Entering vba in excel

The first step to working with VBA in Excel is to get yourself familiarized with the Visual Basic Editor (also called the VBA Editor or VB Editor).

In this tutorial, I will cover all there is to know about the VBA Editor and some useful options that you should know when coding in Excel VBA.

What is Visual Basic Editor in Excel?

Visual Basic Editor is a separate application that is a part of Excel and opens whenever you open an Excel workbook. By default, it’s hidden and to access it, you need to activate it.

VB Editor is the place where you keep the VB code.

There are multiple ways you get the code in the VB Editor:

  1. When you record a macro, it automatically creates a new module in the VB Editor and inserts the code in that module.
  2. You can manually type VB code in the VB editor.
  3. You can copy a code from some other workbook or from the internet and paste it in the VB Editor.

Opening the VB Editor

There are various ways to open the Visual Basic Editor in Excel:

  1. Using a Keyboard Shortcut (easiest and fastest)
  2. Using the Developer Tab.
  3. Using the Worksheet Tabs.

Let’s go through each of these quickly.

Keyboard Shortcut to Open the Visual Basic Editor

The easiest way to open the Visual Basic editor is to use the keyboard shortcut – ALT + F11 (hold the ALT key and press the F11 key).

Keyboard Shortcut to open Visual Basic Editor in Excel

As soon as you do this, it will open a separate window for the Visual Basic editor.

This shortcut works as a toggle, so when you use it again, it will take you back to the Excel application (without closing the VB Editor).

The shortcut for the Mac version is Opt + F11 or Fn + Opt + F11

Using the Developer Tab

To open the Visual Basic Editor from the ribbon:

  1. Click the Developer tab (if you don’t see a developer tab, read this on how to get it).
  2. In the Code group, click on Visual Basic.

Visual Basic Editor button in the ribbon

Using the Worksheet Tab

This is a less used method to open the Vb Editor.

Go to any of the worksheet tabs, right-click, and select ‘View Code’.

View code to open the VB Editor

This method wouldn’t just open the VB Editor, it will also take you to the code window for that worksheet object.

This is useful when you want to write code that works only for a specific worksheet. This is usually the case with worksheet events.

Anatomy of the Visual Basic Editor in Excel

When you open the VB Editor for the first time, it may look a bit overwhelming.

There are different options and sections that may seem completely new at first.

Also, it still has an old Excel 97 days look. While Excel has improved tremendously in design and usability over the years, the VB Editor has not seen any change in the way it looks.

In this section, I will take you through the different parts of the Visual Basic Editor application.

Note: When I started using VBA years ago, I was quite overwhelmed with all these new options and windows. But as you get used to working with VBA, you would get comfortable with most of these. And most of the time, you’ll not be required to use all the options, only a hand full.

Below is an image of the different components of the VB Editor. These are then described in detail in the below sections of this tutorial.

Different Parts of the VB Editor in Excel

Now let’s quickly go through each of these components and understand what it does:

Menu Bar

This is where you have all the options that you can use in the VB Editor. It is similar to the Excel ribbon where you have tabs and options with each tab.

You can explore the available options by clicking on each of the menu element.

You will notice that most of the options in VB Editor have keyboard shortcuts mentioned next to it. Once you get used to a few keyboard shortcuts, working with the VB Editor becomes really easy.

Tool Bar

By default, there is a toolbar in the VB Editor which has some useful options that you’re likely to need most often. This is just like the Quick Access Toolbar in Excel. It gives you quick access to some of the useful options.

You can customize it a little by removing or adding options to it (by clicking on the small downward pointing arrow at the end of the toolbar).

Add or Remove options in the toolbar

In most cases, the default toolbar is all you need when working with the VB Editor.

You can move the toolbar above the menu bar by clicking on the three gray dots (at the beginning of the toolbar) and dragging it above the menu bar.

Note: There are four toolbars in the VB Editor – Standard, Debug, Edit, and User form. What you see in the image above (which is also the default) is the standard toolbar. You can access other toolbars by going to the View option and hovering the cursor on the Toolbars option. You can add one or more toolbars to the VB Editor if you want.

Project Explorer

Project Explorer is a window on the left that shows all the objects currently open in Excel.

When you’re working with Excel, every workbook or add-in that is open is a project. And each of these projects can have a collection of objects in it.

For example, in the below image, the Project Explorer shows the two workbooks that are open (Book1 and Book2) and the objects in each workbook (worksheets, ThisWorkbook, and Module in Book1).

There is a plus icon to the left of objects that you can use to collapse the list of objects or expand and see the complete list of objects.

Project Explorer in Excel VBA Editor

The following objects can be a part of the Project Explorer:

  1. All open Workbooks – within each workbook (which is also called a project), you can have the following objects:
    • Worksheet object for each worksheet in the workbook
    • ThisWorkbook object which represents the workbook itself
    • Chartsheet object for each chart sheet (these are not as common as worksheets)
    • Modules – This is where the code that is generated with a macro recorder goes. You can also write or copy-paste VBA code here.
  2. All open Add-ins

Consider the Project Explorer as a place that outlines all the objects open in Excel at the given time.

The keyboard shortcut to open the Project Explorer is Control + R (hold the control key and then press R). To close it, simply click the close icon at the top right of the Project Explorer window.

Note: For every object in Project Explorer, there is a code window in which you can write the code (or copy and paste it from somewhere). The code window appears when you double click on the object.

Properties Window

Properties window is where you get to see the properties of the select object. If you don’t have the Properties window already, you can get it by using the keyboard shortcut F4 (or go to the View tab and click Properties window).

