: not many users know how to transpose a column into a row
and vice versa.
35

You can do this by using the Transpose option of the Paste Special command
but if you dont know this, you would intend to record a Macro.
It is not good trying to reinvent the wheel.
Overlooking available Excel commands leads you to
record unnecessary Macros.
Tip
You will avoid recording unnecessary Macros as long as you know more about
Excel available features.
Now that you are ready to record a Macro, heres the process to make it
efficiently
Imagine you have a database like the one shown below with thousands of
registers in raw format on column A. All the records are separated by one row,
except the first group that is separated by two rows. See below
Only this group

is separated by two
rows
36

The purpose of your Macro is to turn each block of data into a line (table
format). The formatting would be something like this one:
Recording a Macro in such circumstances would demand you create a Macro for
two conditions. Yes you can do it, but let me ask you a question: is the
development time worth the effort? It would be better to delete that row and
record a Macro for a version of the report that has one row separation between
blocks of data.
Some prototyping measures include:
Pasting all the data into the same sheet

Leaving the same amount of space between data
Get rid of random stuff
Any other measure to uniform the data
Tip
Dont try to make your Excel Macro EXCESSIVELY universal at least the the
development time and effort will pay off.
Tip
You can do the prototyping actions with a Macro too.
Henry Ford stated that any task can be done if it is divided in enough doable
parts.
Plan your keystrokes by dividing them in workable parts.
You decide what is doable for you. Here are some examples:
Formatting, editing, etc.

Moving cells, deleting rows, writing field headers, etc.
You can be as detailed as you prefer
For the case above, you can divide the Macro in two stages:
37

1. Arrange data (move cells and delete the inter-block row)
Move cells
Delete row
And
2. Creating the table headings
Write table headers
Dont worry about having separate Macros; you can run them separately or
merge them very easily. See: How to merge two or more Macros.
Another idea is to perform a kind of dress rehearsal, this way you detect
bottlenecks; with this information you can decide how to make the Recording
Macro process more manageable.
It doesnt hurt to try and make mistakes; given the fact that
you create a backup to restore it at any time.
Tip
Recording a Macro in a relaxed manner helps you to minimize incidental actions
and mistakes.
38
If all your tables would have 100 rows and 5 columns, just one Macro would
work all the time; but your Excel tables usually come with more or less data.
Hopefully, you can record a Macro that runs on variable conditions including
variable-size arrays and variable-location.
Heres how to do define a Macro that will work for variable conditions
Imagine you want a Macro that adds field headers (Name and City) to a table.
See below
39

But the tables are not on the same position, see the tables below
The relative reference makes your Macro works based on the position
of the cursor when you recorded the Macro.
The cursor was here
before recording the
Macro
The cursor must be here

before running the Macro
The cursor was here

before recording the
Macro
The cursor must be here

before running the Macro
Or this other way
Choose the location of the cursor carefully so you can remember

that position easily in the future when running the Macro.
40
How do you activate the relative reference parameter?

It is very easy
On Excel 2007/2010, go to: View>Macros>Macros
Activate this option
On Excel 2013 go to Developer>Code>Use Relative References.
On Excel 2003, activate it by using the Stop Recording toolbar (displayed

while you are recording):
For example: I recorded the process shown below (writing the title, date and
table headings) in a Macro with relative references
The cursor was here

before I recorded
the Macro
41

Even I recorded the actions starting on cell A1, the Macro will work on any
cell from where I run it, see below
The cursor must be
here before I run
the Macro
The cursor must be

here before I run
the Macro
Now look at how Excel records a Macro with relative references
The Macro does not use

static ranges like
Range (A1)
Tip
Absolute or relative reference setting can be changed during the recording
If you want to create the same table always at one location, whatever the
position of the cursor; you need to use absolute reference
42
Use this option when your Macros will be applied on the same location all the
time. See below
Deactivate this option
For example, if you record the actions that produce the table formatting below
using absolute reference, the table will be always produced at that location.
This table will be always

produced at this location
See how the Macro starts

Always starts on A1
43
On the example below, you want to rearrange thousands of groups of raw data
into table format.
You need to plan one block because the rest is the same. The Macro is the
processing of one block repeated thousands times.
Focus on having one block right, the rest is just repeating.
When you have thousands of blocks that repeat like the case shown above, you
must record a block and finish the Macro at the start of the next block. In other
words, the Macro will start on block 1 and will finish on the beginning of the
block 2. Dont forget to set reference to relative.
If you assign a shortcut to a given Macro you can execute it thousands of times
with a simple keyboard pressing. This practice is great when you dont want to
use loops or have not learned to use them yet.
44

Tip
Record a Macro at the start of one block and finish it at the start of the next
block.
Take into account that the actions are not undoable when you are recording a
Macro. In consequence, avoid headaches.
Have room for mistakes.
Use the Save As command or make a copy using the Windows Explorer. You
can also make a copy of the sheet you will apply the Macro on.
Now you are ready to learn
45
Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all - John F.

Kennedy
ecording a Macro is a linear process, you cannot move forward/backward

and you cannot undo the recorded actions. Assuming you have planned
your Macro, here you will learn how to record it.
In a nutshell
To record a Macro, proceed this way
On Excel 2007 or 2010 go to: View>Record Macro>Macro name:>Ok or click
the Macro icon at the status bar
After you click the Ok button, Excel turns to recording mode. The status bar
always indicates that Excel is in recording mode, see below
On Excel 2003, go to: Tools>Macro>Record New Macro>Macro name:>Ok.

Excel 2003 shows Recording at the status bar to let you know it is in
recording mode
This is just the beginning of the recording process. Lets go into details now
46
This step is critical. It defines the reusability of the Macro.

The starting location of the cursor does not matter when you are recording
Macros that perform operations on the same location on each next time (using
absolute references).
On the other hand; the location of the cursor is critical when you are
recording Macros that perform operations on a different location each next
time (using relative references). Before you record a Macro, place the cursor
at the start of any given sequence of actions.
Choose a place that is reproducible later when running the macro.
See below
47

Always place your cursor at the right place before you launch
the Record Macro command.
Tip
When you record dynamic macros, place your cursor at a border location you
will easily remember later.
The last position of the cursor does not matter when you are recording Macros
using absolute reference.
On the other hand; the ending location of the cursor is critical when you are
recording Macros using relative reference. Before you stop a Macro place the
cursor at the start of any given NEXT sequence of actions. See below
48

What happens when you do this? Your Macro will move across
blocks of data on each run.
Tip
Assign a shortcut to a Macro to execute it with ease
You should set all the parameters of a Macro: Name, Shortcut, Store Macro in,
and Description. Here I will show you how to do it
You create Macros for reusing them; so a good name increases the usability of
a Macro. It allows you to pick the right Macro on the dialog or on the code
window.
For example: compare these names Macro1, OpenWorkbook. See below
You can discern what the Macro does by looking at the name. Additionally, you
will remember Macros weeks or months later.
A good practice is to start a Macro name with a verb followed by the name of
the object it affects (start each section in uppercase), for example:
OpenWorkbook
49
CloseExcel
DeleteFormat
ChangeColorCell
ChangeColorFont
This also increases the usability of a Macro. You run a Macro from two
keystrokes instead of searching the Macro on the Macro dialog list.
On the Record Macro dialog, specify the shortcut key by just typing the letter
you want to assign to the Macro. The shortcut key text box is case sensitive
50

