Tutorial 12: Enhancing Excel with
Visual Basic for Applications
Microsoft Office Excel 2010
®
®
Objectives
XP
• Create a macro using the macro recorder
• Work with the Project Explorer and Properties
window of the VBA Editor
• Edit a sub procedure
• Run a sub procedure
• Work with VBA objects, properties, and
methods
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Objectives
XP
• Create an input box to retrieve information
from the user
• Create and run If-Then control structures
• Work with comparison and logical operators
• Create message boxes
• Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
• Customize Excel
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Visual Overview
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XP
4
The Visual Basic Editor
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5
Developing an Excel Application
XP
• Excel applications use Excel commands, tools,
and functions to perform an action
– Stored as an Excel file
– Can only be opened from within Excel
• Excel macro recorder
– Fastest way to create macros
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Developing an Excel Application
XP
• Macro buttons provide a quick way to move
between worksheets
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Working with the Visual Basic Editor XP
• Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
– Common programming language used by all
Microsoft Office programs
– Used to create Excel macros that make it
easier to display data on different types of
information
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Working with the Visual Basic Editor XP
• Visual Basic Editor displays three windows:
– Project Explore window
– Properties window
– Code window
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Examining Project Explorer
XP
• Use to manage projects (collection of items
that make up a customized application)
• Contains a hierarchical list of all the objects
• Is dockable
• Displays project components in a tree
structure
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Using the Properties Window
XP
• To view a list of properties for any object in
alphabetical order and by category
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Naming Modules
XP
• Good practice to rename a module (collection
of VBA macros) with a descriptive name that
describes the type of macros it contains
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Viewing the Code Window
XP
• To view contents of the macros in project
modules
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Procedures Supported by Visual BasicXP
• Sub procedures
– Perform an action on a project or workbook
(e.g., formatting a cell or displaying a chart)
• Function procedures
– Return a value
– Often used to create custom functions that can be
entered in worksheet cells
• Property procedures
– Used to create custom properties for objects in
the project
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Working with Sub Procedures
XP
• To create other sub procedures:
– Use the macro recorder
– Enter new sub procedures into Code window by:
• Typing VBA commands directly, or
• Using Insert Procedure command
• To create a sub procedure without the macro
recorder, proper VBA syntax must be used or Excel
cannot run the macro
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Working with Sub Procedures
XP
• Comment
– Statement that describes behavior or purpose of a
procedure but does not perform any action
– Must begin with an apostrophe (‘)
– Appears in a green font
• Public sub procedures
– Available to other modules in the project
• Private sub procedures
– Hidden from other modules to avoid conflicts in
procedure names
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Creating a Sub Procedure Using CopyXP
and Paste
• Add Procedure dialog box
• Inserted sub procedure
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Creating a Sub Procedure Using CopyXP
and Paste
• Edited sub procedure
• Test a macro by running it from the workbook
or from within Visual Basic Editor
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Visual Overview
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Visual Basic Objects
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Visual Basic for Applications
XP
• Immediate window shows effects of a single
command
– As a command is entered, its effects are
instantly applied to the workbook
– Ideal way to learn VBA syntax and debug
programs
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Visual Basic for Applications
XP
• VBA: an object-oriented programming
language
• Tasks are performed by manipulating objects
• VBA objects in Excel
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Visual Basic for Applications
XP
• Objects are often grouped into collection
objects, which are themselves objects
• Examples of object collections
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Visual Basic for Applications
XP
• Objects and object collections are organized in a
hierarchy with Excel at the top and individual cells of
a workbook at the bottom
– Often referred to as the Excel Object Model
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Visual Basic for Applications
XP
• VBA provides special object names to refer
directly to certain objects
• Special object names
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Modifying Properties
XP
• VBA language alters objects by either:
– Modifying the object’s properties (attributes that
characterize the object), or
– Applying a method to the object
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Modifying Properties
XP
• To change the property of an object
• Examples of changing a property’s value
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Modifying Properties
XP
• List of properties and methods
• Completed VBA command to set the cell value
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Applying Methods
XP
• Method: action that can be performed on an
object
• Objects and their methods
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Applying Methods
XP
• To apply parameter values to a method
• Code to apply a method with parameters
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Applying Methods
