Coding of vba for excel

Excel VBA Tutorial – How to Write Code in a Spreadsheet Using Visual Basic

Introduction

This is a tutorial about writing code in Excel spreadsheets using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

Excel is one of Microsoft’s most popular products. In 2016, the CEO of Microsoft said  «Think about a world without Excel. That’s just impossible for me.” Well, maybe the world can’t think without Excel.

  • In 1996, there were over 30 million users of Microsoft Excel (source).
  • Today, there are an estimated 750 million users of Microsoft Excel. That’s a little more than the population of Europe and 25x more users than there were in 1996.

We’re one big happy family!

In this tutorial, you’ll learn about VBA and how to write code in an Excel spreadsheet using Visual Basic.

Prerequisites

You don’t need any prior programming experience to understand this tutorial. However, you will need:

  • Basic to intermediate familiarity with Microsoft Excel
  • If you want to follow along with the VBA examples in this article, you will need access to Microsoft Excel, preferably the latest version (2019) but Excel 2016 and Excel 2013 will work just fine.
  • A willingness to try new things

Learning Objectives

Over the course of this article, you will learn:

  1. What VBA is
  2. Why you would use VBA
  3. How to get set up in Excel to write VBA
  4. How to solve some real-world problems with VBA

Important Concepts

Here are some important concepts that you should be familiar with to fully understand this tutorial.

Objects: Excel is object-oriented, which means everything is an object — the Excel window, the workbook, a sheet, a chart, a cell. VBA allows users to manipulate and perform actions with objects in Excel.

If you don’t have any experience with object-oriented programming and this is a brand new concept, take a second to let that sink in!

Procedures: a procedure is a chunk of VBA code, written in the Visual Basic Editor, that accomplishes a task. Sometimes, this is also referred to as a macro (more on macros below). There are two types of procedures:

  • Subroutines: a group of VBA statements that performs one or more actions
  • Functions: a group of VBA statements that performs one or more actions and returns one or more values

Note: you can have functions operating inside of subroutines. You’ll see later.

Macros: If you’ve spent any time learning more advanced Excel functionality, you’ve probably encountered the concept of a “macro.” Excel users can record macros, consisting of user commands/keystrokes/clicks, and play them back at lightning speed to accomplish repetitive tasks. Recorded macros generate VBA code, which you can then examine. It’s actually quite fun to record a simple macro and then look at the VBA code.

Please keep in mind that sometimes it may be easier and faster to record a macro rather than hand-code a VBA procedure.

For example, maybe you work in project management. Once a week, you have to turn a raw exported report from your project management system into a beautifully formatted, clean report for leadership. You need to format the names of the over-budget projects in bold red text. You could record the formatting changes as a macro and run that whenever you need to make the change.

What is VBA?

Visual Basic for Applications is a programming language developed by Microsoft. Each software program in the Microsoft Office suite is bundled with the VBA language at no extra cost. VBA allows Microsoft Office users to create small programs that operate within Microsoft Office software programs.

Think of VBA like a pizza oven within a restaurant. Excel is the restaurant. The kitchen comes with standard commercial appliances, like large refrigerators, stoves, and regular ole’ ovens — those are all of Excel’s standard features.

But what if you want to make wood-fired pizza? Can’t do that in a standard commercial baking oven. VBA is the pizza oven.

Pizza in a pizza oven

Yum.

Why use VBA in Excel?

Because wood-fired pizza is the best!

But seriously.

A lot of people spend a lot of time in Excel as a part of their jobs. Time in Excel moves differently, too. Depending on the circumstances, 10 minutes in Excel can feel like eternity if you’re not able to do what you need, or 10 hours can go by very quickly if everything is going great. Which is when you should ask yourself, why on earth am I spending 10 hours in Excel?

Sometimes, those days are inevitable. But if you’re spending 8-10 hours everyday in Excel doing repetitive tasks, repeating a lot of the same processes, trying to clean up after other users of the file, or even updating other files after changes are made to the Excel file, a VBA procedure just might be the solution for you.

You should consider using VBA if you need to:

  • Automate repetitive tasks
  • Create easy ways for users to interact with your spreadsheets
  • Manipulate large amounts of data

Getting Set Up to Write VBA in Excel

Developer Tab

To write VBA, you’ll need to add the Developer tab to the ribbon, so you’ll see the ribbon like this.

VBA developer tab

To add the Developer tab to the ribbon:

  1. On the File tab, go to Options > Customize Ribbon.
  2. Under Customize the Ribbon and under Main Tabs, select the Developer check box.

After you show the tab, the Developer tab stays visible, unless you clear the check box or have to reinstall Excel. For more information, see Microsoft help documentation.

VBA Editor

Navigate to the Developer Tab, and click the Visual Basic button. A new window will pop up — this is the Visual Basic Editor. For the purposes of this tutorial, you just need to be familiar with the Project Explorer pane and the Property Properties pane.

VBA editor

Excel VBA Examples

First, let’s create a file for us to play around in.

  1. Open a new Excel file
  2. Save it as a macro-enabled workbook (. xlsm)
  3. Select the Developer tab
  4. Open the VBA Editor

Let’s rock and roll with some easy examples to get you writing code in a spreadsheet using Visual Basic.

Example #1: Display a Message when Users Open the Excel Workbook

In the VBA Editor, select Insert -> New Module

Write this code in the Module window (don’t paste!):

Sub Auto_Open()
MsgBox («Welcome to the XYZ Workbook.»)
End Sub

Save, close the workbook, and reopen the workbook. This dialog should display.

Welcome to XYZ notebook message example

Ta da!

How is it doing that?

Depending on your familiarity with programming, you may have some guesses. It’s not particularly complex, but there’s quite a lot going on:

  • Sub (short for “Subroutine): remember from the beginning, “a group of VBA statements that performs one or more actions.”
  • Auto_Open: this is the specific subroutine. It automatically runs your code when the Excel file opens — this is the event that triggers the procedure. Auto_Open will only run when the workbook is opened manually; it will not run if the workbook is opened via code from another workbook (Workbook_Open will do that, learn more about the difference between the two).
  • By default, a subroutine’s access is public. This means any other module can use this subroutine. All examples in this tutorial will be public subroutines. If needed, you can declare subroutines as private. This may be needed in some situations. Learn more about subroutine access modifiers.
  • msgBox: this is a function — a group of VBA statements that performs one or more actions and returns a value. The returned value is the message “Welcome to the XYZ Workbook.”

In short, this is a simple subroutine that contains a function.

When could I use this?

Maybe you have a very important file that is accessed infrequently (say, once a quarter), but automatically updated daily by another VBA procedure. When it is accessed, it’s by many people in multiple departments, all across the company.

  • Problem: Most of the time when users access the file, they are confused about the purpose of this file (why it exists), how it is updated so often, who maintains it, and how they should interact with it. New hires always have tons of questions, and you have to field these questions over and over and over again.
  • Solution: create a user message that contains a concise answer to each of these frequently answered questions.

Real World Examples

  • Use the MsgBox function to display a message when there is any event: user closes an Excel workbook, user prints, a new sheet is added to the workbook, etc.
  • Use the MsgBox function to display a message when a user needs to fulfill a condition before closing an Excel workbook
  • Use the InputBox function to get information from the user

Example #2: Allow User to Execute another Procedure

In the VBA Editor, select Insert -> New Module

Write this code in the Module window (don’t paste!):

Sub UserReportQuery()
Dim UserInput As Long
Dim Answer As Integer
UserInput = vbYesNo
Answer = MsgBox(«Process the XYZ Report?», UserInput)
If Answer = vbYes Then ProcessReport
End Sub

Sub ProcessReport()
MsgBox («Thanks for processing the XYZ Report.»)
End Sub

Save and navigate back to the Developer tab of Excel and select the “Button” option. Click on a cell and assign the UserReportQuery macro to the button.

Now click the button. This message should display:

Process the XYZ report message example

Click “yes” or hit Enter.

Thanks for processing the XYZ report message example

Once again, tada!

Please note that the secondary subroutine, ProcessReport, could be anything. I’ll demonstrate more possibilities in example #3. But first…

How is it doing that?

This example builds on the previous example and has quite a few new elements. Let’s go over the new stuff:

  • Dim UserInput As Long: Dim is short for “dimension” and allows you to declare variable names. In this case, UserInput is the variable name and Long is the data type. In plain English, this line means “Here’s a variable called “UserInput”, and it’s a Long variable type.”
  • Dim Answer As Integer: declares another variable called “Answer,” with a data type of Integer. Learn more about data types here.
  • UserInput = vbYesNo: assigns a value to the variable. In this case, vbYesNo, which displays Yes and No buttons. There are many button types, learn more here.
  • Answer = MsgBox(“Process the XYZ Report?”, UserInput): assigns the value of the variable Answer to be a MsgBox function and the UserInput variable. Yes, a variable within a variable.
  • If Answer = vbYes Then ProcessReport: this is an “If statement,” a conditional statement, which allows us to say if x is true, then do y. In this case, if the user has selected “Yes,” then execute the ProcessReport subroutine.

When could I use this?

This could be used in many, many ways. The value and versatility of this functionality is more so defined by what the secondary subroutine does.

For example, maybe you have a file that is used to generate 3 different weekly reports. These reports are formatted in dramatically different ways.

  • Problem: Each time one of these reports needs to be generated, a user opens the file and changes formatting and charts; so on and so forth. This file is being edited extensively at least 3 times per week, and it takes at least 30 minutes each time it’s edited.
  • Solution: create 1 button per report type, which automatically reformats the necessary components of the reports and generates the necessary charts.

Real World Examples

  • Create a dialog box for user to automatically populate certain information across multiple sheets
  • Use the InputBox function to get information from the user, which is then populated across multiple sheets

Example #3: Add Numbers to a Range with a For-Next Loop

For loops are very useful if you need to perform repetitive tasks on a specific range of values — arrays or cell ranges. In plain English, a loop says “for each x, do y.”

In the VBA Editor, select Insert -> New Module

Write this code in the Module window (don’t paste!):

Sub LoopExample()
Dim X As Integer
For X = 1 To 100
Range(«A» & X).Value = X
Next X
End Sub

Save and navigate back to the Developer tab of Excel and select the Macros button. Run the LoopExample macro.

This should happen:

For-Next loop results

Etc, until the 100th row.

How is it doing that?

  • Dim X As Integer: declares the variable X as a data type of Integer.
  • For X = 1 To 100: this is the start of the For loop. Simply put, it tells the loop to keep repeating until X = 100. X is the counter. The loop will keep executing until X = 100, execute one last time, and then stop.
  • Range(«A» & X).Value = X: this declares the range of the loop and what to put in that range. Since X = 1 initially, the first cell will be A1, at which point the loop will put X into that cell.
  • Next X: this tells the loop to run again

When could I use this?