You can change the shortcut and description later by going to the Macro dialog
and click the Options button. See below
51
There are two options:
Storing the Macro on a workbook. This forces you to open the file to run
the Macro
Storing the Macro on a binary file workbook (PERSONAL workbook). This
enables you to run the Macro without opening any file. In other words, a
given Macro will be available for all workbooks of a given Excel session
Learn more about where to store your macros on the chapter: How to Integrate
an Excel Macro into your Workbooks
You forget what a Macro does hours later, so provide a description about its
purpose, and specify any detail needed for the correct use.
This is more important if the Macro will be used by other users.
The description can be edited later using the Options button of the Macro
dialog
As explained above, this must be done when you want the Macro runs on
different positions from where it was recorded and for different array sizes.
Heres the step by step procedure
1. Put your cursor at the starting position of your raw data (Don't
52

include earlier mouse movements in your Macro )
2. Launch the Record Macro dialog
3. Assign a shortcut to your Macro (so you can repeat it easily - you will
do a kind of manual loop)
4. Click Ok on the Record Macro dialog
5. Use relative references. Do this before you perform any movement
of your cursor
6. Record one instance of the Macro (if you have one thousands blocks
of data, record just one)
7. Stop the Macro when your mouse is at the starting position of your next
block of data (corresponding position to the location you started on step
1 of this tutorial)
Learn more about how to develop adaptable Macros by going to: Make your
Macro valid for starting everywhere in the sheet.
As you learned before, these types of macros perform operations on the same
location each next time (using absolute reference).
Heres the step by step procedure
1. Launch the Record Macro dialog (not necessary to put your cursor at
any given position in your spreadsheet; in other words, you can
include earlier mouse movements in your Macro
2. Assign a shortcut to your Macro (so you can repeat it easily)
3. Click Ok on the Record Macro dialog
4. Use Absolute references. Perform this before you perform any
movement of your cursor. The absolute reference is set by default; in
case Relative references are activated, deactivate them this way
a. On Excel 2003 do it this way: click the Relative Reference
button on the Stop Recording toolbar:
b. On Excel 2007 do it this way: go to View>Macros>
Macros>Use Relative References:
5. Record the keystrokes you want to be repeated in your macro
6. Stop the Macro when all the keystrokes are recorded
53

Tip
You can change reference setting while recording.
Assuming that your cursor is on the correct position (for generally-applicable

Macros) you just need to hit the Ok button and record the actions you have
planned.
Relax please, if things go wrong, you have a backup copy to try it again.
54
Split the windows (Excel VBA editor and Excel) so you know what lines are
added as you execute movements on Excel. This way, you get awareness of the
way each action is turned into VBA code.
See below
If you commit mistakes or perform incidental actions, you can delete them on
the go and keep recording. See below
Delete these
lines of code
and
keep
recording
Take care to not delete the last Selection statement. e.g. Range(A2).Select ;
when the next instruction depends on it.
Take care to not delete the End Sub statement. It is required for Excel to
recognize where the macro ends.
55

Tip
The new Macro code will be always written at the bottom of your last line in the
Sub procedure.
Once you have performed the last operation, you are ready to stop the
recording of the Macro.
Take into account the fact that you can delete instructions in a Macro while you
are recording so it is not necessary to stop it each time you make a mistake.
Additionally, you can take notes of the portions that need to be
deleted/modified and keep going.
If you are finished or you want to stop the Macro because you made huge
mistakes, do it this way
By clicking the stop icon on the status bar (Excel 2007 and 2010)
Or by going to: View>Macros>Stop Recording
On Excel 2003, the Stop Recording toolbar is shown automatically after you
start recording. See toolbar below
Sometimes, you close this toolbar by mistake and dont know how to stop the
recording of a Macro; you can do it by going to Tools>Macro>Stop Recording.
56
Or you can show the toolbar again by right clicking on the toolbar area and
activate the Stop Recording toolbar. See below
If you are not comfortable with the code being created it is time to improve it.
To make even minor modifications you need at least a basic foundation of Excel
VBA knowledge. See: How Excel VBA works on page 84 for a quick introduction.
If the modifications are big enough, there is no alternative than record the
Macro again or write it from scratch (out of the scope of this book).
57
Not all Macros are recorded in one sitting; you can enhance an existing Macro
or record new lines apart and add them to an existing Macro.
How do you do it?
Just open the module that contains the Sub procedure (Macro), place the
cursor on the desired location and paste instructions recorded in other Macros.
Open the module
58

Here is an example of how to merge code
This Macro writes Hello world on cell A1
This other Macro does the same on A1 of the Sheet2
This is a new Macro: Macro 1 + Macro 11
59

Or macro11 nested in macro1
You can also paste code to the Macro while recording.

Tip
Keep aware that the Selection statements instructions of the pasted code are
corresponding to the preceding and subsequent lines.
60
I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them - Isaac Asimov
hen you travel, bringing your camera with you is not enough; if the
camera is stored on a bag difficult to open, you will lose important
shots. It is better to carry the camera on your hand.
Now your Macro lies dormant in some module. It is of no value to your

productivity if you cannot access it easily and at the right time.
Here you will learn:
Where to put your recorded Macros (recorded by you or received from

others)
How to make a Macro available to all workbooks
How to make a Macro available to the workbook where it was created
To access a Macro effectively you must first know where it is located. You
specify this at the moment of recording. Macros are stored in the same excel
file as VBA modules. You can export modules as .bas files.
Lets start
61
Every workbook has its own modules where Macros can be stored. All these
Macros can be accessed from the given parent workbook. See below
How do you make a Macro available to a workbook?

You need to put it into a module of the given workbook.
How do you do that?
You have three options:
62

1) Specify the location at the moment of recording
Set the field Store Macro in: to This Workbook or New Workbook. See below
What happens when you use this option?

Excel creates a module (Module1 by default) with a Sub procedure with the
name Macro13 or the name you specify on the Macro name: text box
Tip
Changing the name of the module or the Sub wont affect their listing on the
Macro dialog.
63

2) Paste a Macro into a workbook module
You can also create your own modules and store Macros there. See below
All the Macros contained in modules are displayed in the Macro dialog. See
below
64

For editing and managing purposes, it is a good practice to locate Macros in
related modules with meaningful names.
Keep in mind that those macros that contain arguments are not displayed on
the Macro dialog.
This macro (with

arguments) is not
listed on the Macro
dialog
65

You can also store your Macros on .txt files. Later, you can copy and paste the
code into a module of any given workbook.
66

3) Import a module
Another way to bring a Macro into a workbook is by importing a module.
On the Visual basic editor, go to:
File>Import File
Or right click on the Project Explorer (CTRL + R) and choose Import File
Once your Macro is on a module of a given workbook you can call it using
several methods
67
Launch the Macro dialog by pressing ALT + F8. Then, choose Macros in: and
select This Workbook (the Macros are listed on the pane below Macro name:).
Then select the Macro you want to run and hit Run.
68
The above method is not so good because you need to perform some clicks to
run a Macro.
If you want to run a Macro with a mouse click, then you need to run Macros
from graphic Excel objects like: shapes, pictures, graphs. It is very easy.
Insert any of these objects and right click over the object and then click Assign
Macro. See below
On the Assign Macro dialog, choose the desired Macro.