Properties window is a floating window which you can dock in the VB Editor. In the below example, I have docked it just below the Project Explorer.

Properties Window is docked below Project Explorer

Properties window allows us to change the properties of a selected object. For example, if I want to make a worksheet hidden (or very hidden), I can do that by changing the Visible Property of the selected worksheet object.

Changing the Visible Property of the Worksheet in Properties Window

Related: Hiding a Worksheet in Excel (that can not be un-hidden easily)

Code Window

There is a code window for each object that is listed in the Project Explorer. You can open the code window for an object by double-clicking on it in the Project Explorer area.

Code window is where you’ll write your code or copy paste a code from somewhere else.

When you record a macro, the code for it goes into the code window of a module. Excel automatically inserts a module to place the code in it when recording a macro.

Related: How to Run a Macro (VBA Code) in Excel.

Immediate Window

The Immediate window is mostly used when debugging code. One way I use the Immediate window is by using a Print.Debug statement within the code and then run the code.

It helps me to debug the code and determine where my code gets stuck. If I get the result of Print.Debug in the immediate window, I know the code worked at least till that line.

If you’re new to VBA coding, it may take you some time to be able to use the immediate window for debugging.

By default, the immediate window is not visible in the VB Editor. You can get it by using the keyboard shortcut Control + G (or can go to the View tab and click on ‘Immediate Window’).

Where to Add Code in the VB Editor

I hope you now have a basic understanding of what VB Editor is and what all parts it has.

In this section of this tutorial, I will show you where to add a VBA code in the Visual Basic Editor.

There are two places where you can add the VBA code in Excel:

  1. The code window for an object. These objects can be a workbook, worksheet, User Form, etc.
  2. The code window of a module.

Module Code Window Vs Object Code Window

Let me first quickly clear the difference between adding a code in a module vs adding a code in an object code window.

When you add a code to any of the objects, it’s dependent on some action of that object that will trigger that code. For example, if you want to unhide all the worksheets in a workbook as soon as you open that workbook, then the code would go in the ThisWorkbook object (which represents the workbook).

The trigger, in this case, is opening the workbook.

Similarly, if you want to protect a worksheet as soon as some other worksheet is activated, the code for that would go in the worksheet code window.

These triggers are called events and you can associate a code to be executed when an event occurs.

Related: Learn more about Events in VBA.

On the contrary, the code in the module needs to be executed either manually (or it can be called from other subroutines as well).

When you record a macro, Excel automatically creates a module and inserts the recorded macro code in it. Now if you have to run this code, you need to manually execute the macro.

Adding VBA Code in Module

While recording a macro automatically creates a module and inserts the code in it, there are some limitations when using a macro recorder. For example, it can not use loops or If Then Else conditions.

In such cases, it’s better to either copy and paste the code manually or write the code yourself.

A module can be used to hold the following types of VBA codes:

  1. Declarations: You can declare variables in a module. Declaring variables allows you to specify what type of data a variable can hold. You can declare a variable for a sub-routine only or for all sub-routines in the module (or all modules)
  2. Subroutines (Procedures): This is the code that has the steps you want VBA to perform.
  3. Function Procedures: This is a code that returns a single value and you can use it to create custom functions (also called User Defined Functions or UDFs in VBA)

By default, a module is not a part of the workbook. You need to insert it first before using it.

Adding a Module in the VB Editor

Below are the steps to add a module:

  1. Right-click on any object of the workbook (in which you want the module).Right click on any object
  2. Hover the cursor on the Insert option.
  3. Click on Module.Click on Module

This would instantly create a folder called Module and insert an object called Module 1. If you already have a module inserted, the above steps would insert another module.

Inserted Module in the VB Editor

Once the module is inserted, you can double click on the module object in the Project Explorer and it will open the code window for it.

Now you can copy-paste the code or write it yourself.

Removing the Module

Below are the steps to remove a module in Excel VBA:

  1. Right-click on the module that you want to remove.
  2. Click on Remove Module option.Remove Module for a Project in the VB Editor
  3. In the dialog box that opens, click on No.Prompt before a module is deleted

Note: You can export a module before removing it. It gets saved as a .bas file and you can import it in some other project. To export a module, right-click on the module and click on ‘Export file’.

Adding Code to the Object Code Window

To open the code window for an object, simply double-click on it.

When it opens, you can enter the code manually or copy-paste the code from other modules or from the internet.

Note that some of the objects allow you to choose the event for which you want to write the code.

For example, if you want to write a code for something to happen when selection is changed in the worksheet, you need to first select worksheets from the drop-down at the top left of the code window and then select the change event from the drop-down on the right.

Selection Change Event in VBA Code Window

Note: These events are specific to the object. When you open the code window for a workbook, you will see the events related to the workbook object. When you open the code window for a worksheet, you will see the events related to the worksheet object.

Customizing the VB Editor

While the default settings of the Visual Basic Editor are good enough for most users, it does allow you to further customize the interface and a few functionalities.

In this section of the tutorial, I will show you all the options you have when customizing the VB Editor.

To customize the VB Editor environment, click Tools in the menu bar and then click on Options.

This would open the Options dialog box which will give you all the customization options in the VB Editor. The ‘Options’ dialog box has four tabs (as shown below) that have various customizations options for the Visual Basic Editor.

Options to customize the Vb Editor

Let’s quickly go through each of these tabs and the important options in each.

Editor Tab

While the inbuilt settings work fine in most cases, let me still go through the options in this tab.

As you get more proficient working with VBA in Excel, you may want to customize the VB Editor using some of these options.

