Excel 2000: Customizing Excel and Using Macros © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Lesson 1: Customizing Excel Workspaces © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • Set options • Customize toolbars • Arrange and save workspaces Setting Options • Set options to change the default appearance and behavior of Excel • To set options: – Display the Options dialog box – Click on the card containing the settings you want to change – Change the desired options Customizing the Display of Menus and Toolbars • By default: – The Standard and Formatting toolbars share one row – Menus display only frequently used commands • To specify how menus and toolbars display: – Display the Options card of the Customize dialog box – Specify to display each toolbar on its own – Specify to display full menus – Click on “Reset my usage data” to restore the default display Creating Custom Toolbars • Create a custom toolbar to contain command buttons you use frequently that are in several different toolbars • To create a custom toolbar: – Display the Toolbars card of the Customize dialog box and click on the New button – Specify a name for the custom toolbar – Display the Commands card and drag the command buttons you want to the custom toolbar Adding and Deleting Toolbar Buttons • You can add, delete and rearrange toolbar buttons on any toolbar by dragging them while the Customize dialog box is open • If the Customize dialog box is closed: – To move a button: press and hold ALT and drag the button – To copy a button: press and hold CTRL+ALT and drag the button – To delete a button: press and hold ALT and drag the button into the worksheet area Resetting and Deleting Toolbars • You can reset built-in toolbars, but not custom toolbars • You can delete custom toolbars, but not built-in toolbars • To reset a built-in toolbar: – Display the Toolbars card of the Customize dialog box, click on the toolbar you want to reset, then click on the Reset button • To delete a custom toolbar: – Display the Toolbars card of the Customize dialog box, click on the toolbar you want to delete, then click on the Delete button Arranging and Saving Workspaces • Workspace file – a file that contains a group of workbooks arranged for efficient access • To create a workspace file: – Open and arrange the workbooks that you want to include in the workspace – Display the Save Workspace dialog box and specify a name for the workspace Lesson 2: Customizing Startup © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • Open workbooks at startup • Open custom workspaces at startup • Create desktop icons Opening Workbooks and Custom Workspaces at Startup • Startup folder – a folder that contains files that will open automatically every time you start Excel • The Xlstart folder is the startup folder for Excel • You can copy one or more workbooks to the Xlstart folder • If the Xlstart folder is empty, a blank workbook displays when you start Excel • You can also open a workspace file by saving the workspace in the Xlstart folder Creating Desktop Icons • You can create desktop icons that start Excel and open workbooks or workspaces automatically • To create desktop icons: – Create a shortcut that launches the application using the Create Shortcut dialog box – Display the Shortcut card of the Properties dialog box – Click at the end of the text string in the Target text box – Press SPACE, then type the name of the file you want to open Lesson 3: Collaborating with Workgroups © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • • • • Create templates Edit templates Create AutoTemplates Collaborate with workgroups Creating Templates • Template – a workbook you use to create other workbooks that will have the same formatting and page layout • When you create a template: – Include the text, graphics, formatting, and macros that will apply to all workbooks you create based on the template – Do not include data that will vary from workbook to workbook – Unlock data entry cells and apply worksheet protection Creating Templates (cont’d) • To create a template: – Open (or create) the workbook from which you will create the template – Display the Save As dialog box – Click on Template (*.xlt) in the Save as type drop-down list – Type a name for the template – Click on the Save button Creating Templates (cont’d) • To create a new workbook based on a template: – Display the New dialog box – Double-click on the name of the template on which you want to base the new workbook – Enter data in the data entry cells and save the workbook with a new name Editing Templates • Edit templates just as you would edit any worksheet you create in Excel • To edit a template: – Open the template that you want to edit – Deactivate worksheet protection if necessary – Make the desired changes – Save the template Creating AutoTemplates • AutoTemplate – a template on which new workbooks are based by default • To create an AutoTemplate: – Create a workbook with the formatting you want – Save the workbook as a template named “Book” in the Xlstart folder • You must name the template “Book”; if you use any other name, Excel will continue to use the default workbook layout Changing Workbook Properties • You can view and set workbook properties using the five cards in the Properties dialog box: – General card – displays the file type, name, location, and other attributes – Summary card – allows you to add specific information about the workbook – Statistics card – displays the creation date, the last time the workbook was modified, the user who modified it, and the number of revisions – Contents card – displays worksheet names, charts, reports and macro sheets – Custom card – enables you to create your own custom properties Creating a Shared Workbook • Shared workbook – a workbook that has been set up to allow multiple users on a network to view and edit the workbook simultaneously • After you share a workbook, Excel automatically keeps track of the changes by you and by other users by maintaining a change history – Change history – a log of all changes made to a shared workbook during a specified time period Viewing Tracked Changes • When you share a workbook, Excel keeps track of changes made by you or other users • When you activate tracked changes, changed cells are surrounded by blue boxes with a triangle in the upper-left corner • The column and row indicators for the