Now your button is clickable!
Add an extra touch
69

Right click over the button and choose Edit text
You can create fancy buttons!
Tip
You can copy and paste a button to other workbook. The path of the Macro will
be kept
70
Configure the shortcut when you start recording a Macro.
If you forget to specify the shortcut at the moment of the recording, you can
specify a shortcut later on the Macro dialog. Do it by going to: ALT +
F8>Options>Shortcut key:
See below
71
You can also launch a Macro when the user changes a cell, when a book is
opened, etc.
You can use the events of each object. Here is how you can do it
On the Project Explorer window (CTRL + R), double click on the object for
which you want to specify the Macro
72

I used Sheet1 for this example; then, on the code window, choose Worksheet.
See below
Then choose the event
Then paste the Macro you want to be executed when Sheet1 changes
73

Or you can also call the Macro that is located in some module of the current
project
74
To make a Macro available to all your workbooks and from any session of Excel
you must store it in the Personal workbook. The Personal workbook is a binary
file (.xlsb) saved in a central location. The Macros on this workbook are visible
to all books in any Excel session. See below
75

How do you do that?
Specify the location at the moment of recording
Set the field Store Macro in: to Personal Macro Workbook. See below
At the moment of running the Macro, it is not necessary you open the Personal
Macro Workbook. See below
This book is
automatically
shown
Tip
By default the location of the personal workbook is:
76
Windows Vista: C:\Users\user

name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application
Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart
Now that your given Macro is properly stored, you can
77
Unfortunately, Excel 2007 does not allow you to customize the Ribbon.
The most you can do is to personalize the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)
Do it this way
1. Right click over any area of the Ribbon and choose Customize
Quick Access Toolbar
2. Choose Macros from the Choose commands from: list
3. Select the Macro you want to add to the QAT and click on the
Add>> button
78

4. Click on Modify and assign a meaningful name:
Your QAT is ready
79
Now that your Macro can be called from any workbook, it is a good idea to
create a dedicated Ribbon.
Just to refresh your knowledge of the Excel Ribbon, lets familiarize with the
components again
Tab
Group
Commands
Commands
Group
In 2010 you MUST create a new tab to be able to add new commands and
macros. The existing tabs can only be modified to remove commands, new
commands or macros cannot be added.
Create a new tab with groups and commands (Macros) by proceeding this
way
1. Right click over any area of the Ribbon and choose Customize
the Ribbon
80

2. Click on New Tab
3. Right click on the new tab and choose Rename. Assign a

meaningful name
4. Right click on the default group created and choose Rename. Assign
a name. See below
81
5. Choose Macros from the Choose commands from: list
6. Select the Macro you want to add to the selected group and click on the
Add>> button
82

7. Right click over the recently added Macro and choose Rename. Assign
a meaningful name and icon. See below
Your new Tab is ready to use.
Tip
You can export your Ribbon personal configuration and load it on any other PC.
83
create a dedicated toolbar.
Just to refresh your knowledge of the old Excel toolbar system, lets familiarize
with the components again
Toolbar
Commands
You can create a new toolbar with commands (Macros).

Proceed this way
1. Right click over any toolbar and choose Customize from the
contextual menu.
84

2. Click on New in the Toolbars tab and assign a meaningful name. See
below
3. Click on Commands tab>Categories: and go to Macros. Then drag and

drop a Custom Button (Commands: area) to the recently created toolbar.
See below
85

Right click over the recently created button and click Assign Macro. Choose
the Macro to link to the button.
86

5. Modify the appearance of the button by right clicking on it and
choosing: Edit Button Image, Name, etc.
Now your new toolbar is ready
You may also place a macro command on an existing toolbar.
87
create a dedicated menu.
Just to refresh your knowledge of the old Excel menu, lets familiarize with the
components again
Menu
Command
Command
Proceed this way

1. Right click over any toolbar and choose Customize from the
contextual menu.
2. Click on Commands tab>Categories: and select New menu. Then

88

drag and drop the New Menu button (Commands: area) to the
desired location in the menu area. See below
A new menu is created
89

3. Click on Macros and then drag and drop a Custom Button to
the recently created menu.
90

4. Right click on the recently created button and then click assign Macro.
91

Proceed the same way as explained above in Access a Macro from a toolbar
(Excel 2003) on page 75.
You may also place a macro on an existing menu.
First, open the workbook that contains the Macro, go to the module and copy
the procedure, then open the destination workbook and open or create a
module and paste the Sub procedure.
You can also import any given module.
You know how to run a Macro but what happens when the Macro is taking too
much time or the Macro dont do what you want?
You can stop a Macro while it is running by pressing the Esc key.
And then, by pressing the End button. See below
Press the End

button
If a Macro doesnt do what you want, you have three lines of actions:
Recording it again,
Fine-tuning it or
Writing it from scratch
92

Writing a Macro from scratch is out of the scope of this book but now I will
show you how to improve your Excel Macros.
93
Those parts of the system that you can hit with a hammer (not
advised) are called hardware; those program instructions that you can
only curse at are called software. - Unknown
magine you are going to spend your next vacation on Japan, you dont
know Japanese but you equip with a 3-phrase vocabulary:
Where do I find cheap hotels?

How to Record Excel Macros that Work
How can I reach the airport?
After landing, your trip is going wonderful but suddenly your little son feels sick
at the zooHow do you ask for help? The three phrases serve too little. To
succeed in capricious situations, you need a wider lexicon.
Recording Macros without knowing Excel VBA language is the same situation,
you soon face disorientation because you dont know what the VBA code does
and how to adapt your script to new situations like making your Macros work
for variable-size arrays and workbooks.
You can only be efficient on real social environment by understanding the
language grammar so you can construct new expressions as new needs arise.
At the same time, to get ahead on your automation requirements you must
understand the basic principles of Excel VBA so you record Macros with
confidence and alter its code to suit your needs.
This book enables you to record efficient Macros and to gain a reasonable Excel
VBA grammar awareness so you deal with new situations with more confidence.
Lets understand the Excel VBA language better
94

Have you played Mario Bros videogame?
I bet you did! If not, you are somehow familiar with it because your children
play it or because you have seen some TV commercial.
Anyway
Lets imagine for a moment you are a skilled video game developer (a coder)
and you are creating the Mario character (the tiny guy on red dress below) for
a new version of the game
As the developer, you must define his behavior and unique characteristics so
players can manipulate Mario using a joystick.
So by the means of game designing tools you set all his features
You first define his properties (physical and non-physical):
95
Hair color
Dress color
Height
Score
You also define the actions he will perform (methods):
Walk
Run
Jump
Finally, you define the consequences of the actions Mario executes (events); for
example: if an enemy kills Mario, he will die.
You cannot create a command to make it die because nobody dies by
command. Dying is a consequence of being killed, being ill, etc. The events you
would create are:
Height increasing (when Mario eats a mushroom). Mario has two height
modes: short (by default) and tall (after he eats a mushroom)
Height reducing (when he is hit by an enemy while he is in tall mode)
Die (when he is hit by an enemy while he is in short mode)
Mario is ready.
He is now an object with behavior and characteristics. By using the same
developing means you must specify how the properties, methods and events
interact with the user. In other words, how Mario would interact when a user
uses a joystick. Any given player can change Mario height property by eating a
mushroom or he can make him run, jump, etc.
Lets imagine you write the instructions in plain English
96
If Mario eats a mushroom, then change the height of Mario to 5 pixels, or

you can use a more structured syntax:
IF Mario eats a mushroom THEN Mario height = 5 pixels

In VBA language this would be
Mario.height = 5
In Excel VBA you do it this way
Range("A1").ColumnWidth = 30
Range("A1").Font.Size = 12
Worksheets("Sheet2").Name = "Data"
Etc
Now lets talk about the methods

When you give instructions in real life, you provide further specifications so the
given action is completed adequately. For example: bring me a hamburger
without tomato, stop the car before the white line, etc.
For the above case, the arguments for the command bring me are: what
(hamburger) and how (without tomato).
If a player uses joystick buttons to make Mario run slowly to the left, you would
say in plain English
Run Mario at slow speed to the left.
In VBA language this would be
Mario.Run (slow, left)
slow and left are arguments for the Run method.
Some methods do not require any argument like: jump Mario.
Using VBA language this would be
Mario.Jump
In Excel VBA you do it this way
Range(A1).Select
Range(A1).ClearComments
97
Worksheets(Sheet1).Delete
Etc
Now you know the nature of objects and the rudiments of VBA syntax.
So then, what is an Excel Macro?
In a nutshell
A Macro is a set of instructions that gets/modifies properties of
Excel objects and executes their methods.
Its all about that. It is that simple!
Tip
You cannot record Macros for object Events but you can use Excel object
events when you write Macros from scratch.
To give an instruction in real world you use English, to give an instruction to