The For-Next loop is one of the most powerful functionalities of VBA; there are numerous potential use cases. This is a more complex example that would require multiple layers of logic, but it communicates the world of possibilities in For-Next loops.

Maybe you have a list of all products sold at your bakery in Column A, the type of product in Column B (cakes, donuts, or muffins), the cost of ingredients in Column C, and the market average cost of each product type in another sheet.

You need to figure out what should be the retail price of each product. You’re thinking it should be the cost of ingredients plus 20%, but also 1.2% under market average if possible. A For-Next loop would allow you to do this type of calculation.

Real World Examples

  • Use a loop with a nested if statement to add specific values to a separate array only if they meet certain conditions
  • Perform mathematical calculations on each value in a range, e.g. calculate additional charges and add them to the value
  • Loop through each character in a string and extract all numbers
  • Randomly select a number of values from an array

Conclusion

Now that we’ve talked about pizza and muffins and oh-yeah, how to write VBA code in Excel spreadsheets, let’s do a learning check. See if you can answer these questions.

  • What is VBA?
  • How do I get set up to start using VBA in Excel?
  • Why and when would you use VBA?
  • What are some problems I could solve with VBA?

If you have a fair idea of how to you could answer these questions, then this was successful.

Whether you’re an occasional user or a power user, I hope this tutorial provided useful information about what can be accomplished with just a bit of code in your Excel spreadsheets.

Happy coding!

Learning Resources

  • Excel VBA Programming for Dummies, John Walkenbach
  • Get Started with VBA, Microsoft Documentation
  • Learning VBA in Excel, Lynda

A bit about me

I’m Chloe Tucker, an artist and developer in Portland, Oregon. As a former educator, I’m continuously searching for the intersection of learning and teaching, or technology and art. Reach out to me on Twitter @_chloetucker and check out my website at chloe.dev.



Learn to code for free. freeCodeCamp’s open source curriculum has helped more than 40,000 people get jobs as developers. Get started

Macro codes can save you a ton of time.

You can automate small as well as heavy tasks with VBA codes.

And do you know?

With the help of macros…

…you can break all the limitations of Excel which you think Excel has.

And today, I have listed some of the useful codes examples to help you become more productive in your day to day work.

You can use these codes even if you haven’t used VBA before that.

But here’s the first thing to know:

What is a Macro Code?

In Excel, macro code is a programming code which is written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) language.

The idea behind using a macro code is to automate an action which you perform manually in Excel, otherwise.

For example, you can use a code to print only a particular range of cells just with a single click instead of selecting the range -> File Tab -> Print -> Print Select -> OK Button.

How to use a Macro Code in Excel

Before you use these codes, make sure you have your developer tab on your Excel ribbon to access VB editor. Once you activate developer tab you can use below steps to paste a VBA code into VB editor.

List of Top 100 macro Examples (CODES) for VBA beginners

I have added all the codes into specific categories so that you can find your favorite codes quickly. Just read the title and click on it to get the code.

note

  • This is my Ultimate VBA Library which I update on monthly basis with new codes and Don’t forget to check the VBA Examples Sectionꜜ at the end of this list.
  • VBA is one of the Advanced Excel Skills.
  • To manage all of these codes make sure to read about Personal Macro Workbook to use these codes in all the workbooks.
  • I have tested all of these codes in different versions of Excel (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019). If you found any error in any of these codes, make sure to share with me.

Basic Codes

These VBA codes will help you to perform some basic tasks in a flash which you frequently do in your spreadsheets.

1. Add Serial Numbers

Sub AddSerialNumbers()
Dim i As Integer
On Error GoTo Last
i = InputBox("Enter Value", "Enter Serial Numbers")
For i = 1 To i
ActiveCell.Value = i
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Activate
Next i
Last:Exit Sub
End Sub

This macro code will help you to automatically add serial numbers in your Excel sheet which can be helpful for you if you work with large data.

To use this code you need to select the cell from where you want to start the serial numbers and when you run this it shows you a message box where you need to enter the highest number for the serial numbers and click OK. And once you click OK, it simply runs a loop and add a list of serial numbers to the cells downward.

2. Insert Multiple Columns

Sub InsertMultipleColumns()
Dim i As Integer
Dim j As Integer
ActiveCell.EntireColumn.Select
On Error GoTo Last
i = InputBox("Enter number of columns to insert", "Insert Columns")
For j = 1 To i
Selection.Insert Shift:=xlToRight, CopyOrigin:=xlFormatFromRightorAbove
Next j
Last: Exit Sub
End Sub

This code helps you to enter multiple columns in a single click. When you run this code it asks you the number columns you want to add and when you click OK, it adds entered number of columns after the selected cell. If you want to add columns before the selected cell, replace the xlToRight to xlToLeft in the code.

3. Insert Multiple Rows

Sub InsertMultipleRows()
Dim i As Integer
Dim j As Integer
ActiveCell.EntireRow.Select
On Error GoTo Last
i = InputBox("Enter number of columns to insert", "Insert Columns")
For j = 1 To i
Selection.Insert Shift:=xlToDown, CopyOrigin:=xlFormatFromRightorAbove
Next j
Last: Exit Sub
End Sub

With this code, you can enter multiple rows in the worksheet. When you run this code, you can enter the number of rows to insert and make sure to select the cell from where you want to insert the new rows. If you want to add rows before the selected cell, replace the xlToDown to xlToUp in the code.

4. Auto Fit Columns

Sub AutoFitColumns()
Cells.Select
Cells.EntireColumn.AutoFit
End Sub

This code quickly auto fits all the columns in your worksheet. So when you run this code, it will select all the cells in your worksheet and instantly auto-fit all the columns.

5. Auto Fit Rows

Sub AutoFitRows()
Cells.Select
Cells.EntireRow.AutoFit
End Sub

You can use this code to auto-fit all the rows in a worksheet. When you run this code it will select all the cells in your worksheet and instantly auto-fit all the row.

6. Remove Text Wrap

Sub RemoveTextWrap()
Range("A1").WrapText = False
End Sub

This code will help you to remove text wrap from the entire worksheet with a single click. It will first select all the columns and then remove text wrap and auto fit all the rows and columns. There’s also a shortcut that you can use (Alt + H +‌W) for but if you add this code to Quick Access Toolbar it’s convenient than a keyboard shortcut.

7. Unmerge Cells

Sub UnmergeCells()
Selection.UnMerge
End Sub

This code simply uses the unmerge options which you have on the HOME‌ tab. The benefit of using this code is you can add it to the QAT and unmerge all the cell in the selection. And if you want to un-merge a specific range you can define that range in the code by replacing the word selection.

8. Open Calculator

Sub OpenCalculator()
Application.ActivateMicrosoftApp Index:=0
End Sub

In Windows, there is a specific calculator and by using this macro code you can open that calculator directly from Excel. As I mentioned that it’s for windows and if you run this code in the MAC version of VBA you’ll get an error.

9. Add Header/Footer Date

Sub DateInHeader()
With ActiveSheet.PageSetup
.LeftHeader = ""
.CenterHeader = "&D"
.RightHeader = ""
.LeftFooter = ""
.CenterFooter = ""
.RightFooter = ""
End With
End Sub

This macro adds a date to the header when you run it. It simply uses the tag «&D» for adding the date. You can also change it to the footer or change the side by replacing the «» with the date tag. And if you want to add a specific date instead of the current date you can replace the «&D» tag with that date from the code.

10. Custom Header/Footer

Sub CustomHeader()
Dim myText As String
myText = InputBox("Enter your text here", "Enter Text")
With ActiveSheet.PageSetup
.LeftHeader = ""
.CenterHeader = myText
.RightHeader = ""
.LeftFooter = ""
.CenterFooter = ""
.RightFooter = ""
End With
End Sub

When you run this code, it shows an input box that asks you to enter the text which you want to add as a header, and once you enter it click OK.

If you see this closely you have six different lines of code to choose the place for the header or footer. Let’s say if you want to add left-footer instead of center header simply replace the “myText” to that line of the code by replacing the «» from there.

Formatting Codes

These VBA codes will help you to format cells and ranges using some specific criteria and conditions.

11. Highlight Duplicates from Selection

Sub HighlightDuplicateValues()
Dim myRange As Range
Dim myCell As Range
Set myRange = Selection
For Each myCell In myRange
If WorksheetFunction.CountIf(myRange, myCell.Value) > 1 Then
myCell.Interior.ColorIndex = 36
End If
Next myCell
End Sub

This macro will check each cell of your selection and highlight the duplicate values.  You can also change the color from the code.

12. Highlight the Active Row and Column

Private Sub Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick(ByVal Target As Range, Cancel As Boolean)
Dim strRange As String
strRange = Target.Cells.Address & "," & _
Target.Cells.EntireColumn.Address & "," & _
Target.Cells.EntireRow.Address
Range(strRange).Select
End Sub

I really love to use this macro code whenever I have to analyze a data table. Here are the quick steps to apply this code.

  1. Open VBE (ALT + F11).
  2. Go to Project Explorer (Ctrl + R, If hidden).
  3. Select your workbook & double click on the name of a particular worksheet in which you want to activate the macro.
  4. Paste the code into it and select the “BeforeDoubleClick” from event drop down menu.
  5. Close VBE and you are done.

Remember that, by applying this macro you will not able to edit the cell by double click.

13. Highlight Top 10 Values

Sub TopTen()
Selection.FormatConditions.AddTop10
Selection.FormatConditions(Selection.FormatConditions.Count).S
tFirstPriority
With Selection.FormatConditions(1)
.TopBottom = xlTop10Top
.Rank = 10
.Percent = False
End With
With Selection.FormatConditions(1).Font
.Color = -16752384
.TintAndShade = 0
End With
With Selection.FormatConditions(1).Interior
.PatternColorIndex = xlAutomatic
.Color = 13561798
.TintAndShade = 0
End With
Selection.FormatConditions(1).StopIfTrue = False
End Sub

Just select a range and run this macro and it will highlight top 10 values with the green color.

14. Highlight Named Ranges

Sub HighlightRanges()
Dim RangeName As Name
Dim HighlightRange As Range
On Error Resume Next
For Each RangeName In ActiveWorkbook.Names
Set HighlightRange = RangeName.RefersToRange
HighlightRange.Interior.ColorIndex = 36
Next RangeName
End Sub

If you are not sure about how many named ranges you have in your worksheet then you can use this code to highlight all of them.