Auto Syntax Check

When working with VBA in Excel, as soon as you make a syntax error, you will be greeted by a pop-up dialog box (with some description about the error). Something as shown below:

Auto Syntax Check in Visual Basic Editor Options

If you disable this option, this pop-up box will not appear even when you make a syntax error. However, there would be a change in color in the code text to indicate that there is an error.

If you’re a beginner, I recommend you keep this option enabled. As you get more experienced with coding, you may start finding these pop-up boxes irritating, and then you can disable this option.

Require Variable Declaration

This is one option I recommend enabling.

When you’re working with VBA, you would be using variables to hold different data types and objects.

When you enable this option, it automatically inserts the ‘Option Explicit’ statement at the top of the code window. This forces you to declare all the variables that you’re using in your code. If you don’t declare a variable and try to execute the code, it will show an error (as shown below).

Varibale Not Declared Error in Excel VBA

In the above case, I used the variable Var, but I didn’t declare it. So when I try to run the code, it shows an error.

This option is quite useful when you have a lot of variables. It often helps me find misspelled variables names as they are considered as undeclared and an error is shown.

Note: When you enable this option, it does not impact the existing modules.

Auto List Member

This option is quite useful as it helps you get a list of properties of methods for an object.

For example, if I want to delete a worksheet (Sheet1), I need to use the line Sheet1.Delete.

While I am typing the code, as soon as I type the dot, it will show me all the methods and properties associated with the Worksheet object (as shown below).

Autolist Member Option in VB Editor

Auto list feature is great as it allows you to:

  • Quickly select the property and method from the list and saves time
  • Shows you all the properties and methods which you may not be aware of
  • Avoid making spelling errors

This option is enabled by default and I recommend keeping it that way.

Auto Quick Info Options

When you type a function in Excel worksheet, it shows you some information about the function – such as the arguments it takes.

Similarly, when you type a function in VBA, it shows you some information (as shown below). But for that to happen, you need to make sure the Auto Quick Info option is enabled (which it is by default).

Auto Quick Info Option in VB Editor

Auto Data Tips Options

When you’re going through your code line by line and place your cursor above a variable name, it will show you the value of the variable.

I find it quite useful when debugging the code or going through the code line by line which has loops in it.

Auto Data Tips Option in Visual Basic Editor Options

In the above example, as soon as I put the cursor over the variable (var), it shows the value it holds.

This option is enabled by default and I recommend you keep it that way.

Auto Indent

Since VBA codes can get long and messy, using indentation increases the readability of the code.

When writing code, you can indent using the tab key.

This option ensures that when you are done with the indented line and hit enter, the next line doesn’t start from the very beginning, but has the same indentation as the previous line.

Indentation enabled in the VB Editor code windows

In the above example, after I write the Debug.Print line and hit enter, it will start right below it (with the same indentation level).

I find this option useful and turning this off would mean manually indenting each line in a block of code that I want indented.

You can change the indentation value if you want. I keep it at the default value.

Drag and Drop Text Editing

When this option is enabled, it allows you to select a block of code and drag and drop it.

It saves time as you don’t have to first cut and then paste it. You can simply select and drag it.

This option is enabled by default and I recommend you keep it that way.

Default to Full Module View

When this option is enabled, you will be able to see all the procedures in a module in one single scrollable list.

If you disable this option, you will only be able to see one module at a time. You will have to make a selection of the module you want to see from the drop-down at the top right of the code window.

This option is enabled by default and I recommend keeping it that way.

One reason you may want to disable it when you have multiple procedures that are huge and scrolling across these is taking time, or when you have a lot of procedures and you want to quickly find it instead of wasting time in scrolling.

Procedure Separator

When this option is enabled, you will see a line (a kind of divider) between two procedures.

I find this useful as it visually shows when one procedure ends and the other one starts.

Procedure Separator Option in VB Editor

It’s enabled by default and I recommend keeping it that way.

Editor Format Tab

With the options in the Editor Format tab, you can customize the way your code looks in the code window.

Personally, I keep all the default options as I am fine with it. If you want, you can tweak this based on your preference.

To make a change, you need to first select an option in the Code Colors box. Once an option is selected, you can modify the foreground, background, and indicator color for it.

The font type and font size can also be set in this tab. It’s recommended to use a fixed-width font such as Courier New, as it makes the code more readable.

Note that the font type and size setting will remain the same for all code types (i.e., all the code types shown in the code color box).

Below is an image where I have selected Breakpoint, and I can change the formatting of it.

Editor Format Options in VB Editor

Note: The Margin Indicator Bar option when enabled shows a little margin bar to the left of the code. It’s helpful as it shows useful indicators when executing the code. In the above example, when you set a breakpoint, it will automatically show a red dot to the left of the line in the margin bar. Alternatively, to set a breakpoint, you can simply click on the margin bar on the left of the code line that you want as the breakpoint.

By default, Margin Indicator Bar is enabled and I recommend keeping it that way.

One of my VBA course students found this customization options useful and she was color blind. Using the options here, she was able to set the color and formats that made it easy for her to work with VBA.

General Tab

The General tab has many options but you don’t need to change any of it.

I recommend you keep all the options as is.

One important option to know about in this tab is Error Handling.

By default, ‘Break on Unhandled Errors’ is selected and I recommend keeping it that way.

This option means that if your code encounters an error, and you have not handled that error in your code already, then it will break and stop. But if you have addressed the error (such as by using On Error Resume Next or On Error Goto options), then it will not break (as the errors are not unhandled).

Docking Tab

In this tab, you can specify which windows you want to get docked.

Docking means that you can fix the position of a window (such as project explorer or the Properties window) so that it doesn’t float around and you can view all the different windows at the same time.