Excel you use VBA language.
And the syntax is as follows
To change an object property, use the following syntax
Objectname.PropertyNameHere = value assigned to
property To get the value of an object property, use the
following syntax
Value gotten from property = Objectname. PropertyNameHere
Now let me show you a real VBA syntax example I assign 8.5 width to the
column A
Columns("A:A").ColumnWidth = 8.5
To execute an object method, use the following syntax
Objectname.MethodNameHere (argument1 of the method,
argument2 of the method, argumentN of the method)
Here I show you an example that executes the Select method of the range
"A1:D1":
98

Range("A1:D1").Select
Where do you find the full syntax for a particular object and their members
(properties, methods and events)?
Go to: How to find Excel Objects properties and methods? On page 91 This has
been a quick and practical introduction to Excel VBA grammar. Do you still find
Excel VBA as Greek?
You have a hard time because you try to match the VBA syntax to English
grammar. Keep in mind that languages are arbitrary assignments of meaning to
symbols. Give a look at these representations of a building in different
languages:
Building (English)
Edificio (Spanish)
KTpio (Greek)
Can you find a trace of a building in the words: edificio or KTpio?

I bet you didnt
Human languages work because a group of people accepts a set of symbols
and give them unique meaning.
So if you want to fully master Excel VBA grammar, you need to accept its
arbitrariness the same way you accept the conventions of English.
Tip
In English there is no a unique way to convey meaning, for example:
Susan, paint the wall, please Susan paint the wall, etc.
Also, in VBA language, you can convery meaning in several correct ways.
99
An Excel Macro is a group of instructions written in VBA language. A Macro

modifies properties and executes methods of Excel objects (range, worksheet,
workbook, etc.).
If you want to alter the code of a Macro to get different results, change
the way Excel modifies the properties of objects and the way it
executes objects methods.
To modify an Excel Macro you need to ask these two questions:
What Excel Object property do I want to change?

What Excel Object method do I want to execute?
Now you are wondering what properties and methods you can use to modify
Excel programmatically?
Let me ask you three more questions
Have you changed the name of a sheet?

Have you opened a book?
Have you delete the content of a cell?
You have answered yes to all the above questions soyou are already familiar
with the behavior of many of Excel objects: Cells, Sheets, Columns, Charts,
Pivot Tables, etc.
100

See below an outline of some common properties and methods of common
objects
Now, you might ask
What happens when you learn how to modify and access properties and
methods?
You acquire a key VBA competency. You need this knowledge to
make Macros do what you want.
So then if properties and methods are so important, where do you start?
Properties and methods are related to any given object so first identify
the object you want to manipulate:
101
Range
Worksheet
Workbook, etc.
The names of the members (properties and methods) are in

English and are meaningful. For example:
Borders
ClearComments
ActiveCell
SpellingOptions
MergeCells, etc.
Use these handy techniques to find properties and methods
Use the Macro recorder as a VBA code provider.

As simple as it sounds, if you want to add a line of code that write a formula in
a given cell, record that action in a Macro and then copy and paste the
produced code.
If you want to change the font of a cell, record that action and then copy and
paste that code.
I love this way of knowing the properties and methods.

Avoid writing code from scratch, type CTRL + J to launch the Auto List
Members feature. You can also launch this feature by using the Edit toolbar
102

See below
Press CTRL + J
while you
are here
What is shown on the Auto List Members list?

You see the available members at the current slot. See below
Methods for Range(A1)
Properties for
Range(A1)
Use the up/down arrows to navigate through members and the Tab/Enter key
to accept a choice.
The Auto List member feature is automatically displayed after entering a point
103

So you can choose the desired property or method
And complete the expression
For any given method, its arguments are provided after you type the space bar
or write a parenthesis
Tip
Identify object methods with this symbol

Identify object properties with this symbol
Identify object events with this symbol
104
For Excel 2007 users

While you are on the VBA editor, press F1 or go to the Help menu. Then
choose: Excel Object Model Reference, then pick the object and then browse
the members list
1) Pick the
Excel Object
Model
4) Browse the
members
2) Pick the
object
3) Pick members
105

For Excel 2003 users
While you are on the VBA editor, press F1 or go to the Help menu. Then type
the name of the object on the search box
And then choose the desired topic from the results
106

Or you can use the help to navigate through
The object browser is a pane that contains all the objects and their members
organized.
While you are on the Visual Basic editor, press F2 to launch it. Then, choose the
VBA library
107

After that, pick any given object on the left pane and explore its members
(properties, methods and events) on the right pane
Objects
Members:
properties,
methods and
events
You can copy the objects syntax from the pane and paste it on any given code
window. Use right click or CTRL + C. See below
108
This is a more advanced technique

Create this Macro:
And then, to the right of the (=) sign, write the object you want to know more
about, for example: a Range objectNow execute the Macro step by step this
way:
1. Place the cursor inside the storeobject procedure and then
2. Press F8, each press will run a line, do it until you execute the
Set myobject line.
3. Then launch the local windows by going to View>Locals Window and
explore the members. You can change the properties and see the
impact on Excel. Split vertically the VBA editor and the Excel windows
for better understanding
Click the object to see its

members
Explore or change the

properties
109

The above methods are great to get the full syntax and help about any object
property and method.
If you want to go deeper in the Excel Objects universe, come with me, I will
show you the
The Excel object model is a necessary conceptual artifact to manage the objects
of an application. Now, you will create a new frame of mind to understand this
concept.
Imagine the earth is composed of one surface and many trees
Now imagine for a moment you are the creator of this earth. The inventory of
everything on it would be this one
110

Now, imagine you give a command to a human to collect the fruit 1 from the
trees.
The human would ask you: the fruit 1 of which tree?
So you need to narrow down your instruction. You would say, bring me the fruit
1 of the tree 2.
Now the human is enabled to follow your instruction.
To identify a fruit you must first identify the tree in the collection of trees. Only
after that the fruit Id makes sense. In other words, the collection of fruits is
associated to a tree of the collection of trees.
Lets talk more about collections

The earth has three collections (notice the s at the end, collections are always
plural):
Trees
Branches
Fruits
111

The collection of trees would be something like this one
The collection of fruits would be something like this one
But associated to any given tree
112

And each object in a given collection has its own features. See below
And some objects dont belong to any collection but they also has properties
and methods
113

An object model is the hierarchy of collections and objects of a whole system.
Here you have a detailed object model of the earth
114