15. Highlight Greater than Values

Sub HighlightGreaterThanValues()
Dim i As Integer
i = InputBox("Enter Greater Than Value", "Enter Value")
Selection.FormatConditions.Delete
Selection.FormatConditions.Add Type:=xlCellValue, _
Operator:=xlGreater, Formula1:=i
Selection.FormatConditions(Selection.FormatConditions.Count).S
tFirstPriority
With Selection.FormatConditions(1)
.Font.Color = RGB(0, 0, 0)
.Interior.Color = RGB(31, 218, 154)
End With
End Sub

Once you run this code it will ask you for the value from which you want to highlight all greater values.

16. Highlight Lower Than Values

Sub HighlightLowerThanValues()
Dim i As Integer
i = InputBox("Enter Lower Than Value", "Enter Value")
Selection.FormatConditions.Delete
Selection.FormatConditions.Add _
Type:=xlCellValue, _
Operator:=xlLower, _
Formula1:=i
Selection.FormatConditions(Selection.FormatConditions.Count).S
tFirstPriority
With Selection.FormatConditions(1)
.Font.Color = RGB(0, 0, 0)
.Interior.Color = RGB(217, 83, 79)
End With
End Sub

Once you run this code it will ask you for the value from which you want to highlight all lower values.

17. Highlight Negative Numbers

Sub highlightNegativeNumbers()
Dim Rng As Range
For Each Rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(Rng) Then
If Rng.Value < 0 Then
Rng.Font.Color= -16776961
End If
End If
Next
End Sub

Select a range of cells and run this code. It will check each cell from the range and highlight all cells the where you have a negative number.

18. Highlight Specific Text

Sub highlightValue()
Dim myStr As String
Dim myRg As range
Dim myTxt As String
Dim myCell As range
Dim myChar As String
Dim I As Long
Dim J As Long
On Error Resume Next
If ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.Count > 1 Then
myTxt = ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.AddressLocal
Else
myTxt = ActiveSheet.UsedRange.AddressLocal
End If
LInput: Set myRg = _
Application.InputBox _
("please select the data range:", "Selection Required", myTxt, , , , , 8)
If myRg Is Nothing Then
Exit Sub
If myRg.Areas.Count > 1 Then
MsgBox "not support multiple columns"
GoTo LInput
End If
If myRg.Columns.Count <> 2 Then
MsgBox "the selected range can only contain two columns "
GoTo LInput
End If
For I = 0 To myRg.Rows.Count - 1
myStr = myRg.range("B1").Offset(I, 0).Value
With myRg.range("A1").Offset(I, 0)
.Font.ColorIndex = 1
For J = 1 To Len(.Text)
Mid(.Text, J, Len(myStr)) = myStrThen
.Characters(J, Len(myStr)).Font.ColorIndex = 3
Next
End With
Next I
End Sub

Suppose you have a large data set and you want to check for a particular value. For this, you can use this code. When you run it, you will get an input box to enter the value to search for.

19. Highlight Cells with Comments

Sub highlightCommentCells()
Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeComments).Select
Selection.Style= "Note"
End Sub

To highlight all the cells with comments use this macro.

20. Highlight Alternate Rows in the Selection

Sub highlightAlternateRows()
Dim rng As Range
For Each rng In Selection.Rows
If rng.Row Mod 2 = 1 Then
rng.Style = "20% -Accent1"
rng.Value = rng ^ (1 / 3)
Else
End If
Next rng
End Sub

By highlighting alternate rows you can make your data easily readable, and for this, you can use below VBA code. It will simply highlight every alternate row in selected range.

21. Highlight Cells with Misspelled Words

Sub HighlightMisspelledCells()
Dim rng As Range
For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange
If Not Application.CheckSpelling(word:=rng.Text) Then
rng.Style = "Bad"
End If
Next rng
End Sub

If you find hard to check all the cells for spelling error then this code is for you. It will check each cell from the selection and highlight the cell where is a misspelled word.

22. Highlight Cells With Error in the Entire Worksheet

Sub highlightErrors()
Dim rng As Range
Dim i As Integer
For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange
If WorksheetFunction.IsError(rng) Then
i = i + 1
rng.Style = "bad"
End If
Next rng
MsgBox _
"There are total " & i _
& " error(s) in this worksheet."
End Sub

To highlight and count all the cells in which you have an error, this code will help you. Just run this code and it will return a message with the number error cells and highlight all the cells.

23. Highlight Cells with a Specific Text in Worksheet

Sub highlightSpecificValues()
Dim rng As range
Dim i As Integer
Dim c As Variant
c = InputBox("Enter Value To Highlight")
For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange
If rng = c Then
rng.Style = "Note"
i = i + 1
End If
Next rng
MsgBox "There are total " & i & " " & c & " in this worksheet."
End Sub

This code will help you to count the cells which have a specific value which you will mention and after that highlight all those cells.

24. Highlight all the Blank Cells Invisible Space

Sub blankWithSpace()
Dim rng As Range
For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange
If rng.Value = " " Then
rng.Style = "Note"
End If
Next rng
End Sub

Sometimes there are some cells which are blank but they have a single space and due to this, it’s really hard to identify them. This code will check all the cell in the worksheet and highlight all the cells which have a single space.

25. Highlight Max Value In The Range

Sub highlightMaxValue()
Dim rng As Range
For Each rng In Selection
If rng = WorksheetFunction.Max(Selection) Then
rng.Style = "Good"
End If
Next rng
End Sub

It will check all the selected cells and highlight the cell with the maximum value.

26. Highlight Min Value In The Range

Sub Highlight_Min_Value()

Dim rng As Range

For Each rng In Selection
	If rng = WorksheetFunction.Min(Selection) Then
		rng.Style = "Good"
	End If
Next rng

End Sub

It will check all the selected cells and highlight the cell with the Minimum value.

27. Highlight Unique Values

Sub highlightUniqueValues()
Dim rng As Range
Set rng = Selection
rng.FormatConditions.Delete
Dim uv As UniqueValues
Set uv = rng.FormatConditions.AddUniqueValues
uv.DupeUnique = xlUnique
uv.Interior.Color = vbGreen
End Sub

This codes will highlight all the cells from the selection which has a unique value.

28. Highlight Difference in Columns

Sub columnDifference()
Range("H7:H8,I7:I8").Select
Selection.ColumnDifferences(ActiveCell).Select
Selection.Style= "Bad"
End Sub

Using this code you can highlight the difference between two columns (corresponding cells).

29. Highlight Difference in Rows

Sub rowDifference()
Range("H7:H8,I7:I8").Select
Selection.RowDifferences(ActiveCell).Select
Selection.Style= "Bad"
End Sub

And by using this code you can highlight difference between two row (corresponding cells).

Printing Codes

These macro codes will help you to automate some printing tasks which can further save you a ton of time. 

30. Print Comments

Sub printComments()
With ActiveSheet.PageSetup
.printComments = xlPrintSheetEnd
End With
End Sub

Use this macro to activate settings to print cell comments in the end of the page. Let’s say you have 10 pages to print, after using this code you will get all the comments on 11th last page.

31. Print Narrow Margin

Sub printNarrowMargin()
With ActiveSheet.PageSetup
.LeftMargin = Application
.InchesToPoints (0.25)
.RightMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.25)
.TopMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.75)
.BottomMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.75)
.HeaderMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.3)
.FooterMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.3)
End With
ActiveWindow.SelectedSheets.PrintOut _
Copies:=1, _
Collate:=True, _
IgnorePrintAreas:=False
End Sub

Use this VBA code to take a print with a narrow margin. When you run this macro it will automatically change margins to narrow.

32. Print Selection

Sub printSelection()
Selection.PrintOut Copies:=1, Collate:=True
End Sub

This code will help you print selected range. You don’t need to go to printing options and set printing range. Just select a range and run this code.

33. Print Custom Pages

Sub printCustomSelection()
Dim startpage As Integer
Dim endpage As Integer
startpage = _
InputBox("Please Enter Start Page number.", "Enter Value")
If Not WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(startpage) Then
MsgBox _
"Invalid Start Page number. Please try again.", "Error"
Exit Sub
End If
endpage = _
InputBox("Please Enter End Page number.", "Enter Value")
If Not WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(endpage) Then
MsgBox _
"Invalid End Page number. Please try again.", "Error"
Exit Sub
End If
Selection.PrintOut From:=startpage, _
To:=endpage, Copies:=1, Collate:=True
End Sub

Instead of using the setting from print options you can use this code to print custom page range. Let’s say you want to print pages from 5 to 10. You just need to run this VBA code and enter start page and end page.

Worksheet Codes

These macro codes will help you to control and manage worksheets in an easy way and save your a lot of time.

34. Hide all but the Active Worksheet

Sub HideWorksheet()
Dim ws As Worksheet
For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
If ws.Name <> ThisWorkbook.ActiveSheet.Name Then
ws.Visible = xlSheetHidden
End If
Next ws
End Sub

Now, let’s say if you want to hide all the worksheets in your workbook other than the active worksheet. This macro code will do this for you.

35. Unhide all Hidden Worksheets

Sub UnhideAllWorksheet()
Dim ws As Worksheet
For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
ws.Visible = xlSheetVisible
Next ws
End Sub

And if you want to un-hide all the worksheets which you have hide with previous code, here is the code for that.

36. Delete all but the Active Worksheet

Sub DeleteWorksheets()
Dim ws As Worksheet
For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
If ws.name <> ThisWorkbook.ActiveSheet.name Then
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
ws.Delete
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End If
Next ws
End Sub

If you want to delete all the worksheets other than the active sheet, this macro is useful for you. When you run this macro it will compare the name of the active worksheet with other worksheets and then delete them.

37. Protect all Worksheets Instantly

Sub ProtectAllWorskeets()
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim ps As String
ps = InputBox("Enter a Password.", vbOKCancel)
For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
ws.Protect Password:=ps
Next ws
End Sub

If you want to protect your all worksheets in one go here is a code for you. When you run this macro, you will get an input box to enter a password. Once you enter your password, click OK. And make sure to take care about CAPS.

38. Resize All Charts in a Worksheet

Sub Resize_Charts()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 1 To ActiveSheet.ChartObjects.Count
With ActiveSheet.ChartObjects(i)
.Width = 300
.Height = 200
End With
Next i
End Sub

Make all chart same in size. This macro code will help you to make all the charts of the same size. You can change the height and width of charts by changing it in macro code.

39. Insert Multiple Worksheets

Sub InsertMultipleSheets()
Dim i As Integer
i = _
InputBox("Enter number of sheets to insert.", _
"Enter Multiple Sheets")
Sheets.Add After:=ActiveSheet, Count:=i
End Sub

You can use this code if you want to add multiple worksheets in your workbook in a single shot. When you run this macro code you will get an input box to enter the total number of sheets you want to enter.