changed cells display in red • When you position the mouse pointer over a changed cell, a comment displays describing the change Accepting and Rejecting Changes • When tracked changes is active, you can choose to accept or reject changes • You can accept or reject each change individually or • You can accept all changes or reject all changes at once Merging Workbooks • You can merge workbooks to join all changes together • Before merging, workbooks must meet the following requirements: – Workbooks must be copies of the same workbook – Each copy must have a different file name – The workbooks must either not have passwords or all have the same password – The workbook from which the copies were originally made must have been a shared workbook – When copies were made, the change history must have been turned on Lesson 4: Using AutoFormats in Worksheets and Charts © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • Use built-in AutoFormats • Create custom chart formats Applying AutoFormats to Worksheets • AutoFormat – a set of formatting commands such as font size, patterns or alignment that you apply to selected cells at one time • To apply an AutoFormat to a worksheet: – Display the AutoFormat dialog box – Select an AutoFormat – Click on Options to specify the type of AutoFormat to apply: numbers, borders, fonts, patterns, text and graphic alignment, column widths and row heights – Click on OK Applying AutoFormats to Charts • To apply AutoFormats to charts: – Display the Standard Types card of the Chart Type dialog box – Specify a chart type and chart sub-type – Click on OK Creating Custom Chart Formats • You can format a chart, save the format as a custom chart type, then apply it to other charts • You can create a new chart format or modify a built-in chart format • Modify chart formats using the Format dialog box for various chart elements • Save the custom chart format using the Custom Types card of the Chart Type dialog box Creating Custom Chart Formats (cont’d) • To apply a custom chart type: – Display the Custom Types card of the Chart Type dialog box – Display the user-defined chart types – Double-click on the custom chart type • To delete a custom chart type: – Display the Custom Types card of the Chart Type dialog box – Display the user-defined chart types – Click on the custom chart type, then click on Delete • You cannot restore a deleted custom chart type Lesson 5: Controlling Macros © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • Control macro cell references • Save macros for selective use Reviewing Macros • Macro – a series of commands that you record or write, and that you can play back later to automate your work • Visual Basic – a programming language used to write programs and macros in Microsoft Office applications • Module sheet – a worksheet that contains a macro or macros • Use the Record Macro dialog box to start macro recording and display the Stop Recording toolbar • Use the Macro dialog box to run, edit and delete macros Controlling Macro Cell Reference • The Stop Recording toolbar contains: – The Stop button – The Relative Reference button • Use the Relative Reference button to toggle between specifying a(n): – Relative cell reference – allows the macro to target varying cells, depending on the current position of the cell pointer, or – Absolute cell reference - ensures that the macro will always process the same worksheet cells (the default) Saving Macros for Selective Use • You can save macros: – In the current workbook (the default) – In a new workbook – In the Personal Macro Workbook • Personal Macro Workbook – a workbook that contains macros that are always available in every workbook Saving Macros for Selective Use (cont’d) • To save a macro in the Personal Macro Workbook: – Display the Record Macro dialog box – Display the “Store macro in” drop-down list – Click on Personal Macro Workbook – Continue to record and save the macro • To save a macro in a new workbook: – Display the Record Macro dialog box – Display the “Store macro in” drop-down list – Click on New Workbook – Continue to record and save the macro Lesson 6: Editing Macros © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • • • • • Open the Visual Basic environment Insert procedures Find and replace code Delete and copy code Add comments Opening the Visual Basic Environment • When you edit a macro, you open the Visual Basic environment, which consists of three windows: – The Project Explorer window – displays a hierarchical list of worksheets and modules in the workbook – The Code window – displays the Visual Basic code for the current macro – The Immediate window – used to test the results of commands you type Opening the Visual Basic Environment (cont’d) • To open the Visual Basic environment: – Display the Macro dialog box – Select the macro you want to edit – Click on the Edit button Inserting Procedures • Procedure – a group of statements and commands that produces a result • Procedures always begin with a Sub statement and end with an End Sub statement • To insert procedures: – Type Visual Basic code in the Code window, or – Record macro keystrokes, then copy and paste the code into the Code window of an existing macro Finding and Replacing Code • You can use the Edit Find and Edit Replace features to find and replace code in a macro in the same manner as you would text in a worksheet • In the Visual Basic environment, the Find and Replace dialog boxes contain options for searching: – Procedures – Modules – Projects – Selected text Deleting and Copying Code • When you record a macro, code is generated for every action you perform until you stop recording • You delete and copy macro code in the Code window in the same manner as you would edit text Adding Comments • Comments are text you can add within a macro that are not part of the macro code • To designate text as a comment, type an apostrophe (‘) as the first character in the comment line • When you run the macro, all comments will be ignored Lesson 7: Running Macros from Menus and Buttons © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • • • • Assign macros to the menu bar Assign macros to toolbar buttons Assign macros to worksheet buttons Change assigned macros Assigning Macros to the Menu Bar • To assign a macro to a menu bar command: – Display the Commands card of the Customize dialog box – Select Macros and drag Custom