Here is a summarized Excel Object model
115

So
In Excel to access a range object, you must specify which one from which
worksheet and from which workbook.
The good news is that you dont need to name the whole hierarchy if you are
working on a given tree.
While you are working on Tree1, you can refer to Fruit1, Fruit2, etc. of that tree
without additional identification.
On Excel, you dont need to use the workbook/sheet qualifier all the time.
For example, while the Sheet1 is active, the following code write Hello world
on the cell A1 of that sheet.
But, if you want to write Hello world on the cell A1 of the Sheet2 (while
Sheet1 is active), you must write the sheet qualifier. See below
Now lets explore the
116
Heres a list of the most prominent Excel objects and their most used members
(properties and methods).
This list is not exhaustive (additionally, I have not included events).
Here is the list of the 57 (out of 97) most used Range Properties:
Name
Activate
AddComment
Address
AutoFilter
AutoFit
BorderAround
Description1
Activates a single cell, which must be inside the current selection. To
select a range of cells, use the Select method.
Adds a comment to the range.
Returns a String value that represents the range reference in the
language of the Macro.
Filters a list using the AutoFilter.
Changes the width of the columns in the range or the height of the
rows
in the range to achieve the best fit.
Adds a border to a range and sets the Color, LineStyle, and Weight
properties for the new border. Variant.
Source: Microsoft Excel Help
Borders
Cells
Clear
ClearComments
ClearContents
ClearFormats
ClearHyperlinks
Column
Columns
Returns a Borders collection that represents the borders of a style or

a
range of cells (including a range defined as part of a conditional
format).
Returns a Range object that represents the cells in the specified
range.
Clears the entire object.
Clears all cell comments from the specified range.
Clears the formulas from the range.
Clears the formatting of the object.
The description for this item will appear in the final release of Office
14.
Returns the number of the first column in the first area in the
specified
range. Read-only Long.
Returns a Range object that represents the columns in the specified
range.
Returns a Comment object that represents the comment associated
117
Comment
Copy
Count
CurrentRegion
Cut
Delete
End
Find
FindNext
Font
FormatConditions
Formula
FormulaArray
FormulaLocal
with
the cell in the upper-left corner of the range.
Copies the range to the specified range or to the Clipboard.
Returns a Long value that represents the number of objects in the
collection.
Returns a Range object that represents the current region. The
current
region is a range bounded by any combination of blank rows and
blank
columns. Read-only.
Cuts the object to the Clipboard or pastes it into a specified
destination.
Deletes the object.
Returns a Range object that represents the cell at the end of the
region
that contains the source range. Equivalent to pressing END+UP
ARROW,
END+DOWN ARROW, END+LEFT ARROW, or END+RIGHT ARROW.
Readonly Range object.
Finds specific information in a range.
Continues a search that was begun with the Find method. Finds the
next
cell that matches those same conditions and returns a Range object
that
represents that cell. Doesnt affect the selection or the active cell.
Returns a Font object that represents the font of the specified
object.
Returns a FormatConditions collection that represents all the
conditional
formats for the specified range. Read-only.
Returns or sets a Variant value that represents the object's formula
in A1style notation and in the language of the Macro.
Returns or sets the array formula of a range. Returns (or can be set
to) a
single formula or a Visual Basic array. If the specified range doesn't
contain an array formula, this property returns null. Read/write
Variant.
Returns or sets the formula for the object, using A1-style references
in
the language of the user. Read/write Variant.
Returns or sets the formula for the object, using R1C1-style notation
118
FormulaR1C1
FormulaR1C1Local
HorizontalAlignment
Hyperlinks
Insert
Interior
Item
Merge
Name
NumberFormat
Offset
Parse
PasteSpecial
Range
RemoveDuplicates
Replace
Row
Rows
Select
in
the language of the Macro. Read/write Variant.
Returns or sets the formula for the object, using R1C1-style notation
in
the language of the user. Read/write Variant.
Returns or sets a Variant value that represents the horizontal
alignment
for the specified object.
Returns a Hyperlinks collection that represents the hyperlinks for
the
range.
Inserts a cell or a range of cells into the worksheet or Macro sheet
and
shifts other cells away to make space.
Returns an Interior object that represents the interior of the
specified
object.
Returns a Range object that represents a range at an offset to the
specified range.
Creates a merged cell from the specified Range object.
Returns or sets a Variant value that represents the name of the
object.
Returns or sets a Variant value that represents the format code for
the
object.
Returns a Range object that represents a range thats offset from
the
specified range.
Parses a range of data and breaks it into multiple cells. Distributes
the
contents of the range to fill several adjacent columns; the range can
be
no more than one column wide.
Pastes a Range from the Clipboard into the specified range.
Returns a Range object that represents a cell or a range of cells.
Removes duplicate values from a range of values.
Returns a Boolean indicating characters in cells within the specified
range. Using this method doesnt change either the selection or the
active cell.
Returns the number of the first row of the first area in the range.
Readonly Long.
Returns a Range object that represents the rows in the specified
range.
Read-only Range object.
Selects the object.
119

Sort
Table
Text
TextToColumns
UnMerge
Value
Value2
VerticalAlignment
Sorts a range of values.

Creates a data table based on input values and formulas that you
define
on a worksheet.
Returns or sets the text for the specified object. Read-only String.
Parses a column of cells that contain text into several columns.
Separates a merged area into individual cells.
Returns or sets a Variant value that represents the value of the
specified
range.
Returns or sets the cell value. Read/write Variant.
Returns or sets a Variant value that represents the vertical
alignment of
the specified object.
Here are some examples:
120

Here is the list of the 26 (out of 77) most used Range methods:
Name
Activate
AddComment
AutoFilter
Clear
ClearComments
ClearContents
ClearFormats
ClearHyperlinks
2
Description2
Activates a single cell, which must be inside the current
selection. To select a range of cells, use the Select
method.
Adds a comment to the range.
Filters a list using the AutoFilter.
Clears the entire object.
Clears all cell comments from the specified range.
Clears the formulas from the range.
Clears the formatting of the object.
The description for this item will appear in the final
release
of Office 14.
Copy
Cut
Delete
Find
FindNext
Insert
Merge
Parse
PasteSpecial
RemoveDuplicates
Copies the range to the specified range or to the

Clipboard.
Cuts the object to the Clipboard or pastes it into a
specified
destination.
Deletes the object.
Finds specific information in a range.
Continues a search that was begun with the Find
method.
Finds the next cell that matches those same conditions
and
returns a Range object that represents that cell. Doesnt
affect the selection or the active cell.
Inserts a cell or a range of cells into the worksheet or
Macro
sheet and shifts other cells away to make space.
Creates a merged cell from the specified Range object.
Parses a range of data and breaks it into multiple cells.
Distributes the contents of the range to fill several
adjacent
columns; the range can be no more than one column
wide.
Pastes a Range from the Clipboard into the specified
range.
Removes duplicate values from a range of values.
Returns a Boolean indicating characters in cells within
the
121

specified range. Using this method doesnt change
either the
selection or the active cell.
Selects the object.
Sorts a range of values.
Creates a data table based on input values and formulas
that
you define on a worksheet.
Parses a column of cells that contain text into several
columns.
Separates a merged area into individual cells.
Replace
Select
Sort
Table
TextToColumns
UnMerge
Here are some examples
Here is the list of the 15 (out of 56) most used Worksheet properties:
Name
Cells
Columns
Comments
Desctription3
Returns a Range object that represents all the cells on the
worksheet (not just the cells that are currently in use.
Returns a Range object that represents all the columns on
the
active worksheet. If the active document isn't a worksheet,
the
Columns property fails.
Returns a Comments collection that represents all the
comments for the specified worksheet. Read-only.
122
Hyperlinks
Index
ListObjects
Name
Names
Next
Previous
ProtectContents
Protection
Range
Rows
Visible
3
Returns a Hyperlinks collection that represents the

hyperlinks
for the worksheet.
Returns a Long value that represents the index number of
the
object within the collection of similar objects.
Returns a collection of ListObject objects in the worksheet.
Read-only ListObjects collection.
Returns or sets a String value representing the name of the
object.
Returns a Names collection that represents all the
worksheetspecific names (names defined with the
"WorksheetName!"
prefix). Read-only Names object.
Returns a Worksheet object that represents the next sheet.
Returns a Worksheet object that represents the next sheet.
True if the contents of the sheet are protected. This
protects
the individual cells. To turn on content protection, use the
Protect method with the Contents argument set to True.
Readonly Boolean.
Returns a Protection object that represents the protection
options of the worksheet.
Returns a Range object that represents a cell or a range of
cells.
Returns a Range object that represents all the rows on the
specified worksheet. Read-only Range object.
Returns or sets an XlSheetVisibility value that determines
whether the object is visible.
123