If you don’t dock, you will be able to view one window at a time in full-screen mode and will have to switch to the other one.

I recommend keeping the default settings.

Other Excel tutorials you may like:

  • How to Remove Macros From an Excel Workbook
  • Comments in Excel VBA (Add, Remove, Block Commenting)
  • Using Active Cell in VBA in Excel (Examples)

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.



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Excel VBA is a powerful tool which enables the automation of tasks in Excel. It can be used to automate many repetitive tasks along with more complex applications. This quick tip guide shows you how to open the Excel Visual Basic Editor (aka Excel VBA Editor) and get started with VBA programming in Excel. Having access to the VBA editor lets you write your own VBA code or review recorded macros. Read on to see How to Open and Start Using the MS Excel VBA Editor

Excel VBA - Project Manager

Excel VBA - Visual Basic Editor

To open Excel visual basic editor,

Click the visual basic button on the developer tab.

If the Developer tab is not present, go to File -> Options -> customize ribbon and tick Developer.

You can also open VBA in Excel using Alt + F11 keyboard shortcut.

What is the VBA Editor

Great, now you’re in the editor, what is it? Microsoft Excel’s Visual basic editor can be referred to as, VBA editor, VB editor and even VBE. It is all the same thing. It’s the place where you can create macros and write scripts in Excel VBA.

The most basic sections of the editor is the Project View in which you can see modules listed down the left hand side. Think of this like a folder for your macros. Modules contain the code that is required for your macros to work. Its beyond the scope of this article to go into how to split out your code into objects but modules gives the user a powerful tool to create efficient and well organized code.

Excel VBA - Modules

To get started writing code you will need to create a new module. Add a new module in VBA editor by clicking on VBAProject(Book1), right click, Insert Model. Delete a module by simply right clicking, Remove Module. Excel will prompt you to confirm before deleting.

Excel VBA Editor - New Module

Record a Macro in Excel

Recording a macro in Excel is a great way to automate tasks as well as a great tool to help learn more VBA code. A common trick is to record a macro and then review the VBA code to see how it works. Now you know how to open the VBA editor in Excel you should be able to record a macro, open the editor and view the code. You’ll see the system generated VBA can be messy but it will give you the key snippets of code needed for the desired action. These can be things as simple as formatting, copying, pasting, deleting or selecting a sell. Alternatively, you could get quite advanced and carry out entire tasks before going into the Excel visual basic editor to review the code.

The world really is your oyster when you get started recording macros in excel. Top tip is to start with small steps. You can always bulk all your small macros into one at a later stage but when it comes to reviewing each step its useful to keep it separate, at least when you are first getting started.

Excel VBA Editor - Record Macro

 Run a Macro in Excel VBA Editor

Once you have entered the VBA editor, created a module and written some code you will want to run the code.

To run VBA code in VBA editor simply click the Run Macro button which is shaped like a small green triangle on the toolbar. You can also Run Macro in Excel VBA editor by pressing F5 shortcut.

Excel VBA Editor - Run Macro (F5)

This is a very quick introduction to show you how to open VBA in excel, create a new module and also run your macro once written. To write some actual code, as we have suggested above, a great tip is to record macros and then go back and review the code in the MS Excel VBA editor. You’ll be surprised how messy the generated VBA can get but it will give you the key snippets of VBA code you need to get started with Excel VBA programming and is a great way of learning the syntax of VBA. Alternatively, Google is your best friend when it comes to writing macros. So what are you waiting for, press Alt + F11 in Excel and get coding in VBA!

What to do next? REad our quick Introduction to VBA for MS Excel

In this Article

  • Opening the Visual Basic Editor
    • To enable the Developer Ribbon
  • Understanding the VBE Screen
    • Inserting a module or form into your code
    • Removing a Module or Form from the Project Explorer
    • The Properties Window
    • The Code Window
  • Understanding the Code
    • Sub Procedures
    • Function Procedures
  • Creating a new Procedure
  • Writing Code that is easy to understand and navigate
    • Adding Comments
    • Indenting
    • UpperCase vs LowerCase
    • AutoComplete
  • Error trapping and Debugging
    • Syntax errors
    • Compilation Errors
    • Runtime Errors
    • Logical Errors
    • On Error Go To
    • On Error Resume Next

This tutorial will show you how to open and program in the Visual Basic Editor in VBA.

Opening the Visual Basic Editor

There are a few ways to access the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) in Excel.

Press Alt + F11 on your keyboard.

OR

Click View > Macros > View Macros. From here you can Edit an existing macro or Create a new one. Either option opens up the VB Editor.

vba vbe editor

OR

Developer > Visual Basic

Note: If you don’t see the Developer Ribbon, you’ll need to enable it.

To enable the Developer Ribbon

Click on the File tab in the Ribbon, and go down to Options. In the Customize Ribbon options, tick the Developer check box. This is switched off by default so you will need to switch it on to see the tab on the ribbon.

vba vbe developer

Click OK.

The Developer tab will appear on the main ribbon. Click on Visual Basic at the start of the ribbon to access the Visual Basic Editor.

vba vbe vbescreen

Understanding the VBE Screen

The VBE Screen is shown in the graphic below.

vba vbe vbeexplain

The Project Explorer

The Project Explorer enables you to see how the Project in which you are working is organized.  You can see how many modules and forms are stored in the project, and can navigate between these modules and forms. A module is where the code in your workbook is stored, when you record a macro, it will be stored in a standard module – which will by default be named ‘Module1’.