Menu Item to the menu bar – Specify a name for the new menu item – Assign a macro to the new menu item • Click on the new menu bar command to run the assigned macro Assigning Macros to Built-in Toolbar Buttons • To assign a macro to a built-in toolbar button: – Display the Commands card of the Customize dialog box – Right-click on the toolbar button, click on Assign Macro, then double-click on the macro you want to assign to the button • Click on the toolbar button to run the assigned macro • The macro overrides the default function of the button until you reset the toolbar Assigning Macros to Custom Toolbar Buttons • To assign a macro to a custom toolbar button: – Display the Commands card of the Customize dialog box – Click on Macros and drag Custom Button to a toolbar – Right click on the custom button, click on Assign Macro, then double-click on a macro to assign the macro to the button • Click on the custom button to run the assigned macro Assigning Macros to Worksheet Buttons • Assign a macro to a worksheet button if you want the macro to be available only in a specific worksheet • To create a worksheet button: – Display the Forms toolbar, click on the Button tool, then draw a worksheet button – Double-click on a macro to assign the macro to the worksheet button – Select the default button name and type a name for the worksheet button • Click on the worksheet button to run the assigned macro Changing Assigned Macros • To change a macro assigned to a worksheet button: – Press and hold CTRL, click on the worksheet button, then release CTRL to select the button – Change the name of the button if desired – Right-click on a button selection handle, click on Assign Macro, then double-click on a macro to assign the macro to the worksheet button Lesson 8: Making Macros Interactive © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • Display dialog boxes in macros • Display message boxes in macros Displaying Dialog Boxes in Macros • You can design a macro to prompt the user for data by displaying a dialog box as the macro executes • The data provided by the user determines how the macro will proceed • InputBox function – macro code that specifies to display a dialog box that requests input from the user and assigns the entered text to a variable in the macro Displaying Dialog Boxes in Macros (cont’d) • Syntax: InputBox(prompt as string,[title],[default],[left], [top],[helpfile],[helpcontextID],[type]) – prompt – the text that displays in the dialog box – title – the dialog box title – default – the data that displays in the dialog box if the user does not respond – left – the horizontal position of the dialog box – top – the vertical position of the dialog box Displaying Dialog Boxes in Macros (cont’d) – helpfile – the help file to use to provide contextsensitive help for the dialog box – helpcontextid – the help context number assigned by the help author – type – specifies the data type, such as text (the default), formula, number, logical value (true or false), cell reference, error value or an array of values Displaying Message Boxes in Macros • You can design a macro to add message boxes that provide information during macro execution • MsgBox function – macro code that specifies to display a message box during macro execution • When the message box displays, the user must click on a button, then the macro will continue running based on the button the user has chosen Displaying Message Boxes in Macros (cont’d) • Syntax: MsgBox(prompt,[buttons],[title],[helpfile],[context]) – prompt – the text that displays in the message box – buttons – specifies the type of buttons that will display (OK, Cancel, Yes, No and so forth) – title – the message box title – helpfile – the help file to use to provide contextsensitive help for the message box – context – the help context number assigned by the help author Lesson 9: Using Break Mode © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • Insert breakpoints • Insert stop statements About Break Mode • Break mode – a debugging tool you can use to stop the execution of a macro in order to view the result at the moment the macro stops • Debug window – a window that displays the values of expressions and variables in a macro when the macro encounters a break point or stop statement • Break point – puts a macro in Break mode and displays the Debug window • Stop statement – a line of code that halts a macro during execution and displays the Debug window Inserting Breakpoints • When you insert a breakpoint, you can examine the values of variables, properties, functions and expressions as a macro executes • To insert a breakpoint: – Open the Visual Basic environment – Click on the line of code where you want to insert the breakpoint – Click on the Breakpoint button in the Debug toolbar, or – Press F9, or – Right-click on the line of code and click on Toggle, Breakpoint Inserting Breakpoints (cont’d) • You monitor what data a macro is using and the value of variables by adding watch expressions – Watch expression – a macro that is specified for display in the Debug window when the macro execution is in Break mode • Use the Add Watch dialog box to add watch expressions • You can set as many watch expressions as you want Inserting Stop Statements • Stop statements are similar to breakpoints but you must enter and remove them manually • A stop statement consists of the word “Stop” • You add a stop statement between lines of macro code at the point where you want the macro to enter Break mode while it is executing Lesson 10: Stepping Through Macros © 2002 ComputerPREP, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives • Step over procedures • Step into procedures Stepping Through Macros • Stepping – a process by which you can execute macro code one statement at a time • When you reach a previously set breakpoint or stop statement, you can choose to step through statements by stepping over them or stepping into them • Step over - a process by which you execute all the statements within a procedure at once • Step into - a process by which you execute all the statements within a procedure one at a time Stepping Through Macros (cont’d) • Use the step over feature to eliminate errors in the overall structure of the macro and to broadly determine in what procedure the error may lie • Use the step into feature to help you exactly pinpoint in what statement an error may lie