40. Protect Worksheet

Sub ProtectWS()
ActiveSheet.Protect "mypassword", True, True
End Sub

If you want to protect your worksheet you can use this macro code. All you have to do just mention your password in the code.

41. Un-Protect Worksheet

Sub UnprotectWS()
ActiveSheet.Unprotect "mypassword"
End Sub

If you want to unprotect your worksheet you can use this macro code. All you have to do just mention your password which you have used while protecting your worksheet.

42. Sort Worksheets

Sub SortWorksheets()
Dim i As Integer
Dim j As Integer
Dim iAnswer As VbMsgBoxResult
iAnswer = MsgBox("Sort Sheets in Ascending Order?" & Chr(10) _
& "Clicking No will sort in Descending Order", _
vbYesNoCancel + vbQuestion + vbDefaultButton1, "Sort Worksheets")
For i = 1 To Sheets.Count
For j = 1 To Sheets.Count - 1
If iAnswer = vbYes Then
If UCase$(Sheets(j).Name) > UCase$(Sheets(j + 1).Name) Then
Sheets(j).Move After:=Sheets(j + 1)
End If
ElseIf iAnswer = vbNo Then
If UCase$(Sheets(j).Name) < UCase$(Sheets(j + 1).Name) Then Sheets(j).Move After:=Sheets(j + 1)
End If
End If
Next j
Next i
End Sub

This code will help you to sort worksheets in your workbook according to their name.

43. Protect all the Cells With Formulas

Sub lockCellsWithFormulas()
With ActiveSheet
.Unprotect
.Cells.Locked = False
.Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeFormulas).Locked = True
.Protect AllowDeletingRows:=True
End With
End Sub

To protect cell with formula with a single click you can use this code.

44. Delete all Blank Worksheets

Sub deleteBlankWorksheets()
Dim Ws As Worksheet
On Error Resume Next
Application.ScreenUpdating= False
Application.DisplayAlerts= False
For Each Ws In Application.Worksheets
If Application.WorksheetFunction.CountA(Ws.UsedRange) = 0 Then
Ws.Delete
End If
Next
Application.ScreenUpdating= True
Application.DisplayAlerts= True
End Sub

Run this code and it will check all the worksheets in the active workbook and delete if a worksheet is blank.

45. Unhide all Rows and Columns

Sub UnhideRowsColumns()
Columns.EntireColumn.Hidden = False
Rows.EntireRow.Hidden = False
End Sub

Instead of unhiding rows and columns on by one manually you can use this code to do this in a single go.

46. Save Each Worksheet as a Single PDF

Sub SaveWorkshetAsPDF()
Dimws As Worksheet
For Each ws In Worksheets
ws.ExportAsFixedFormat _
xlTypePDF, _
"ENTER-FOLDER-NAME-HERE" & _
ws.Name & ".pdf"
Next ws
End Sub

This code will simply save all the worksheets in a separate PDF file. You just need to change the folder name from the code.

47. Disable Page Breaks

Sub DisablePageBreaks()
Dim wb As Workbook
Dim wks As Worksheet
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
For Each wb In Application.Workbooks
For Each Sht In wb.Worksheets
Sht.DisplayPageBreaks = False
Next Sht
Next wb
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

To disable page breaks use this code. It will simply disable page breaks from all the open workbooks.

Workbook Codes

These codes will help you to perform workbook level tasks in an easy way and with minimum efforts. 

48. Create a Backup of a Current Workbook

Sub FileBackUp()
ThisWorkbook.SaveCopyAs Filename:=ThisWorkbook.Path & _
"" & Format(Date, "mm-dd-yy") & " " & _
ThisWorkbook.name
End Sub

This is one of the most useful macros which can help you to save a backup file of your current workbook.

It will save a backup file in the same directory where your current file is saved and it will also add the current date with the name of the file.

49. Close all Workbooks at Once

Sub CloseAllWorkbooks()
Dim wbs As Workbook
For Each wbs In Workbooks
wbs.Close SaveChanges:=True
Next wb
End Sub

Use this macro code to close all open workbooks. This macro code will first check all the workbooks one by one and close them. If any of the worksheets is not saved, you’ll get a message to save it.

50. Copy Active Worksheet into a New Workbook

Sub CopyWorksheetToNewWorkbook()
ThisWorkbook.ActiveSheet.Copy _
Before:=Workbooks.Add.Worksheets(1)
End Sub

Let’s say if you want to copy your active worksheet in a new workbook, just run this macro code and it will do the same for you. It’s a super time saver.

51. Active Workbook in an Email

Sub Send_Mail()
Dim OutApp As Object
Dim OutMail As Object
Set OutApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
Set OutMail = OutApp.CreateItem(0)
With OutMail
.to = "Sales@FrontLinePaper.com"
.Subject = "Growth Report"
.Body = "Hello Team, Please find attached Growth Report."
.Attachments.Add ActiveWorkbook.FullName
.display
End With
Set OutMail = Nothing
Set OutApp = Nothing
End Sub

Use this macro code to quickly send your active workbook in an e-mail. You can change the subject, email, and body text in code and if you want to send this mail directly, use «.Send» instead of «.Display».

52. Add Workbook to a Mail Attachment

Sub OpenWorkbookAsAttachment()
Application.Dialogs(xlDialogSendMail).Show
End Sub

Once you run this macro it will open your default mail client and attached active workbook with it as an attachment.

53. Welcome Message

Sub auto_open()
MsgBox _
"Welcome To ExcelChamps & Thanks for downloading this file."
End Sub

You can use auto_open to perform a task on opening a file and all you have to do just name your macro «auto_open».

54. Closing Message

Sub auto_close()
MsgBox "Bye Bye! Don't forget to check other cool stuff on
excelchamps.com"
End Sub

You can use close_open to perform a task on opening a file and all you have to do just name your macro «close_open».

55. Count Open Unsaved Workbooks

Sub VisibleWorkbooks()
Dim book As Workbook
Dim i As Integer
For Each book In Workbooks
If book.Saved = False Then
i = i + 1
End If
Next book
MsgBox i
End Sub

Let’s you have 5-10 open workbooks, you can use this code to get the number of workbooks which are not saved yet.

Pivot Table Codes

These codes will help you to manage and make some changes in pivot tables in a flash.

56. Hide Pivot Table Subtotals

Sub HideSubtotals()
Dim pt As PivotTable
Dim pf As PivotField
On Error Resume Next
Set pt = ActiveSheet.PivotTables(ActiveCell.PivotTable.Name)
If pt Is Nothing Then
MsgBox "You must place your cursor inside of a PivotTable."
Exit Sub
End If
For Each pf In pt.PivotFields
pf.Subtotals(1) = True
pf.Subtotals(1) = False
Next pf
End Sub

If you want to hide all the subtotals, just run this code. First of all, make sure to select a cell from your pivot table and then run this macro.

57. Refresh All Pivot Tables

Sub vba_referesh_all_pivots()
Dim pt As PivotTable
For Each pt In ActiveWorkbook.PivotTables
pt.RefreshTable
Next pt
End Sub

A super quick method to refresh all pivot tables. Just run this code and all of your pivot tables in your workbook will be refresh in a single shot.

58. Create a Pivot Table

Follow this step by step guide to create a pivot table using VBA.

59. Auto Update Pivot Table Range

Sub UpdatePivotTableRange()
Dim Data_Sheet As Worksheet
Dim Pivot_Sheet As Worksheet
Dim StartPoint As Range
Dim DataRange As Range
Dim PivotName As String
Dim NewRange As String
Dim LastCol As Long
Dim lastRow As Long
'Set Pivot Table & Source Worksheet
Set Data_Sheet = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("PivotTableData3")
Set Pivot_Sheet = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Pivot3")
'Enter in Pivot Table Name
PivotName = "PivotTable2"
'Defining Staring Point & Dynamic Range
Data_Sheet.Activate
Set StartPoint = Data_Sheet.Range("A1")
LastCol = StartPoint.End(xlToRight).Column
DownCell = StartPoint.End(xlDown).Row
Set DataRange = Data_Sheet.Range(StartPoint, Cells(DownCell, LastCol))
NewRange = Data_Sheet.Name & "!" & DataRange.Address(ReferenceStyle:=xlR1C1)
'Change Pivot Table Data Source Range Address
Pivot_Sheet.PivotTables(PivotName). _
ChangePivotCache ActiveWorkbook. _
PivotCaches.Create(SourceType:=xlDatabase, SourceData:=NewRange)
'Ensure Pivot Table is Refreshed
Pivot_Sheet.PivotTables(PivotName).RefreshTable
'Complete Message
Pivot_Sheet.Activate
MsgBox "Your Pivot Table is now updated."
End Sub

If you are not using Excel tables then you can use this code to update pivot table range.

60. Disable/Enable Get Pivot Data

Sub activateGetPivotData()
Application.GenerateGetPivotData = True
End Sub
Sub deactivateGetPivotData()
Application.GenerateGetPivotData = False
End Sub

To disable/enable GetPivotData function you need to use Excel option. But with this code you can do it in a single click.

Charts Codes

Use these VBA codes to manage charts in Excel and save your lot of time. 

61. Change Chart Type

Sub ChangeChartType()
ActiveChart.ChartType = xlColumnClustered
End Sub

This code will help you to convert chart type without using chart options from the tab. All you have to do just specify to which type you want to convert.

Below code will convert selected chart to a clustered column chart. There are different codes for different types, you can find all those types from here.

62. Paste Chart as an Image

Sub ConvertChartToPicture()
ActiveChart.ChartArea.Copy
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Select
ActiveSheet.Pictures.Paste.Select
End Sub

This code will help you to convert your chart into an image. You just need to select your chart and run this code.

63. Add Chart Title

Sub AddChartTitle()
Dim i As Variant
i = InputBox("Please enter your chart title", "Chart Title")
On Error GoTo Last
ActiveChart.SetElement (msoElementChartTitleAboveChart)
ActiveChart.ChartTitle.Text = i
Last:
Exit Sub
End Sub

First of all, you need to select your chart and the run this code. You will get an input box to enter chart title.

Advanced Codes

Some of the codes which you can use to preform advanced task in your spreadsheets.

64. Save Selected Range as a PDF

Sub HideSubtotals()
Dim pt As PivotTable
Dim pf As PivotField
On Error Resume Next
Set pt = ActiveSheet.PivotTables(ActiveCell.PivotTable.name)
If pt Is Nothing Then
MsgBox "You must place your cursor inside of a PivotTable."
Exit Sub
End If
For Each pf In pt.PivotFields
pf.Subtotals(1) = True
pf.Subtotals(1) = False
Next pf
End Sub

If you want to hide all the subtotals, just run this code. First of all, make sure to select a cell from your pivot table and then run this macro.