Each of the worksheets in your Excel file also has module behind it, as does the workbook itself.  When you insert a new sheet into the workbook via the main Excel screen, you will see an additional sheet module appear in the Project Explorer.

vba vbe sheetmodule

Double-click on a module to move to the code for that module.

vba vbe workbook module

You can also click on the Window menu on the toolbar and select the module there to move to the code for that module.

vba vbe insert window module

Type of Modules

The modules are organized into 5 different types.

  1. Standard modules – most of your code will go into this type of module. When you record a macro, it gets put into a standard module.    When you write a general procedure to be used throughout your workbook, it also normally goes into a standard module.
  2. Workbook modules – this module holds the code the is unique to that individual workbook. Most of the code in these type of modules are known as EVENTS.   An event can occur when a workbook is opened or closed for example. The module can also contain code that is written by yourself and used by the events.
  3. Sheet modules – this module holds the code that is unique to that individual sheet.  They can occur when a sheet is clicked on for example (the Click Event), or when you change data in a cell.  This module can also hold code that is written by yourself and called by the Events.
  4. Form modules – this is the module behind a custom form that you may create. For example you may create a form to hold details for an invoice, with an OK button, the code behind the button (the Click Event) contains the code that will run  when the button is clicked.
  5. Class modules – this module is used to create objects at run time. Class module are used by Advanced VBA programmers and will be covered at a later stage.

Inserting a module or form into your code

To insert a new module into your code, click on the Insert option on the menu bar, and click Module.

vba vbe insert module

Or, click on the Insert Module button which you will find on the standard ribbon.

vba vbe insert module ribbon

To insert a new user form into your code, select the UserForm option.

vba vbe insert userform

A new user form will appear in the Project Explorer and will be shown in the Code Window on the right.

vba vbe userform

You can also insert a Class Module

vba vbe insert classmodule

A class module is used to insert objects into your VBA project.

vba vbe insert classmodule2

Removing a Module or Form from the Project Explorer

Right-click on the module or form you wish to remove to show the right click short cut menu.

vba vbe delete userform

Click Remove (in this case UserForm1…)

OR

Click on the File menu, and then click on Remove (UserForm1).

vba vbe delete userform 1

A warning box will appear asking if you want to Export the form or module before you remove it.  Exporting the form or module enables you to save it as an individual file for use in a different Excel project at some other time.

vba vbe save userform

More often than not when you remove a module or form it is because you do not need it, so click No.

The Properties Window

You will see the properties window below the Project Explorer.  You may need to switch this on.

Press F4 or click View, Properties Window.

vba vbe properties

The properties window enables you to see the properties for the particular module or form that is selected in the Project Explorer.  When you are working in modules, you can use the properties window to change the name of the module.  This is the only property available to a module. However, when you are working with forms, there will be far more properties available and the Properties window is then used extensively to control the behavior of forms and the controls contained in the form.

When you record a macro, it is automatically put into a standard module.  The module will named ‘Module1’ and any code that is contained in that module is available to be used throughout your project.  You should rename your module to something that is significant, that would make your code easy to find if you were to add multiple modules to the project.

vba vbe properties window

You can also rename your forms.

vba vbe rename forms

If you have renamed your sheet in Excel, the name of the sheet will show up as the name of the sheet in brackets after Sheet1.

vba vbe sheet name

If you want to change the name of the module behind the sheet, you can change it in the same way you change the module and user form name – by changing the Name property in the Properties Window.

vba vbe sheet rename

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The Code Window

The code window shows you the sub procedures and functions that are contained in your modules – it shows you the actual code.  When you record a macro, a sub procedure will be created for you.  If you add a short cut key to the macro, it will show up as a comment in the macro to let you know what the short cut key is that you assigned to the macro.

vba vbe code window

At the top of the code window are two combo boxes.  These allow you to see which object (if any) within the Module that you might be working on, and which Procedure you might be working on.

In the example above, we are not working on any object – thus this is set to general, but we are working within the Gridlines procedure.

If we had more than one procedure in this module, we could use the combo box above to navigate to the other procedures.

Understanding the Code

There are 2 types of procedures – Sub procedures and Function procedures.

Sub Procedures

The macro recorder can only record Sub procedures.  A Sub procedure does things.  They perform actions such as formatting a table or creating a pivot table, or in the gridline example, changing the view settings of your active window.  The majority of procedures written are Sub procedures.  All macros are Sub procedures.

A sub procedure begins with a Sub statement and ends with an End Sub statement.  The procedure name is always followed by parentheses.

Sub HideGridLines()
   ActiveWindow.DisplayGridlines  = False
End Sub

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Function Procedures

A Function procedure returns a value.  This value may be a single value, an array, a range of cells or an object.  Functions usually perform some type of calculation.   Functions in Excel can be used with the Function Wizard or they can be called from Sub Procedures.

Function Kilos(pounds as Double)
  Kilos = (pounds/2.2)
End Function

 This function could be used within the Insert Function dialog box in Excel to convert Pounds to Kilograms.

vba vbe insert function excel

Creating a new Procedure

Before you create your new procedure, make sure you are in the module in which you wish to store the procedure.  You can create a new procedure by clicking on the Insert menu, Procedure;

vba vbe insert procedure

or you can click on the icon on the toolbar

vba vbe insert procedure 2

The following dialog box will appear

vba vbe add procedure

  1. Type the name of your new procedure in the name box – this must start with a letter of the alphabet and can contain letters and number and be a maximum of 64 characters.
  2. You can have a Sub procedure, a Function procedure or a Property procedure. (Properties are used in Class modules and set properties for ActiveX controls that you may have created).
  3. You can make the scope of the procedure either Public or Private. If the procedure is public (default), then it can be used by all the modules in the project while if the procedure is private, it will only be able to be used by this module.
  4. You can declare local variables in this procedure as Statics (this is to do with the Scope of the variable and makes a local procedure level variable public to the entire module). We will not use this option.