Here is the list of the 15 (out of 30) most used Worksheet methods:
ChartObjects
Copy
Delete
Move
Paste
Description4
Makes the current sheet the active sheet.
Calculates all open workbooks, a specific worksheet in a
workbook, or a specified range of cells on a worksheet, as
shown
in the following table.
Returns an object that represents either a single embedded
chart
(a ChartObject object) or a collection of all the embedded
charts
(a ChartObjects object) on the sheet.
Copies the sheet to another location in the workbook.
Deletes the object.
Moves the sheet to another location in the workbook.
Pastes the contents of the Clipboard onto the sheet.
PasteSpecial
Pastes the contents of the Clipboard onto the sheet, using a

specified format. Use this method to paste data from other
applications or to paste data in a specific format.
Name
Activate
Calculate
PivotTables
PivotTableWizard
PrintOut
PrintPreview
Protect
SaveAs
Returns an object that represents either a single PivotTable

report (a PivotTable object) or a collection of all the
PivotTable
reports (a PivotTables object) on a worksheet. Read-only.
Creates a new PivotTable report. This method doesnt display
the
PivotTable Wizard. This method isnt available for OLE DB
data
sources. Use the Add method to add a PivotTable cache, and
then
create a PivotTable report based on the cache.
Prints the object.
Shows a preview of the object as it would look when printed.
Protects a worksheet so that it cannot be modified.
Saves changes to the chart or worksheet in a different file.
Microsoft Excel Help
Select
Unprotect
Selects the object.

Removes protection from a sheet or workbook. This
method has
no effect if the sheet or workbook isn't protected.
124
125
Here is the list of the 14 (out of 108) most used Workbook properties:
Name
ActiveChart
ActiveSheet
Charts
ForceFullCalculation
FullName
FullNameURLEncoded
Name
Names
Description
Returns a Chart object that represents the active
chart
(either an embedded chart or a chart sheet). An
embedded chart is considered active when it's
either
selected or activated. When no chart is active, this
property returns Nothing.
Returns an object that represents the active sheet
(the
sheet on top) in the active workbook or in the
specified
window or workbook. Returns Nothing if no sheet is
active.
Returns a Sheets collection that represents all the
chart
sheets in the specified workbook.
Forces a full calculation of a workbook. Read/write.
Returns the name of the object, including its path
on
disk, as a string. Read-only String.
Returns a String indicating the name of the object,
including its path on disk, as a string. Read-only.
Returns a String value that represents the name of
the
object.
names in the specified workbook (including all
worksheet-specific names). Read-only Names
object.
Returns a String that represents the complete

path to
the workbook/file that this workbook object
Path
respresents.
True if personal information can be removed
from the
specified workbook. The default value is False.
RemovePersonalInformation Read/write Boolean.
True if no changes have been made to the
specified
Saved
workbook since it was last saved. Read/write
126
Sheets
Windows
Worksheets
Boolean.
sheets in the specified workbook. Read-only
Sheets
object.
Returns a Windows collection that represents all
the
windows in the specified workbook. Read-only
Windows object.
worksheets in the specified workbook. Read-only
Sheets object.
Here is the list of the 8 (out of 65) most used Workbook methods:
Name
Activate
Close
RefreshAll
Description
Activates the first window associated with the
workbook.
Closes the object.
Refreshes all external data ranges and PivotTable
reports in the specified workbook.
Removes all information of the specified type
from
RemoveDocumentInformatio
n
the workbook.
127

Save
SaveAs
SendForReview
SendMail
Saves changes to the specified workbook.

Saves changes to the workbook in a different file.
Sends a workbook in an e-mail message for
review
to the specified recipients.
Sends the workbook by using the installed mail
system.
128

Here is the list of the 24 (out of 206) most used Application properties:
ActivePrinter
Description5
Returns a Range object that represents the active cell in
the
active window (the window on top) or in the specified
window. If the window isn't displaying a worksheet, this
property fails. Read-only.
Returns a Chart object that represents the active chart
(either an embedded chart or a chart sheet). An
embedded
chart is considered active when it's either selected or
activated. When no chart is active, this property returns
Nothing.
Returns or sets the name of the active printer.
Read/write
String.
ActiveSheet
Returns an object that represents the active sheet (the

sheet on top) in the active workbook or in the specified
window or workbook. Returns Nothing if no sheet is
active.
Name
ActiveCell
ActiveChart
129
ActiveWorkbook
Cells
Charts
Columns
Range
Rows
Selection
Sheets
ThisCell
ThisWorkbook
Visible
Workbooks
Returns a Workbook object that represents the

workbook
in the active window (the window on top). Read-only.
Returns Nothing if there are no windows open or if
either
the Info window or the Clipboard window is the active
window.
Returns a Range object that represents all the cells on
the
active worksheet. If the active document isnt a
worksheet,
this property fails.
Returns a Sheets collection that represents all the chart
sheets in the active workbook.
Returns a Range object that represents all the columns
on
the active worksheet. If the active document isn't a
worksheet, the Columns property fails.
Returns a Range object that represents a cell or a range
of
cells.
Returns a Range object that represents all the rows on
the
active worksheet. If the active document isnt a
worksheet,
the Rows property fails. Read-only Range object.
Returns the selected object in the active window for an
Application object.
sheets in
the active workbook. Read-only Sheets object.
Returns the cell in which the user-defined function is
being
called from as a Range object.
Returns a Workbook object that represents the
workbook
where the current Macro code is running. Read-only.
Returns or sets a Boolean value that determines
whether
the object is visible. Read/write.
Returns a Workbooks collection that represents all the
open workbooks. Read-only.
For an Application object, returns a Sheets collection
that
represents all the worksheets in the active workbook.
For a
Workbook object, returns a Sheets collection that
represents all the worksheets in the specified
130
ReferenceStyle
workbook.
Read-only Sheets object.
Returns a Window object that represents the active
window (the window on top). Read-only. Returns
Nothing if
there are no windows open.
Returns a FileDialog object representing an instance of
the
file dialog.
Returns a String value that represents the name of the
object.
names in
the active workbook. Read-only Names object.
Returns or sets how Microsoft Excel displays cell
references
and row and column headings in either A1 or R1C1
reference style. Read/write XlReferenceStyle.
Windows
WorksheetFunction
Returns a Windows collection that represents all the

windows in all the workbooks. Read-only Windows
object.
Returns the WorksheetFunction object. Read-only.
Worksheets
ActiveWindow
FileDialog
Name
Names
Here is the list of the 18 (out of 51) most used Application methods:
131
Name
GetSaveAsFilename
Goto
InputBox
OnKey
OnTime
OnUndo
Quit
Repeat
Undo
Wait
Calculate
CalculateFull
CheckSpelling
ConvertFormula
DoubleClick
Evaluate
FindFile
GetOpenFilename
Description
Displays the standard Save As dialog box and gets a file name
from the user without actually saving any files.
Selects any range or Visual Basic procedure in any workbook,
and
activates that workbook if its not already active.
Displays a dialog box for user input. Returns the information
entered in the dialog box.
Runs a specified procedure when a particular key or key
combination is pressed.
Schedules a procedure to be run at a specified time in the
future
(either at a specific time of day or after a specific amount of
time
has passed).
Sets the text of the Undo and the name of the procedure
thats
run if you choose the Undo command (Edit menu) after
running
the procedure that sets this property.
Quits Microsoft Excel.
Repeats the last user-interface action.
Cancels the last user-interface action.
Pauses a running Macro until a specified time. Returns True if
the
specified time has arrived.
Calculates all open workbooks, a specific worksheet in a
workbook, or a specified range of cells on a worksheet, as
shown
in the following table.
Forces a full calculation of the data in all open workbooks.
Checks the spelling of a single word.
Converts cell references in a formula between the A1 and
R1C1
reference styles, between relative and absolute references,
or
both. Variant.
Equivalent to double-clicking the active cell.
Converts a Microsoft Excel name to an object or a value.
Displays the Open dialog box.
Displays the standard Open dialog box and gets a file name
from
the user without actually opening any files.
132
133
The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting

