Macros Made Easy: How to Maximize Excel’s Capabilities
What are macros exactly? A macro is defined as a series of computer steps that are usually documented and repeated by using shortcut keys. Macros are ways to record these steps that are being done using a keyboard and a mouse and repeat all these things with a few shortcut keys instead of doing it all over again. If Microsoft Excel is capable of doing these things, how will you benefit from it? Should an organization make use of these functionality and other features associated with it?
Microsoft Excel macros are extremely beneficial especially if you have common tasks to perform when working on multiple spreadsheets. Obviously, these can save you a lot of time and allow you to make things easier on your end. For instance, these codes allow you to format a cell and have this format every single time you receive data similar to the one within that cell. You don’t have to manually change the formatting of these cell’s values, and you don’t have to exhaust all your effort just by formatting these cells. Macros can make more complex tasks easy. A basic example is cell formatting. Fortunately, it is very easy to apply. Here’s the simplest concept to make it easier for you to understand how they actually work. First off, think of yourself as a professor trying to teach your students the basics of “origami”. If you are going to take a video of it instead of doing it in every single class that you teach, the entire teaching process will become very easy and it saves you a lot of time as well. Instead of doing all the steps in front, you can simply press one button and your class will have a clear demonstration on how it’s done. Macros act as a “video recorder”. Instead of repeating the steps all over again in Microsoft Excel, you can simply press one button or a shortcut key to repeat all the things that you’ve already done before.
For Microsoft Excel 2007, highlight the cells that you want to have the same format, formulas, etc. Go to the view tool bar -> Click Macros -> and Record Macros. Sometimes, the formatting on where the menu is seen may generally depend on your Microsoft Excel version. Don’t forget to give your macro a name – this will make it easier for you to choose the macro just in case you’re intending to use more than one in the near future. Your macro name is a little bit sensitive as it can’t contain spaces; use underscores instead. After renaming your macros, think of a button that you want to use whenever you want to run these codes. For instance, if you want to use “P” (for Play) for one of your macros, add “P” in the Ctrl + box. The next time that you want the same formatting/formulas in your spreadsheet, all you have to do is to press the Ctrl + P shortcut key to do the formatting you’ve saved and recorded before.