When you have filled in all the relevant details, click on OK.

vba vbe public sub proceduire

You then type your code between the Sub and End Sub statements.

ALTERNATIVELY – you can type the Sub and End Sub statements in your module exactly as it appears above.  You do not need to put the word Public in front of the word sub – if this word is omitted, all procedures in the module are automatically assumed to be Public.

Then you type Sub and then the name of your procedure followed by parenthesis.

ie:

Sub test()

The End Sub statement will appear automatically.

vba vbe sub procedure

Writing Code that is easy to understand and navigate

Get into the habit of putting in comments in your code in order to remind yourself at a later stage of the functionality of the code.

vba vbe code comment

You can insert a comment in your code but typing an apostrophe on the keyboard or you can switch on the Edit toolbar, and use the comment button which appears on that toolbar.

Right-click on the toolbars.

vba vbe show debug ribbon

Select Edit.

vba vbe debug ribbon

Click on the comment button to insert a comment into your code.

vba vbe comment block

NOTE: You usually only use the comment block button when you have a few lines of code you wish to comment out (and not delete).  It is easier for a single comment to use an apostrophe.

Indenting

A good habit to get into is to indent your code making it easy to read through the code and see the different parts of the code.

vba vbe indent

There can be many levels of indenting, depending on the logic of your code.

vba vbe indent 2

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UpperCase vs LowerCase

VBA adjusts all code to Proper Case so if you type ALL IN UPPERCASE or all in lowercase it will Readjust Your Code To Be In Proper Case!

AutoComplete

When you adjust your code, you will notice that VBA tries to help you by suggesting the code that you can type.  This is known as AutoComplete.

vbba vbe code case

Error trapping and Debugging

There are 4 types of errors that can occur when you write VBA code – Syntax errors, Compilation errors, Runtime errors and Logical Errors.

Syntax errors

These occur when you write the code incorrectly.   This is largely prevented by VBA by having the Syntax check option switch on.  This is normally on by default but if your is switch off, then switch it on by going to Tools, Options and click Auto Syntax Check.

vba vbe options syntax

If you type the code incorrectly (for example excluding something that should be in the code), a message box will pop up while you are writing the code giving you the opportunity to amend the code.

vba vbe compile error

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Compilation Errors

These occur when something is missing from the code that prevents the code from running.  The error does not come up when you write the code, but it occurs when you try and run the code.

vba vbe compile error 2

Runtime Errors

These occur when you run the code, and the syntax and compilation is correct, but something else occurs to prevent the code from running correctly.

vba vbe debug

In this case, Sheet4 does not exist.  This error message is more useful than the compile error messages as it gives you the opportunity to Debug the code and see why it is not working.

Click Debug. The code will stop at the error and highlight the error in yellow enabling you to correct your error.

vba vbe debug break

Amend Sheet4 to Sheet2 (as Sheet 2 exists and Sheet 4 does not exist).

vba vbe debug fix

Press F5 or click on the Continue button on the toolbar.

vba vbe f5

Logical Errors

These are the most difficult to find.  In their case, the code is written correctly but the actual logic of the code is flawed, so you may not get the result that you want from the code.  For logical errors, error trapping is essential.

There are 2 types of error traps

On Error Go To

The following code is to open the File Open Dialog box – it will give us an error if the user clicks Cancel.

vba vbe logical error 1

When you run the code the File Open dialog box appears.

vba vbe logical error 2

When you then click cancel, the error will occur.

vba vbe logical error 3

The following Error trap will continue the code to the Exit Function of the code, and return message.

This makes use of On Error GoTo to exit the function.

vba vbe logical error 4

When you run the code and click cancel, the message box will appear.

vba vbe logical error 5

On Error Resume Next

If you put the On Error Resume Next Statement into your code, the line that contains the error will be ignored and the code will continue.

For example, if the user clicks Cancel in the code below, the code will not give you a run-time error, it will just end without the code doing anything further.

vba vbe on error resume next

There are times when this is very useful but it can also be very dangerous in some circumstances as it does not return a message as to why you obtained an error.

Do you want to learn how to run a VBA macro in Microsoft Excel? This guide will show you all the methods you can use to run your VBA code.

Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet application that offers users a variety of features and capabilities. One of the most popular features of Excel is the ability to create and run VBA macros.

A macro is a small scripts written in the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming language that can be run in your desktop Excel app.

Macros can save you a lot of time and energy when working in Excel. They can be used to automate tedious tasks and save you hours of work each week.

But in order to leverage this time saving tool, you will need to know how to run your VBA macros.

Follow this guide and you’ll be able to start running macros like a pro in no time!

Run VBA Macro from the Developer Tab

The most common method for running a macro is from the Developer tab in the Excel ribbon.

This tab is hidden by default, so you will need to enable the Developer tab in your desktop Excel app first.

Follow these steps to run a VBA macro from the Developer tab.

  1. Go to the Developer tab.
  2. Press the Macros command in the Code section.

This will open the Macro menu which lists all the macros available to run.

  1. Select the macro which you want to run.
  2. Press the Run button.

That’s it! Your chosen macro code will now execute!

💡 Tip: Use the Macros in dropdown option to select the location of macros to run. You can select a specific workbook, All Open Workbooks, or This Workbook.

Run VBA from the View Tab

The Macro command is also available in the View tab.

Go to the View tab and press the Macros button to launch the Macros menu.