65. Create a Table of Content

Sub TableofContent()
Dim i As Long
On Error Resume Next
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Worksheets("Table of Content").Delete
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
On Error GoTo 0
ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Add Before:=ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(1)
ActiveSheet.Name = "Table of Content"
For i = 1 To Sheets.Count
With ActiveSheet
.Hyperlinks.Add _
Anchor:=ActiveSheet.Cells(i, 1), _
Address:="", _
SubAddress:="'" & Sheets(i).Name & "'!A1", _
ScreenTip:=Sheets(i).Name, _
TextToDisplay:=Sheets(i).Name
End With
Next i
End Sub

Let’s say you have more than 100 worksheets in your workbook and it’s hard to navigate now.

Don’t worry this macro code will rescue everything. When you run this code it will create a new worksheet and create a index of worksheets with a hyperlink to them.

66. Convert Range into an Image

Sub PasteAsPicture()
Application.CutCopyMode = False
Selection.Copy
ActiveSheet.Pictures.Paste.Select
End Sub

Paste selected range as an image. You just have to select the range and once you run this code it will automatically insert a picture for that range.

67. Insert a Linked Picture

Sub LinkedPicture()
Selection.Copy
ActiveSheet.Pictures.Paste(Link:=True).Select
End Sub

This VBA code will convert your selected range into a linked picture and you can use that image anywhere you want.

68. Use Text to Speech

Sub Speak()
Selection.Speak
End Sub

Just select a range and run this code. Excel will speak all the text what you have in that range, cell by cell.

69. Activate Data Entry Form

Sub DataForm()
ActiveSheet.ShowDataForm
End Sub

There is a default data entry form which you can use for data entry.

70. Use Goal Seek

Sub GoalSeekVBA()
Dim Target As Long
On Error GoTo Errorhandler
Target = InputBox("Enter the required value", "Enter Value")
Worksheets("Goal_Seek").Activate
With ActiveSheet.Range("C7")
.GoalSeek_ Goal:=Target, _
ChangingCell:=Range("C2")
End With
Exit Sub
Errorhandler: MsgBox ("Sorry, value is not valid.")
End Sub

Goal Seek can be super helpful for you to solve complex problems. Learn more about goal seek from here before you use this code.

71. VBA Code to Search on Google

Sub SearchWindow32()
Dim chromePath As String
Dim search_string As String
Dim query As String
query = InputBox("Enter here your search here", "Google Search")
search_string = query
search_string = Replace(search_string, " ", "+")
'Uncomment the following line for Windows 64 versions and comment out Windows 32 versions'
'chromePath = "C:Program FilesGoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe"
'Uncomment the following line for Windows 32 versions and comment out Windows 64 versions
'chromePath = "C:Program Files (x86)GoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe"
Shell (chromePath & " -url http://google.com/#q=" & search_string)
End Sub

Formula Codes

These codes will help you to calculate or get results which often you do with worksheet functions and formulas.

72. Convert all Formulas into Values

Sub convertToValues()
Dim MyRange As Range
Dim MyCell As Range
Select Case _
MsgBox("You Can't Undo This Action. " _
& "Save Workbook First?", vbYesNoCancel, _
"Alert")
Case Is = vbYes
ThisWorkbook.Save
Case Is = vbCancel
Exit Sub
End Select
Set MyRange = Selection
For Each MyCell In MyRange
If MyCell.HasFormula Then
MyCell.Formula = MyCell.Value
End If
Next MyCell
End Sub

Simply convert formulas into values. When you run this macro it will quickly change the formulas into absolute values.

73. Remove Spaces from Selected Cells

Sub RemoveSpaces()
Dim myRange As Range
Dim myCell As Range
Select Case MsgBox("You Can't Undo This Action. " _
& "Save Workbook First?", _
vbYesNoCancel, "Alert")
Case Is = vbYesThisWorkbook.Save
Case Is = vbCancel
Exit Sub
End Select
Set myRange = Selection
For Each myCell In myRange
If Not IsEmpty(myCell) Then
myCell = Trim(myCell)
End If
Next myCell
End Sub

One of the most useful macros from this list. It will check your selection and then remove all the extra spaces from that.

74. Remove Characters from a String

Public Function removeFirstC(rng As String, cnt As Long)
removeFirstC = Right(rng, Len(rng) - cnt)
End Function

Simply remove characters from the starting of a text string. All you need is to refer to a cell or insert a text into the function and number of characters to remove from the text string.

It has two arguments «rng» for the text string and «cnt» for the count of characters to remove. For Example: If you want to remove first characters from a cell, you need to enter 1 in cnt.

75. Add Insert Degree Symbol in Excel

Sub degreeSymbol( )
Dim rng As Range
For Each rng In Selection
rng.Select
If ActiveCell <> "" Then
If IsNumeric(ActiveCell.Value) Then
ActiveCell.Value = ActiveCell.Value & "°"
End If
End If
Next
End Sub

Let’s say you have a list of numbers in a column and you want to add degree symbol with all of them.

76. Reverse Text

Public Function rvrse(ByVal cell As Range) As String
rvrse = VBA.strReverse(cell.Value)
End Function

All you have to do just enter «rvrse» function in a cell and refer to the cell in which you have text which you want to reverse.

77. Activate R1C1 Reference Style

Sub ActivateR1C1()
If Application.ReferenceStyle = xlA1 Then
Application.ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1
Else
Application.ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1
End If
End Sub

This macro code will help you to activate R1C1 reference style without using Excel options.

78. Activate A1 Reference Style

Sub ActivateA1()
If Application.ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1 Then
Application.ReferenceStyle = xlA1
Else
Application.ReferenceStyle = xlA1
End If
End Sub

This macro code will help you to activate A1 reference style without using Excel options.

79. Insert Time Range

Sub TimeStamp()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 1 To 24
ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = i & ":00"
ActiveCell.NumberFormat = "[$-409]h:mm AM/PM;@"
ActiveCell.Offset(RowOffset:=1, ColumnOffset:=0).Select
Next i
End Sub

With this code, you can insert a time range in sequence from 00:00 to 23:00.

80. Convert Date into Day

Sub date2day()
Dim tempCell As Range
Selection.Value = Selection.Value
For Each tempCell In Selection
If IsDate(tempCell) = True Then
With tempCell
.Value = Day(tempCell)
.NumberFormat = "0"
End With
End If
Next tempCell
End Sub

If you have dates in your worksheet and you want to convert all those dates into days then this code is for you. Simply select the range of cells and run this macro.

81. Convert Date into Year

Sub date2year()
Dim tempCell As Range
Selection.Value = Selection.Value
For Each tempCell In Selection
If IsDate(tempCell) = True Then
With tempCell
.Value = Year(tempCell)
.NumberFormat = "0"
End With
End If
Next tempCell
End Sub

This code will convert dates into years.

82. Remove Time from Date

Sub removeTime()
Dim Rng As Range
For Each Rng In Selection
If IsDate(Rng) = True Then
Rng.Value = VBA.Int(Rng.Value)
End If
Next
Selection.NumberFormat = "dd-mmm-yy"
End Sub

If you have time with the date and you want to remove it then you can use this code.

83. Remove Date from Date and Time

Sub removeDate()
Dim Rng As Range
For Each Rng In Selection
If IsDate(Rng) = True Then
Rng.Value = Rng.Value - VBA.Fix(Rng.Value)
End If
NextSelection.NumberFormat = "hh:mm:ss am/pm"
End Sub

It will return only time from a date and time value.

84. Convert to Upper Case

Sub convertUpperCase()
Dim Rng As Range
For Each Rng In Selection
If Application.WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then
Rng.Value = UCase(Rng)
End If
Next
End Sub

Select the cells and run this code. It will check each and every cell of selected range and then convert it into upper case text.

85. Convert to Lower Case

Sub convertLowerCase()
Dim Rng As Range
For Each Rng In Selection
If Application.WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then
Rng.Value= LCase(Rng)
End If
Next
End Sub

This code will help you to convert selected text into lower case text. Just select a range of cells where you have text and run this code. If a cell has a number or any value other than text that value will remain same.

86. Convert to Proper Case

Sub convertProperCase()
Dim Rng As Range
For Each Rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then
Rng.Value = WorksheetFunction.Proper(Rng.Value)
End If
Next
End Sub

And this code will convert selected text into the proper case where you have the first letter in capital and rest in small.

87. Convert to Sentence Case

Sub convertTextCase()
Dim Rng As Range
For Each Rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then
Rng.Value = UCase(Left(Rng, 1)) & LCase(Right(Rng, Len(Rng) - 1))
End If
Next Rng
End Sub

In text case, you have the first letter of the first word in capital and rest all in words in small for a single sentence and this code will help you convert normal text into sentence case.

88. Remove a Character from Selection

Sub removeChar()
Dim Rng As Range
Dim rc As String
rc = InputBox("Character(s) to Replace", "Enter Value")
For Each Rng In Selection
Selection.Replace What:=rc, Replacement:=""
Next
End Sub

To remove a particular character from a selected cell you can use this code. It will show you an input box to enter the character you want to remove.

89. Word Count from Entire Worksheet

Sub Word_Count_Worksheet()
Dim WordCnt As Long
Dim rng As Range
Dim S As String
Dim N As Long
For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Cells
S = Application.WorksheetFunction.Trim(rng.Text)
N = 0
If S <> vbNullString Then
N = Len(S) - Len(Replace(S, " ", "")) + 1
End If
WordCnt = WordCnt + N
Next rng
MsgBox "There are total " _
& Format(WordCnt, "#,##0") & _
" words in the active worksheet"
End Sub

It can help you to count all the words from a worksheet.

90. Remove the Apostrophe from a Number

Sub removeApostrophes()
Selection.Value = Selection.Value
End Sub

If you have numeric data where you have an apostrophe before each number, you run this code to remove it.

91. Remove Decimals from Numbers

Sub removeDecimals()
Dim lnumber As Double
Dim lResult As Long
Dim rng As Range
For Each rng In Selection
rng.Value = Int(rng)
rng.NumberFormat = "0"
Next rng
End Sub

This code will simply help you to remove all the decimals from the numbers from the selected range.

92. Multiply all the Values by a Number

Sub addNumber()
Dim rng As Range
Dim i As Integer
i = InputBox("Enter number to multiple", "Input Required")
For Each rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then
rng.Value = rng + i
Else
End If
Next rng
End Sub

Let’s you have a list of numbers and you want to multiply all the number with a particular. To use this code: Select that range of cells and run this code. It will first ask you for the number with whom you want to multiple and then instantly multiply all the numbers with it.