than the question of whether a submarine can swim - Edsger W.
Dijkstra
xcel records everything you do: if you scroll, if you shift sheets to give a
look, if you minimize a window, etc. All these unnecessary lines of VBA
code can be easily detected and deleted without affecting the end result
of a macro.
Why to have redundant code that does not contribute to the end result of your
Macro?
So
If you find recorded Macros horrible, here you will learn
what to discard and what to keep, and have the same
results.
Some of the actions you can delete right away are:
Scrolling
Selections of Ranges
Selections of Sheets Zooming
Any other action that does not add value to the Macro bottom line
134

The best way to be aware of how the code is produced is by splitting the Excel
VBA editor window and the Excel window.
Right click on the Windows task bar and click on Arrange Windows Vertical
135

Heres a practical example of Macro fat code
Incidental actions:
resizing window
Code that matters
Incidental actions:
scrolling, sheet
selection, zooming,
etc.
The enhanced Macro would be this one:
136
When I was learning Macros years ago, I thought I had got it, I said to me:
Excel records each action after you executes it on the frontend interface
But I felt disoriented when I performed a single keystroke and Excel wrote a
paragraph (not a single line as expected).
Try the following: record a Macro that only center-aligns cell A1 using the
alignment tab.
You expect to see a single line of code at the module. Something like this one
Or something similar to this one
137

But you get this amount
This is the action you

did on Excel
But Excel recorded

this bunch of
code
Why did Excel produce more VBA code than the actions I performed?
First, let me explain what a With structure is
The concept is very simple, instead of writing all this code:
Selection.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter
Selection.WrapText = False
Selection.Orientation = 0
Etc
The With statement allows you to perform a series of instructions for the
given object (Selection on this case) without re-qualifying the name of the
object.
For the above instructions you would write
With Selection
.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter
.WrapText = False
.Orientation = 0
138

End With
When is a With structure produced?
Excel groups VBA instructions into a With structure each time you change
Excel properties that come in groups, for example: the Format Cells dialog.
If you change a single parameter of the Number tab, Alignment tab, Font tab,
etc. Excel would produce a With structure with every parameter configured
This is also the case of the Page Setup dialog
139

See the produced code after I just changed the Paper size to A3
I just changed
this
parameter
As you can notice it, Excel set all the parameters under the Page tab. For the
case above, leave only the things you are changing.
For some cases, the With structure is not necessary so you can proceed in
two different ways
140
Leave only the instructions that matter and delete all the rest. See below
Even more efficient, you can delete the with structure (no more necessary)
141
Take a look at this phrase:

John and Ana went to Brazil, John and Ana enjoyed the trip
The phrase is correct but what is in excess?
It is not necessary to name John and Ana again, you have pronouns which are
quicker as pointers and also as space savers
This phrase is shorter and equally correct
John and Ana went to Brazil, they enjoyed the trip
In Excel this redundancy must be avoided at all cost since it consumes a lot of
resources and delay your Macro.
Lets see how you can overcome this
Any extra selection statement must be deleted. For example, to write Hello
world on the cell A1 you get an extra selection produced when you hit Enter,
see below
After hitting Enter, Excel records that action too.
Innecesary selection
produced when you hit
Enter
The Macro shown below consumes when your Macro makes hundreds of
selections.
142

Dont delete selections that are used by your Macro. Keep the last selection
statement if it will be used for next instructions.
Cells dont need to be selected to work with them.

So you can also delete selections more intelligently
The above Macro becomes this shorter/more-efficient one
You can add new instructions to any part of your recorded Macro. For example
to auto fit columns, format a group of cells, etc.
Take into account the Selection statements before and after the added code. In
other words: if the added code uses Selection, it should be corresponding with
the last line of code. At the same time, your added code must end with a
selection compatible with the next line of code.
To add code you can proceed in two different ways: write it from scratch or just
record a macro and merge it to the Macro you are editing.
143
Turn long lines into short ones by adding a break.

How do you add a break?
Place the cursor at the location you want to split, hit the space bar and write
the _ character. See below
144
When you provide a password to your Gmail or Yahoo account, you are asked
for a private question; why is that required?
You will remember that question decades later.
The same way you must provide description to Macros so you remember them
even in the years coming.
Here are some guidelines
Describe WHY things are being done, not HOW.

Use blank lines to separate blocks of logic, to make the code more
readable.
Use indentation to identify blocks of code especially in repeating loops
like FOR NEXT, IF ELSE END IF
A professional comment must include these elements:
Purpose (what the macro does)

Assumptions (external variable, control, file, etc. accessed by the macro)
Effects (each affected external variable, control, or file, and the effect it
has (only if it is not obvious))
Inputs
Returns
For commenting, use the Edit toolbar
Or simply use an apostrophe () before a line. By default, comments are turned

into green. Here is an example
145
The computer is a moron - Peter Drucker
ow you will get a quick-start understanding of two basic concepts:

variables and branching.
A full understanding of the Excel VBA language is out of the scope of

this book but here you will learn the basics to make Macros work for variable
conditions.
There are many ways of doing a Macro usable for the next time and for the
next worksheet, I will expose the three main techniques here:
146
Imagine you are programming Mario to climb up a ladder; he climbs up rung 1,

then 2, etc. until he reaches the top.
Now, what would happen if Mario starts to climb up beginning at the rung 4?
If Mario is set to start always at rung 1, he would jump back to step 1 when he
is at rung 4. If he is on the rung 3, the same would occur.
How to fix this problem?
Mario must be able to climb up to the NEXT step wherever he starts in the
ladder. The effective programming of this routine should be relative to his
current position.
147

Some Macros must be able to run correctly from different starting cells. In other
words you must prepare your Macro to start from a different position from
where you recorded it.
Hopefully, this is easily achieved by setting the reference to Relative. See how
to do it on the picture below
On Excel 2007, do it this way
148

On Excel 2003, do it this way
Tip
When you use relative references, Excel replaces an absolute selection like this
one: Range("B3").Select
For a relative selection like this one: ActiveCell.Select
Heres an example of a Macro that uses absolute reference
When I run the above Macro, it will always write Hello world at the cell A1.
Even if the cursor is at B3
I move the cursor to the cell C7 and run the Macro, guess what?
149

It writes Hello world at the cell A1.
The key design factor is to perform the action based on the actual position. The
following Macro uses a relative reference
When I run the Macro, it will always write Hello world at the current cell.
I run the Macro at cell C3
I run it at the cell A7
150

Lets see a more detailed example
Imagine you have a bunch of raw data in column format (on column A) and you
want to lay out it as a table. The sheet contains thousands of those blocks of
data. See picture below
151

The key strategy is to record the Macro (using relative reference) only for the
first block and finish it on the starting cell of the next block
152

The Macro will do the same starting on the active cell A2 above
To run the Macro efficiently, assign it a shortcut so you execute it again and
again.
Here is the Macro
Try the above macro by yourself. The ColumnToTable.xls file is provided as part
of the download .zip file.
The final result is this one
153
Replace Ranges by ActiveCell or Offset
All things get better when a Macro takes a decision. There are several condition
structures; here you will learn to use the If Then Else structure
The expression: Range(A1) = can be replaced by any expression that

returns TRUE/FALSE, for example:
Range(A1) =
Range(A1) < 0
ActiveSheet.Name = report
And more
154