This opens the same Macro dialog box as before and you can select the macro and press the Run button.

Run VBA Macro from Macro Menu with a Keyboard Shortcut

There is an easier way to open the Macro menu! There’s no need to use the Developer or View tab since there is a dedicated keyboard shortcut to open the Macro menu.

You can use the Alt + F8 keyboard shortcut to open the Macro menu.

Run VBA Macro from a Keyboard Shortcut

You can entirely bypass the Macro dialog box by assigning a keyboard shortcut to your desired Macro.

If this is a macro that you want to use a lot, then assigning a shortcut is a good way to avoid the many clicks needed when running a macro through the Macro menu.

Follow these steps to assign your macro a dedicated keyboard shortcut.

  1. Open the Macro menu.
  2. Select the macro to which you want to assign a keyboard shortcut.
  3. Press the Options button.

This will open up the Macro Options menu where you can add a description for the macro and assign a keyboard shortcut.

  1. Add a character into the Shortcut key input box.
  2. Press the OK button in the Macro Options menu.
  3. Press the Cancel button in the Macros menu.

⚠️ Warning: This chosen shortcut key will override any existing keyboard shortcut, so you should avoid using keys taken by commonly used shortcuts such as copy, paste etc.

A lot of Ctrl and single key combinations are already taken with commonly used commands, so you might want to create a Ctrl + Shift shortcut instead.

💡 Tip: Hold the Shift key while entering a key in the Shortcut key input to create a Ctrl + Shift shortcut.

Run VBA Macro from a Form Control Button

If other people are using your spreadsheet solution, they might not realise they can run your macros to help complete their work.

This is where a button is the preferred choice to run a macro. It makes the act of running your macro easy and obvious!

You can create a Form Control Button to run the macro when you click the button. This can be placed anywhere in the spreadsheet since is floats over top of the grid. This means it won’t interfere with the rest of your data or formulas.

Follow these steps to insert a Form Control Button and assign a macro to it.

  1. Go to the Developer tab.
  2. Click on the Insert command.
  3. Choose the Button option found in the Form Controls section.

This will not actually insert a button yet. You will notice your cursor has now turned into a small black plus sign. This will allow you to draw a button in your sheet.

  1. Left click and drag anywhere in the sheet.

When you release the click and drag action, the Assign Macro menu will immediately pop up and you will be able to assign your macro to the button.

  1. Select your macro.
  2. Press the OK button.

Now you have a button in your sheet which will run your select VBA macro when clicked.

💡 Tip: Righ click on the button and select Edit Text to change the text displayed on the button.

Run VBA Macro from any Shape, Icon, or Image

Form Control buttons are pretty ugly and outdated. They also don’t have many options to customize the look, but thankfully they aren’t the only way to make a button to run your macros!

There are some much more stylish options like using an image, shape, or icon as a button to run your macros.

Follow these steps to assign a macro to any object such as an image, shape, or icon.

  1. Right click on the object.
  2. Select Assign Macro option from the menu.
  3. Select the macro from the Assign Macro menu.
  4. Press the OK button.

Now when you click on the shape, image, or icon it will execute the macro code!

Run VBA Macro from a Quick Access Toolbar Command

Another option is to add your most frequently used macros to the Quick Access Toolbar.

The Quick Access Toolbar is a customizable set of commands that are always visible so you can easily use them at any time. You can even add a macro so it can be run with a click.

Follow these steps to add a macro to your Quick Access Toolbar.

  1. Right-click anywhere on the Quick Access Toolbar.
  2. Select the Customize Quick Access Toolbar option from the menu.

This will open the Excel Options menu on the Quick Access Toolbar section.

  1. Select Macros from the Choose commands from dropdown.
  2. Select the macro you want to add to your Quick Access Toolbar.
  3. Press the Add button.
  4. Press the OK button.

When you press the Add button you will see the selected macro gets added to your list of commands. You can use the Up and Down arrow buttons to adjust the order this macro will appear in your commands.

💡 Tip: Press the Modify button in the Excel Options to change the icon and label of the macro that will appear in your Quick Access Toolbar!

Now you should have a new icon available in the Quick Access Toolbar. Click on this to run your select macro.

💡 Tip: An easy way to use the commands in your Quick Access Toolbar is with the Alt hotkey shortcuts. In this example, the command is in the 8th position starting from the undo command, so you can press the Alt + 8 to run the macro.

Run VBA Macro from a Custom Ribbon Command

If you have an entire repertoire of macros and you’re running out of room in the Quick Access Toolbar, then adding a custom ribbon tab to organize your macros could be the ideal solution.

Excel allows you to add your own custom ribbons and fill them with your favorite macros as well as any other commands you frequently use.

Follow these steps to add a macro to the Excel ribbon.

  1. Right click anywhere on the Excel ribbon.
  2. Select the Customize the Ribbon option from the menu.

This will open the Excel Options menu on the Customize Ribbon section.

  1. Press the New Tab button to create your new ribbon tab.

  1. Press the Rename button to give your tab a name.

Each tab will need at least one group, and this is automatically created when you create a new tab. You can also rename the group. Both of these names will be displayed in your Excel ribbon.

Now you will be able to add a macro into the new tab and group.

  1. Select the Macros option from the Choose commands from dripdown.
  2. Select the macro which you want to add into the ribbon.
  3. Press the Add button.
  4. Press the OK button.

💡 Tip: Select the tab and use the Up or Down arrow buttons to adjust the position of the new tab in your ribbon.

You now have a new custom tab that can hold all your most frequently used macros. 😃

Run VBA Macro from Visual Basic Editor Run Menu

The visual basic editor (VBE) is the environment where you write VBA code, so it makes sense that you should be able to also run your code from it.