93. Add a Number in all the Numbers

Sub addNumber()
Dim rng As Range
Dim i As Integer
i = InputBox("Enter number to multiple", "Input Required")
For Each rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then
rng.Value = rng + i
Else
End If
Next rng
End Sub

Just like multiplying you can also add a number into a set of numbers.

94. Calculate the Square Root

Sub getSquareRoot()
Dim rng As Range
Dim i As Integer
For Each rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then
rng.Value = Sqr(rng)
Else
End If
Next rng
End Sub

To calculate square root without applying a formula you can use this code. It will simply check all the selected cells and convert numbers to their square root.

95. Calculate the Cube Root

Sub getCubeRoot()
Dim rng As Range
Dimi As Integer
For Each rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then
rng.Value = rng ^ (1 / 3)
Else
End If
Nextrng
End Sub

To calculate cube root without applying a formula you can use this code. It will simply check all the selected cells and convert numbers to their cube root.

96. Add A-Z Alphabets in a Range

Sub addsAlphabets1()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 65 To 90
ActiveCell.Value = Chr(i)
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
Next i
End Sub
Sub addsAlphabets2()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 97 To 122
ActiveCell.Value = Chr(i)
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
Next i
End Sub

Just like serial numbers you can also insert alphabets in your worksheet. Beloware the code which you can use.

97. Convert Roman Numbers into Arabic Numbers

Sub convertToNumbers()
Dim rng As Range
Selection.Value = Selection.Value
For Each rng In Selection
If Not WorksheetFunction.IsNonText(rng) Then
rng.Value = WorksheetFunction.Arabic(rng)
End If
Next rng
End Sub

Sometimes it’s really hard to understand Roman numbers as serial numbers. This code will help you to convert roman numbers into Arabic numbers.

98. Remove Negative Signs

Sub removeNegativeSign()
Dim rng As Range
Selection.Value = Selection.Value
For Each rng In Selection
If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then
rng.Value = Abs(rng)
End If
Next rng

This code will simply check all the cell in the selection and convert all the negative numbers into positive. Just select a range and run this code.

99. Replace Blank Cells with Zeros

Sub replaceBlankWithZero()
Dim rng As Range
Selection.Value = Selection.Value
For Each rng In Selection
If rng = "" Or rng = " " Then
rng.Value = "0"
Else
End If
Next rng
End Sub

For data where you have blank cells, you can use the below code to add zeros in all those cells. It makes easier to use those cells in further calculations.

More Codes

100. More VBA Examples and Tutorials

  • User Defined Function [UDF] in Excel using VBA
  • VBA Interview Questions
  • Add a Comment in a VBA Code (Macro)
  • Add a Line Break in a VBA Code (Single Line into Several Lines)
  • Add a New Line (Carriage Return) in a String in VBA
  • Personal Macro Workbook (personal.xlsb)
  • Record a Macro in Excel
  • VBA Exit Sub Statement
  • VBA Immediate Window (Debug.Print)
  • VBA Module
  • VBA MSGBOX
  • VBA Objects
  • VBA With Statement
  • Count Rows using VBA
  • Excel VBA Font (Color, Size, Type, and Bold)
  • Excel VBA Hide and Unhide a Column or a Row
  • Excel VBA Range – Working with Range and Cells in VBA
  • Apply Borders on a Cell using VBA in Excel
  • Find Last Row, Column, and Cell using VBA in Excel
  • Insert a Row using VBA in Excel
  • Merge Cells in Excel using a VBA Code
  • Select a Range/Cell using VBA in Excel
  • How to SELECT ALL the Cells in a Worksheet using a VBA Code
  • use ActiveCell in VBA in Excel
  • How to use Special Cells Method in VBA in Excel
  • How to use UsedRange Property in VBA in Excel
  • VBA AutoFit (Rows, Column, or the Entire Worksheet)
  • VBA ClearContents (from a Cell, Range, or Entire Worksheet)
  • VBA Copy Range to Another Sheet + Workbook
  • VBA Enter Value in a Cell (Set, Get and Change)
  • VBA Insert Column (Single and Multiple)
  • VBA Named Range
  • VBA Range Offset
  • VBA Sort Range | (Descending, Multiple Columns, Sort Orientation
  • VBA Wrap Text (Cell, Range, and Entire Worksheet)
  • How to CLEAR an Entire Sheet using VBA in Excel
  • How to Copy and Move a Sheet in Excel using VBA
  • How to COUNT Sheets using VBA in Excel
  • How to DELETE a SHEET using VBA in Excel
  • How to Hide & Unhide a Sheet using VBA in Excel
  • How to PROTECT and UNPROTECT a Sheet using VBA in Excel
  • RENAME a Sheet using VBA
  • Write a VBA Code to Create a New Sheet
  • VBA Worksheet Object
  • Activate a Sheet using VBA
  • Copy an Excel File (Workbook)
  • VBA Activate Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA Close Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA Combine Workbooks (Excel Files)
  • VBA Create New Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA Delete Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA Open Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA Protect/Unprotect Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA Rename Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA Save Workbook (Excel File)
  • VBA ThisWorkbook (Current Excel File)
  • VBA Workbook 
  • Declare Global Variable (Public) in VBA
  • Range or a Cell as a Variable in VBA
  • Option Explicit Statement in VBA
  • Variable in a Message Box
  • VBA Constants
  • VBA Dim Statement
  • VBA Variables (Declare, Data Types, and Scope)
  • VBA Add New Value to the Array
  • VBA Array
  • VBA Array Length (Size)
  • VBA Array with Strings
  • VBA Clear Array (Erase)
  • VBA Dynamic Array
  • VBA Loop Through an Array
  • VBA Multi-Dimensional Array
  • VBA Range to an Array
  • VBA Search for a Value in an Array
  • VBA Sort Array
  • How to Average Values in Excel using VBA
  • Get Today’s Date and Current Time using VBA
  • Sum Values in Excel using VBA
  • Match Function in VBA
  • MOD in VBA
  • Random Number
  • VBA Calculate (Cell, Range, Row, & Workbook)
  • VBA Concatenate
  • VBA Worksheet Function (Use Excel Functions in a Macro)
  • How to Check IF a Sheet Exists using VBA in Excel
  • VBA Check IF a Cell is Empty + Multiple Cells
  • VBA Check IF a Workbook Exists in a Folder (Excel File)
  • VBA Check IF a Workbook is Open (Excel File)
  • VBA Exit IF
  • VBA IF – IF Then Else Statement
  • VBA IF And (Test Multiple Conditions)
  • VBA IF Not
  • VBA IF OR (Test Multiple Conditions)
  • VBA Nested IF
  • VBA SELECT CASE Statement (Test Multiple Conditions)
  • VBA Automation Error (Error 440)
  • VBA Error 400
  • VBA ERROR Handling
  • VBA Invalid Procedure Call Or Argument Error (Error 5)
  • VBA Object Doesn’t Support this Property or Method Error (Error 438)
  • VBA Object Required Error (Error 424)
  • VBA Out of Memory Error (Error 7)
  • VBA Overflow Error (Error 6)
  • VBA Runtime Error (Error 1004)
  • VBA Subscript Out of Range Runtime Error (Error 9)
  • VBA Type Mismatch Error (Error 13)
  • Excel VBA Do While Loop and (Do Loop While)
  • How to Loop Through All the Sheets using VBA
  • Loop Through a Range using VBA
  • VBA FOR LOOP
  • VBA GoTo Statement
  • Input Box in VBA
  • VBA Create and Write to a Text File
  • VBA ScreenUpdating
  • VBA Status Bar
  • VBA Wait and Sleep

About the Author

puneet one point one

Puneet is using Excel since his college days. He helped thousands of people to understand the power of the spreadsheets and learn Microsoft Excel. You can find him online, tweeting about Excel, on a running track, or sometimes hiking up a mountain.

Welcome to part one of the Ultimate VBA Tutorial for beginners.

If you are brand new to VBA, then make sure that you have read the post How To Create a Macro From Scratch in Excel so that your environment is set up correctly to run macros.

In this Excel VBA tutorial you will learn how to create real-world macros. The focus is on learning by doing. This tutorial has coding examples and activities to help you on your way. You will find a quiz at the end of this VBA tutorial. You can use this to test your knowledge and see how much you have learned.

In part one of this VBA tutorial we will concentrate on the basics of creating Excel macros. See the next sections for the learning outcomes and for tips on getting started with VBA.

“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Learning Outcomes for this VBA Tutorial

When you finish this VBA tutorial you will be able to:

  1. Create a module
  2. Create a sub
  3. Understand the difference between a module and sub
  4. Run the code in a sub
  5. Write a value to a cell
  6. Copy the value from one cell to another
  7. Copy values from one range of cells to another
  8. Copy values between difference worksheets
  9. Test your output using the Immediate Window
  10. Write code faster using the With Statement
  11. Create and use variables
  12. Copy from a cell to a variable and vice versa

Before we get started, let’s look at some simple tips that will help you on your journey.

The Six Killer Tips For This VBA Tutorial

  1. Practice, Practice, Practice – Don’t try to learn by reading. Try the examples and activities.
  2. Type the code examples instead of copying and pasting – this will help you understand the code better.
  3. Have a clearly defined target for learning VBA. One you will know when you reach.
  4. Don’t be put off by errors. They help you write proper code.
  5. Start by creating simple macros for your work. Then create more complex ones as you get better.
  6. Don’t be afraid to work through each tutorial more than once.The more times you do it the more deeply embedded the knowledge will become.

Basic Terms Used in this VBA Tutorial

Excel Macros: A macro is a group of programming instructions we use to create automated tasks.

VBA: VBA is the programming language we use to create macros. It is short for Visual Basic for Applications.

Line of code: This a VBA instruction. Generally speaking, they perform one task.

Sub: A sub is made up of one or more lines of code. When we “Run” the sub, VBA goes through all the lines of code and carries out the appropriate actions. A macro and a sub are essentially the same thing.

Module: A module is simply a container for our subs. A module contains subs which in turn contain lines of code. There is no limit(within reason) to the number of modules in a workbook or the number of subs in a module.

VBA Editor: This is where we write our code. Pressing Alt + F11 switches between Excel and the Visual Basic Editor. If the Visual Basic editor is not currently open then pressing Alt + F11 will automatically open it.

The screenshot below shows the main parts of the Visual Basic Editor:

The Visual Basic Editor

Tip for the VBA Tutorial Activities

When you are working on the activities in this VBA Tutorial it is a good idea to close all other Excel workbooks.

Creating a Module

In Excel, we use the VBA language to create macros. VBA stands for Visual Basic for Applications.