You dont want the Macro run if the current cell is empty so copy the
ColumnToTable Macro (above example) into the IFTHENELSE structure.
See below
If the current cell is empty the Macro shows a message: No data to process
155

If I run the Macro from an empty cell; the message is shown
The PC does not get bored when processes thousands of lines instead of a
couple of them.
To process all the blocks in the raw report above, you need to press the
shortcut each time you want to execute a block. It is fun but you need to keep
pressing a couple of keys for a while.
This is good because you have control of the process; but sometimes you want
the Macro processes thousands of records at once. I will show you how to do it
without you further intervene
You will use two repetition structures (loops)
The following code loops through every cell from row 1 to 65,536 in column 1.
156

For the above example, if you would have 2000 blocks, you would copy and
paste your ColumnToTable Macro code into the following loop structure.
See the end result below
157
Imagine Mario must climb up the ladder until he finds a mushroom, you dont
know where the mushroom will be.
For these cases you create an open loop. This type of loop repeats itself until
the given condition occurs.
For the above example, if you dont know how many records you have in the
sheet, you can create a loop that repeats until the last cell is empty. See below
158

The end result would be
Tables contain hundreds and thousands of registers, a key skill is to be able to

go row by row and column by column to make any sort of computation.
How to process each row/column without effort?
The secret is to use the objects: Cells, Offset and collections with counters.
What is a counter?
159

Instead of using a fixed number like Cells(1,1), which always designates the cell
of the row 1 and column 1 (A1); you use counters like these ones:
Cells(rowcounter,columncounter)
Where, rowcounter and columncounter are variables that you can manipulate
by using code. In other words, the cell object doesnt know what row or column
to point, it is up to you to define them programmatically.
The following Macro writes an increasing number on the cells in column 1 from
row 1 to the row number 100000
This counter goes from

1 to 100000
You can replace the i variable name for any other valid description:
RowCounter, MyCounter, etc.
The following Macro renames each sheet with the content of its cell A1.

1 to 7 (number of
sheets specified by
Sheets.count)
160

This example hides all the sheets except the current one.
This example shows all the hidden sheets.

1 to 7 (number of
sheets specified by
Sheets.count)
161
To err is human--and to blame it on a computer is even more so Robert Orben
roblems in Macros are normal; here I will show you basic tactics that can
save your day.
When you check a document to find spelling mistakes you have a quite easy
task since the rules are established; and things get easier because you dispose
of spelling checking tools.
When you use the popular Text processor Microsoft Word, you get a visual aid
about where the errors are located. See below
162

On the Excel VBA code window you have a similar assistance when you commit
a syntax mistake. The syntax errors are shown in red by default.
This syntax checking feature can be changed on Tools>Options>Editor
Format>Code Colors>Syntax Error Text
VBA syntax errors might be:
Misspelling of an object name, property, method, argument

Lack of arguments
Lack of list separators (,), ()
Lack of (=) sign
163

The same way that occurs in MS Word, you are notified of such errors as soon
as you finish the writing. This syntax checking feature is active by default on
Tools>Options>Editor>Code Settings>Auto Syntax Check. See below
This option is
activated by
default
To fix syntax errors you must write VBA instructions correctly; try these tactics
when you get errors
Find help about the right syntax for the objects and members you are
writing. Press F1
Replace wrong instructions by right ones, if you cant do it record the
macro again
Use the Auto List Members feature to get the right syntax instead of
writing it yourself. Use CTRL + J to launch this feature
Follow the instructions of the warning message (error dialog): Expected:
list separator or ), Expected: Expression, etc.
Press the Help button on the warning message and implement the
suggested solution
164

Here are some examples of syntax mistakes:
Lack of the () at the

end of the range
denomination
A1
Heres another example:
Lack of the column

specification. The
correct syntax is:
Offset (row,column)
A compilation-time error is only detected when you try to run a Macro. Typical
mistakes are incomplete structures. See example below
Lack of the Next

statement
165

Heres another example:
Lack of the End If

statement
To fix compilation-time errors try these tactics
Follow the instructions of the warning message: For without Next,

Block If without End If, etc.
Press the Help button on the warning message and implement the
suggested solution
Write the whole VBA code structure first, for example write the For
Next layout before you write code, things may get worse when you nest
various For Next. See example below
These are the errors that occur during the execution of the Macro; let me
explain it to you better with an example
166

The Macro below works perfectly: no syntax errors, no compilation-time errors
but while running, it gives you an error. See example below
The following Macro deletes the active sheet
But if the sheet you try to delete is the unique of the workbook, Excel will show
you the message
Other errors are:
Renaming a sheet with an existing name

Deleting a sheet that doesnt exist
Pasting ranges in different-size array destinations
To fix run-time errors try these tactics
Now imagine that the Report sheet you want to delete with a Macro is already
deleted. See below
167

You would get this error
But it doesnt matter, either way you wanted to delete the sheet so you can
ignore the error message.
Include the statement: On Error Resume Next. This statement ignores the line
where the error was produced and continues on the next line. See below
The error produced when you try to delete the unique sheet of a given
workbook is predictable, so you must create an error trap routine to manage
the situation.
In the following example, the error-capture structure shows a warning
message. See below
168
But they are useless. They can only give you answers - Pablo
Picasso, about computers
adly, recording Macros is not the panacea for your automation

requirements.
To be aware of the limitations of Macros; take into account that an
excavator by itself is only able to dig and discharge soil on trucks.
The same way the excavator needs planning beyond the mere digging
command (what to do while the trucks are gone, what to do if the soil gets
more compact, what to do if the soil gets softer, etc.); there are Excel activities
that definitely cannot be achieved using plain Macros, for example: creating
forms, performing advanced analysis, etc. At this point you need to modify and
create your own Macros.
On one of my surveys to my subscribers, one of them gave me a great
answer
In response to this question
What are the top two questions about recording/fine-tuning Excel Macros that
I ABSOLUTELY must answer on this program?
He replied: Nothing with recording...that is a garbage way of doing
things...write the VBA code from scratch otherwise this course is a

waste of money and time. Any moron can record a Macro!
I agree that Writing Macros from scratch is the way to go but I disagree about
the Excel recorder impractical nature.
169

Here you have a short list of the pros and cons of the Excel recorder
Here is a list of the things Excel recorder can do:
Performs repetitive operations Creates Pivot Tables, Charts, Tables

Writes formulas
Provides you with VBA content otherwise you must write it Teaches you
how to put Excel VBA code to work. It is a kind of on-demand VBA
example generator
Here is a list of the things Excel recorder cannot do:
It
It
It
It
It
It
It
does
does
does
does
does
does
does
not
not
not
not
not
not
not
create a form
create a loop
take a decision
write custom formulas
write advanced applications
get rid of fat code
record add-ins actions (like Solver)
My final message is:

Master your recording Macros skills and you will have a great
background and coder-assistant when you write Excel Macros
from scratch.
Relax while the PC performs the slave-labor job.
Thats all on this eBook
I hope you have enjoyed it!
And remember, you assimilate 10% of what you hear, 40% of what you see,
90% of what you do!
Record Excel Macros NOW!
The next couple of minutes are enough to record a single Macro and break the
inertia.
170

Open the ColumnToTable.xls file provided and explore the ColumnToTable
macros, record the macro your way, make mistakes.
Making mistakes will only make you better and better (if you
dont give up before)
171

How To Record Excel Macros That Work

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How To Record Excel Macros That Work

By John Franco, Feb 26, 2011