XP
• Select and Move methods
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XP
Working with Variables and Values
• Power of VBA begins when you start using
variables
• Variables are case sensitive
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Declaring a Variable
XP
• When you declare a variable, allocate storage
space for it by “dimensioning” it
• Can define exactly what type of data can be
stored
• VBA supports a wide range of data types
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Assigning a Value to a Variable
XP
• After a variable is declared, data can be stored
in it
• Variables can also store objects
• Variables can be used to create general
procedures that apply to several objects
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Assigning a Value to a Variable
XP
• VBA statements in which variables are
assigned values or are used to store objects
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Writing a Sub Procedure
XP
• Charts and statistics in a workbook are based
on defined names rather than cell references
• To display different data, change definition of
the defined name
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Creating a Sub Procedure to Switch
Defined Names
XP
• Defined names are stored in the Names object
collection
– To modify the definition of a name, use either the
Value property or the RefersTo property
• Create a dialog box with VBA to prompt the user;
Excel automatically switches to that type
• Common types of program errors
– Syntax errors
– Run-time errors
– Logical errors
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Retrieving Information from the UserXP
• To prompt user for the value of the variable
• InputBox function
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Visual Overview
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If Statements and Customization
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Working with Conditional StatementsXP
• An error value means that
Excel cannot find the defined
name used in the formula
• A macro can be modified to
handle this problem by
creating a control structure
– Control structures “make
decisions” based on the
type of information the
user enters
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Working with Conditional StatementsXP
• Control structure for the Change_Type macro
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Using the If Statement
XP
• Most basic way to run a VBA command in
response to a particular condition
• In this type of control structure, if a certain
condition is met, the program executes a
specified command
• When the condition of the If statement is not
true, the macro does nothing
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Using the If-Then-Else Control
Structure
XP
• Use when macro needs to run an alternate
command when the condition is false
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Using the If-Then-ElseIf Control
Structure
XP
• Use if control structure has several conditions
• Runs commands in response to each condition
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Using Comparison and Logical
Operators
XP
• Comparison operators
– Determine whether the expression used in the
condition is true or false
– Expression must contain a comparison operator
(e.g., <, >, =, <=, >=, <>, and is)
• Logical operators
– Combine expressions within a condition
– Most common logical operators: And and Or
• Other control structures supported by VBA: ForNext, Do-While, and Do-Until
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Using Logical Operators
XP
• Condition with the And logical operator
• Condition using the Or logical operator
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Creating a Message Box
XP
• A dialog box that includes buttons and an
informative message for the user
• Similar to an input box, but does not contain a
text box for user to enter values
• Create with the MsgBox function
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Creating a Message Box
XP
• Some button styles merely inform, some ask a
question, and others provide an alert to a
problem
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Customizing the Quick Access ToolbarXP
• Makes macros accessible from any sheet in
the workbook
• Add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar
– Three commands included by default
• Save
• Undo
• Redo
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Customizing the Quick Access ToolbarXP
• Specify whether changes affect all workbooks
or a specific workbook; can create a different
Quick Access Toolbar for each workbook
• Each macro button on the toolbar uses the
same icon or symbol; different macro names
appear in each button’s ScreenTip
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Customizing a Quick Access Toolbar
Button
XP
• Modify buttons so each has a distinct image
• Enter more descriptive ScreenTip text
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XP
Customizing Excel Screen Elements
• Three general categories
– Those that are part of the Excel program
– Those that are part of the Excel workbook window
– Those that are part of the Excel worksheet
• Difference between these categories affects where a
screen element can be hidden
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XP
Customizing Excel Screen Elements
• Workbook with hidden Excel elements
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XP
Customizing Excel Screen Elements
• Excel customization options
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Saving a Worksheet as a PDF
XP
• PDF (Portable Document Format)
– File format developed by Adobe Systems that
supports all elements of a printed document in an
electronic format that is easily shared
• Excel provides two options for publishing PDFs
– Standard option optimizes the PDF for use with
online publishing and printing
– Minimum size option is used strictly for online
publishing, but not for printing
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Introducing Custom Functions
XP
• A function procedure returns a value rather
than performing an action (like a sub
procedure)
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