When we use the term Excel Macros we are referring to VBA. The term macro is essentially another name for a sub. Any time you see the terms Excel Macros or VBA just remember they are referring to the same thing.

In VBA we create lines of instructions for VBA to process. We place the lines of code in a sub. These subs are stored in modules.

We can place our subs in the module of the worksheet. However, we generally only place code for worksheet events here.

In VBA, we create new modules to hold most of our subs. So for our first activity let’s go ahead and create a new module.

 Activity 1

  1. Open a new blank workbook in Excel.
  2. Open the Visual Basic Editor(Alt + F11).
  3. Go to the Project – VBAProject window on the left(Ctrl + R if it is not visible).
  4. Right-click on the workbook and click Insert and then Module.
  5. Click on Module1 in the Project – VBAProject window.
  6. In the Properties window in the bottom left(F4 if not visible), change the module name from module1 to MyFirstModule.

 End of Activity 1

The module is where you place your code. It is simply a container for code and you don’t use it for anything else.

You can think of a module like a section in a bookshop. It’s sole purpose is to store books and having similar books in a particular section makes the overall shop more organised.

The main window(or code window) is where the code is written. To view the code for any module including the worksheets you can double-click on the item in the Project – VBAProject window.

Let’s do this now so you can become familiar with the code window.

 Activity 2

  1. Open a new workbook and create a new module like you did in the last activity.
  2. Double-click on the new module in the Project – VBAProject window.
  3. The code window for this module will open. You will see the name in the title bar of Visual Basic.

VBA Tutorial 2A

 End of Activity 2

You can have as many modules as you like in a workbook and as many subs as you like within a module. It’s up to you how you want to name the modules and how you organize your subs within your modules.

In the next part of this VBA Tutorial, we are going to look at using subs.

How to Use Subs

A line of code is the instruction(s) we give to VBA. We group the lines of code into a sub. We place these subs in a module.

We create a sub so that VBA will process the instructions we give it. To do this we get VBA to Run the sub. When we select Run Sub from the menu, VBA will go through the lines of code in the sub and process them one at a time in the order they have been placed.

Let’s go ahead and create a sub. Then afterward, we will have a look at the lines of code and what they do.

 Activity 3

  1. Take the module you created in the last activity or create a new one.
  2. Select the module by double-clicking on it in the Project – VBAProject window. Make sure the name is visible in the title bar.
  3. Enter the following line in the code window and press enter.
    Sub WriteValue
    
  4. VBA will automatically add the second line End Sub. We place our code between these two lines.
  5. Between these two lines enter the line
     Sheet1.Range("A1") = 5
    

    You have created a sub! Let’s take it for a test drive.

  6. Click in the sub to ensure the cursor is placed there. Select Run->Run Sub/Userform from the menu(or press F5).
    Note: If you don’t place the cursor in the sub, VBA will display a list of available subs to run.
  7. Open Excel(Alt + F11). You will see the value 5 in the cell A1.
  8. Add each of the following lines to your sub, run the sub and check the results.
Sheet1.Range("B1") = "Some text"
Sheet1.Range("C3:E5") = 5.55
Sheet1.Range("F1") = Now

You should see “Some text” in cells B1, 5.55 in the cells C3 to E5 and the current time and date in the cell F1.

 End of Activity 3

Writing values to cells

Let’s look at the line of code we used in the previous section of this VBA Tutorial

Sheet1.Range("A1") = 5

We can also write this line like this

Sheet1.Range("A1").Value = 5

However in most cases we don’t need to use Value as this is the default property.

We use lines of code like these to assign(.i.e. copy) values between cells and variables.

VBA evaluates the right of the equals sign and places the result in the variable/cell/range that is to the left of the equals.

The line is saying “the left cellvariablerange will now be equal to the result of the item on the right”.

Tutorial 1 Assignment line parts

Let’s look the part of the code to the left of the equals sign

Sheet1.Range("A1") = 5

In this code , Sheet1 refers to the code name of the worksheet. We can only use the code name to reference worksheets in the workbook containing the code. We will look at this in the section The code name of the worksheet.

When we have the reference to a worksheet we can use the Range property of the worksheet to write to a range of one or more cells.

Using a line like this we can copy a value from one cell to another.

Here are some more examples:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub CopyValues()
    
    ' copies the value from C2 to A1
    Sheet1.Range("A1") = Sheet1.Range("C2")
    
    ' copies the value from D6 to A2
    Sheet1.Range("A2") = Sheet1.Range("D6")
    
    ' copies the value from B1 on sheet2 to A3 on sheet1
    Sheet1.Range("A3") = Sheet2.Range("B1")
    
    ' writes result of D1 + D2 to A4
    Sheet1.Range("A4") = Sheet2.Range("D1") + Sheet2.Range("D2")
    
End Sub

Now it’s your turn to try some examples. Copying between cells is a fundamental part of Excel VBA, so understanding this will really help you on your path to VBA mastery.

 Activity 4

      1. Create a new Excel workbook.
      2. Manually add values to the cells in sheet1 as follows: 20 to C1 and 80 to C2.
      3. Create a new sub called Act4.
      4. Write code to place the value from C1 in cell A1.
      5. Write code to place the result of C2 + 50 in cell A2.
      6. Write code to multiply the values in cells C1 and C2. Place the results in cell A3.
      7. Run the code. Cells should have the values A1 20, A2 130 and A3 1600

 End of Activity 4

Cells in Different Sheets

We can easily copy between cells on different worksheets. It is very similar to how we copy cells on the same worksheet. The only difference is the worksheet names which we use in our code.

In the next VBA Tutorial activity, we are going to write between cells on different worksheets.

 Activity 5

      1. Add a new worksheet to the workbook from the last activity. You should now have two worksheets called which are called Sheet1 and Sheet2.
      2. Create a new sub called Act5.
      3. Add code to copy the value from C1 on Sheet1 to cell A1 on Sheet2.
      4. Add code to place the result from C1 + C2 on Sheet1 to cell A2 on Sheet2.
      5. Add code to place the result from C1 * C2 on Sheet1 to cell A3 on Sheet2.
      6. Run the code in the sub(F5). Cells on Sheet2 should have the values as follows:
        A1 20, A2 100 and A3 1600

 End of Activity 5

The Code Name of the Worksheet

In the activities so far, we have been using the default names of the worksheet such as Sheet1 and Sheet2. It is considered good practice to give these sheets more meaningful names.

We do this by changing the code name of the worksheet. Let’s look at the code name and what it is.

When you look in the Project – VBAProject window for a new workbook you will see Sheet1 both inside and outside of parenthesis:

VBA Code name

      • Sheet1 on the left is the code name of the worksheet.
      • Sheet1 on the right(in parenthesis) is the worksheet name. This is the name you see on the tab in Excel.

The code name has the following attributes

      1. We can use it to directly reference the worksheet as we have been doing e.g.
Sheet1.Range("A1")

Note: We can only use the code name if the worksheet is in the same workbook as our code.

      1. If the worksheet name is changed our code will still work if we are using the code name to refer to the sheet.

The worksheet name has the following attributes

      1. To reference the worksheet using the worksheet name we need to use the worksheets collection of the workbook. e.g.
ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1").Range("A1")
      1. If the worksheet name changes then we need to change the name in our code. For example, if we changed the name of our sheet from Sheet1 to Data then we would need to change the above code as follows
ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Data").Range("A1")

We can only change the code name in the Properties window.
We can change the worksheet name from both the worksheet tab in Excel and from the Properties window.

VBA Code name

worksheet name on tab

In the next activity, we will change the code name of the worksheet.

 Activity 6

      1. Open a new blank workbook and go to the Visual Basic editor.
      2. Click on Sheet1 in the Project – VBAProject Window(Ctrl + R if not visible).
      3. Go to the Properties window(F4 if not visible).
      4. Change the code name of the worksheet to shReport.
      5. Create a new module and call it modAct6.
      6. Add the following sub and run it(F5)
Sub UseCodename()
    shReport.Range("A1") = 66
End Sub
      1. Then add the following sub and run it(F5)
Sub UseWorksheetname()
    ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1").Range("B2") = 55
End Sub
      1. Cell A1 should now have the value 66 and cell B2 should have the value 55.
      2. Change the name of the worksheet in Excel to Report i.e. right-click on the worksheet tab and rename.
      3. Delete the contents of the cells and run the UseCodename code again. The code should still run correctly.
      4. Run the UseWorksheetname sub again. You will get the error “Subscript out of Range”. This cryptically sounding error simply means that there is no worksheet called Sheet1 in the worksheets collection.
      5. Change the code as follows and run it again. The code will now run correctly.
Sub UseWorksheetname()
    ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Report").Range("B2") = 55
End Sub

The With keyword

You may have noticed in this VBA Tutorial that we need to use the worksheet name repeatedly – each time we refer to a range in our code.

Imagine there was a simpler way of writing the code. Where we could just mention the worksheet name once and VBA would apply to any range we used after that. The good news is we can do exactly that using the With statement.

In VBA we can take any item before a full stop and use the With statement on it. Let’s rewrite some code using the With statement.

The following code is pretty similar to what we have been using so far in this VBA Tutorial:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub WriteValues()

    Sheet1.Range("A1") = Sheet1.Range("C1")
    Sheet1.Range("A2") = Sheet1.Range("C2") + 50
    Sheet1.Range("A3") = Sheet1.Range("C1") * Sheet1.Range("C2")
    
End Sub

Let’s update this code using the With statement:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub UsingWith()

    With Sheet1
        .Range("A1") = .Range("C1")
        .Range("A2") = .Range("C2") + 50
        .Range("A3") = .Range("C1") * .Range("C2")
    End With
        
End Sub

We use With and the worksheet to start the section. Anywhere VBA finds a full stop it knows to use the worksheet before it.

We can use the With statement with other types of objects in VBA including workbooks, ranges, charts and so on.

We signify the end of the With section by using the line End With.

Indenting(Tabbing) the Code
You will notice that the lines of code between the start and end With statments are tabbed once to right. We call this indenting the code.

We always indent the code between VBA sections that have a starting line and end line. Examples of these are as subs, the With statement, the If statement and the For loop.

You can tab the lines of code to the right by selecting the appropriate lines of code and pressing the Tab key. Pressing Shift and Tab will tab to the left.

Tabbing(or indenting) is useful because it makes our code more readable.

 Activity 7

      1. Rewrite the following code using the With statement. Don’t forget to indent the code.
' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub UseWith()

Sheet1.Range("A1") = Sheet1.Range("B3") * 6
Sheet1.Cells(2, 1) = Sheet1.Range("C2") + 50
Sheet1.Range("A3") = Sheet2.Range("C3")


End Sub

 End of Activity 7

Copying values between multiple cells

You can copy the values from one range of cells to another range of cells as follows

Sheet2.Range("A1:D4") = Sheet2.Range("G2:I5").Value

It is very important to notice than we use the Value property of the source range. If we leave this out it will write blank values to our destination range.

' the source cells will end up blank because Value is missing
Sheet2.Range("A1:D4") = Sheet2.Range("G2:I5")

The code above is a very efficient way to copy values between cells. When people are new to VBA they often think they need to use some form of select, copy and paste to copy cell values. However these are slow, cumbersome and unnecessary.

It is important that both the destination and source ranges are the same size.

      • If the destination range is smaller then only cell in the range will be filled. This is different to copy/pasting where we only need to specify the first destination cell and Excel will fill in the rest.
      • If the destination range is larger the extra cells will be filled with #N/A.

 Activity 8

      1. Create a new blank workbook in Excel.
      2. Add a new worksheet to this workbook so there are two sheets – Sheet1 and Sheet2.
      3. Add the following data to the range C2:E4 on Sheet1

VBA Tutorial Act 7

      1. Write code to copy the data from Sheet1 to the range B3:D5 on Sheet2.
      2. Run the code(F5).
      3. Clear the results and then change the destination range to be smaller than the source range. Run again and check the results.
      4. Clear the results and then change the destination range to be larger than the source range. Run again and check the results.

 End of Activity 8

Transposing a Range of Cells

If you need to transpose the date(convert from row to column and vice versa) you can use the WorksheetFunction Transpose.

Place the values 1 to 4 in the cells A1 to A4. The following code will write the values to E1 to H1

Sheet1.Range("E1:H1") = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Sheet1.Range("A1:A4").Value)

The following code will read from E1:H1 to L1:L4

Sheet1.Range("L1:L4") = WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Sheet1.Range("E1:H1").Value)

You will notice that these lines are long. We can split one line over multiple lines by using the underscore(_) e.g.

Sheet1.Range("E1:H1") = _ 
    WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Sheet1.Range("A1:A4").Value)
Sheet1.Range("L1:L4") = _
    WorksheetFunction.Transpose(Sheet1.Range("E1:H1").Value)

How to Use Variables

So far in this VBA Tutorial we haven’t used variables. Variables are an essential part of every programming language.

So what are they and why do you need them?

Variables are like cells in memory. We use them to store temporary values while our code is running.

We do three things with variables

      1. Declare(i.e. Create) the variable.
      2. Store a value in the variable.
      3. Read the value stored in the variable.

The variables types we use are the same as the data types we use in Excel.

The table below shows the common variables. There are other types but you will rarely use them. In fact you will probably use Long and String for 90% of your variables.

Type Details
Boolean Can be true or false only
Currency same as decimal but with 4 decimal places only
Date Use for date/time
Double Use for decimals
Long Use for integers
String Use for text
Variant VBA will decide the type at runtime

Declaring Variables

Before we use variables we should create them. If we don’t then we can run into various problems.

By default, VBA doesn’t make you declare variables. However, we should turn this behaviour on as it will save us a lot of pain in the long run.

To turn on “Require Variable Declaration” we add the following line to the top of our module

Option Explicit

To get VBA to automatically add this line, select Tools->Options from the menu and check Require Variable Declaration. Anytime you create a new module, VBA will add this line to the top.

VBA Option Explicit

Declaring a variable is simple. We use the format as follows

Dim variable_name As Type

We can use anything we like as the variable name. The type is one of the types from the table above. Here are some examples of declarations

Dim Total As Long
Dim Point As Double
Dim Price As Currency
Dim StartDate As Date
Dim CustomerName As String
Dim IsExpired As Boolean
Dim Item As Variant

To place a value in a variable we use the same type of statement we previously used to place a value in a cell. This is the statement with the equals sign:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub DeclaringVars()

    Dim Total As Long
    Total = 1
        
    Dim Price As Currency
    Price = 29.99
    
    Dim StartDate As Date
    StartDate = #1/21/2018#
    
    Dim CustomerName As String
    CustomerName = "John Smith"
    
End Sub

 Activity 9

      1. Create a new sub and call it UsingVariables.
      2. Declare a variable for storing a count and set the value to 5.
      3. Declare a variable for storing the ticket price and set the value to 99.99.
      4. Declare a variable for storing a country and set the value to “Spain”.
      5. Declare a variable for storing the end date and set the value to 21st March 2020.
      6. Declare a variable for storing if something is completed. Set the value to False.

 End of Activity 9

The Immediate Window

VBA has a real nifty tool that allows us to check our output. This tool is the Immediate Window. By using the Debug.Print we can write values, text and results of calculations to the Immediate Window.

To view this window you can select View->Immediate Window from the menu or press Ctrl + G.

The values will be written even if the Immediate Window is not visible.

We can use the Immediate Window to write out our variables so as to check the values they contain.

If we update the code from the last activity we can write out the values of each variable. Run the code below and check the result in the Immediate Window(Ctrl + G if not visible).

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub WritingToImmediate()
    
    Dim count As Long
    count = 5
    Debug.Print count
    
    Dim ticketprice As Currency
    ticketprice = 99.99
    Debug.Print ticketprice
    
    Dim country As String
    country = "Spain"
    Debug.Print country
    
    Dim enddate As Date
    enddate = #3/21/2020#
    Debug.Print enddate
    
    Dim iscompleted As Boolean
    iscompleted = False
    Debug.Print iscompleted
        
End Sub

The Immediate is very useful for testing output before we write it to worksheets. We will be using it a lot in these tutorials.

Writing between variables and cells

We can write and read values between cells and cells, cells and variables,and variables and variables using the assignment line we have seen already.

Here are some examples

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub VariablesCells()

    Dim price1 As Currency, price2 As Currency
    
    ' place value from A1 to price1
    price1 = Sheet1.Range("A1")
    
    ' place value from price1 to price2
    price2 = price1
    
    ' place value from price2 to cell b2
    Sheet1.Range("B2") = price2
    
    ' Print values to Immediate window
    Debug.Print "Price 1 is " & price1
    Debug.Print "Price 2 is " & price2

End Sub

 Activity 10

      1. Create a blank workbook and a worksheet so it has two worksheets: Sheet1 and Sheet2.
      2. Place the text “New York” in cell A1 on Sheet1. Place the number 49 in cell C1 on Sheet2.
      3. Create a sub that reads the values into variables from these cells.
      4. Add code to write the values to the Immediate window.

 End of Activity 10

Type Mismatch Errors

You may be wondering what happens if you use an incorrect type. For example, what happens if you read the number 99.55 to a Long(integer) variable type.

What happens is that VBA does it best to convert the variable. So if we assign the number 99.55 to a Long type, VBA will convert it to an integer.

In the code below it will round the number to 100.

Dim i As Long
i = 99.55

VBA will pretty much convert between any number types e.g.

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub Conversion()

    Dim result As Long
    
    result = 26.77
    result = "25"
    result = 24.55555
    result = "24.55"  
    Dim c As Currency
    c = 23
    c = "23.334"
    result = 24.55
    c = result

End Sub

However, even VBA has it’s limit. The following code will result in Type Mismatch errors as VBA cannot convert the text to a number

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub Conversion()

    Dim result As Long
    
    result = "26.77A"
    
    Dim c As Currency
    c = "a34"

End Sub

Tip: The Type Mismatch error is often caused by a user accidentally placing text in a cell that should have numeric data.

 Activity 11

      1. Declare a Double variable type called amount.
      2. Assign a value that causes a Type Mismatch error.
      3. Run the code and ensure the error occurs.

 End of Activity 11

VBA Tutorial Assignment

We’ve covered a lot of stuff in this tutorial. So let’s put it all together in the following assignment

 Tutorial One Assignment

I have created a simple workbook for this assignment. You can download it using the link below

Tutorial One Assignment Workbook

Open the assignment workbook. You will place your code here

      1. Create a module and call it Assignment1.
      2. Create a sub called Top5Report to write the data in all the columns from the top 5 countries to the Top 5 section in the Report worksheet. This is the range starting at B3 on the Report worksheet. Use the code name to refers to the worksheets.
      3. Create a sub call AreaReport to write all the areas size to the All the Areas section in the Report worksheet. This is the range H3:H30. Use the worksheet name to refer to the worksheets.
      4. Create a sub called ImmediateReport as follows, read the area and population from Russia to two variables. Print the population per square kilometre(pop/area) to the Immediate Window.
      5. Create a new worksheet and call it areas. Set the code name to be shAreas. Create a sub called RowsToCols that reads all the areas in D2:D11 from Countries worksheet and writes them to the range A1:J1 in the new worksheet Areas.

End of Tutorial Assignment

The following quiz is based on what we covered this tutorial.

VBA Tutorial One Quiz

1. What are the two main differences between the code name and the worksheet name?

2. What is the last line of a Sub?

3. What statement shortens our code by allowing us to write the object once but refer to it multiple times?

4. What does the following code do?

Sheet1.Range("D1") = result

5. What does the following code do?

Sheet1.Range("A1:C3") = Sheet2.Range("F1:H3")

6. What is the output from the following code?

Dim amount As Long
amount = 7

Debug.Print (5 + 6)  * amount  

7. What is the output from the following code?

Dim amt1 As Long, amt2 As Long

amt1 = "7.99"
Debug.Print amt1

amt2 = "14a"
Debug.Print amt2

8. If we have 1,2 and 3 in the cells A1,A2 and A3 respectively, what is the result of the following code?

Sheet1.Range("B1:B4") = Sheet1.Range("A1:A3").Value

9. What does the shortcut key Alt + F11 do?

10. In the following code we declare a variable but do not assign it a value. what is the output of the Debug.Print statement?

Dim amt As Long

Debug.Print amt

Conclusion of the VBA Tutorial Part One

Congratulations on finishing tutorial one. If you have completed the activities and the quiz then you will have learned some important concepts that will stand to you as you work with VBA.

In the Tutorial 2, we are going to deal with ranges where the column or row may differ each time the application runs. In this tutorial, we will cover

      • How to get the last row or column with data.
      • The amazingly efficient CurrentRegion property.
      • How to use flexbile rows and columns.
      • When to use Range and when to use Cells.
      • and much more…

.

Please note: that Tutorials 2 to 4 are available as part of the VBA Fundamentals course in the membership section.

What’s Next?

Planning to build or manage a VBA Application? Learn how to build 10 Excel VBA applications from scratch.

Понравилась статья? Поделить с друзьями:
  • Coding in excel sheet
  • Coding forms in excel
  • Codesys преобразовать word в real
  • Codesys word to array
  • Codes in word document