A lot of people like to test their code as they develop their solutions and this means frequently running your macros from the the editor. Your current code can always be run from the Run menu in the VBE.

Follow these steps to run your macro from the Run menu in the visual basic editor.

  1. Select the macro you want to run.

You can select the macro by either placing the cursor in the code or selecting the macro name from the dropdown menu in the top right.

  1. Go to the Run menu.
  2. Select the Run Sub/UserForm option from the menu.

This will run your selected macro!

Run VBA Macro from Visual Basic Editor Toolbar

The visual basic editor comes with a toolbar for easy access to the most frequently used commands.

Follow these steps to run your macro from the toolbar.

  1. Select the macro you want to run.
  2. Press the Play button in the toolbar.

This will run your selected macro!

📝 Note: If you don’t see this toolbar you might need to enable it. Go to the View menu then Toolbars and check the Standard option.

Run VBA Macro from Visual Basic Editor Keyboard Shortcut

There are a lot of very useful keyboard shortcuts for using the visual basic editor.

Running a macro from the VBE is a very common task, so it’s no surprise there is also a keyboard shortcut available for this.

Press the F5 key while in the VBE and the currently selected macro will run!

Run VBA Macro from Another Macro

You can easily run a macro from a macro in Excel.

This is a good practice when it comes to programming. Creating smaller procedures and then reusing them within your main macro can be more efficient to run and easier to maintain the code.

Sub ExampleCode()
    MsgBox ("Hello world!")
End Sub

Sub MainCode()
    Call ExampleCode
    MsgBox ("Goodbye!")
End Sub

You can easily run any macro from within a macro using a single line of code. The above example will run the ExampleCode macro from the MainCode macro.

Run VBA Macro from a Worksheet Event

Did you know you can automatically run a macro?

You can automatically run a macro based on events that happen in your Excel worksheet!

For example, you can have a macro run anytime someone changes a value in the sheet.

Follow these steps to create a worksheet event-driven macro.

  1. Select the Sheet in which you want to trigger the macro. All your workbook sheets will be listed in the Microsoft Excel Object folder of the VBE Projects.
  2. Select the Worksheet options from the dropdown menu.
  3. Select the event type that should trigger your macro.
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)

End Sub

When you select the type of event, it will insert a bit of code into the editor. For example, the Change event trigger will insert the above code.

  1. Place any code you want to run when the event occurs inside the generated code.

If you have an existing macro that you want to run, you can call it using a Call YourMacroName single line of code.

This macro will now run anytime you make changes in any cell within Sheet1.

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    If Target.Address = "$A$1" Then Call ExampleCode
End Sub

You might want to limit the macro to only running when the change event occurs in a particular cell or range. This is possible by setting conditions for the Target in your code.

In the above example, the ExampleCode macro will only be called when changes are made to cell A1.

Run VBA Macro from a Hyperlink

Did you know you can trigger your macros to run when you click on a hyperlink in Excel?

This is particular worksheet event method is worth its own mention!

Private Sub Worksheet_FollowHyperlink(ByVal Target As Hyperlink)
    If Target.Address = "B2" Then Call ExampleCode
End Sub

The above code will run every time you click the hyperlink in cell B2 in Sheet2.

The code will execute and then take you to the hyperlinked address!

Run VBA Macro from a Workbook Event

There is also the possibility to automatically run a macro based on workbook events such as when you open or close the file.

This is a great option to make sure a task is performed before you do anything else in your workbook.

Follow these steps to run a macro automatically when you open your Excel file.

  1. Select ThisWorkbook found in the Microsoft Excel Object folder of the VBE Projects.
  2. Select Workbook from the dropdown menu.
  3. Select Open from the event type dropdown menu.
Private Sub Workbook_Open()

End Sub

This will insert the above code into the code editor. You can then add any code inside which you want run when you open the file. You can also call any macro here with the Call YourMacroName single line of code.

Conclusions

VBA macros can be used to automate your tasks in Excel, so it’s important you know how to run them.

There are many methods to run your desired macros depending on your situation.

You can use the Excel ribbon, a keyboard shortcut, or a customized quick access command when you want to manually run a macro. Also, you can attach your macros to run from buttons in the workbook to make it more user friendly.

You might need to occasionally run your VBA macros while developing your solutions to test them. This can be done several ways in the visual basic editor.

You can even trigger your macros based on certain worksheet or workbook events for the ultimate in automation.

Are you using macros in Excel. Did you know all these methods to run your macros? Do you know any others? Let me know in the comments below!

About the Author

John MacDougall

John is a Microsoft MVP and qualified actuary with over 15 years of experience. He has worked in a variety of industries, including insurance, ad tech, and most recently Power Platform consulting. He is a keen problem solver and has a passion for using technology to make businesses more efficient.

Excel VBA Tutorial about the Visual Basic Editor (VBE)What is the aspect about learning macros and Visual Basic for Applications that you find more intimidating?

For some people, the answer will revolve around having to learn a new programming language and coding. However, if you’re anything like me, your answer will be the Visual Basic Editor (or VBE).

The first few times I opened the Visual Basic Editor I had no idea what I was looking at or what I was supposed to do. At the time, I really wished I had access to an Excel tutorial that explained the main features of the VBE comprehensively. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it.

Obviously, in the last few years I’ve come a long way. Nowadays, I have no problems using the Visual Basic Editor and feel quite comfortable working on it. However, sometimes I take a look around the Internet to see if I can find a good and comprehensive Excel tutorial about the VBE. The truth is that, as of the time of this writing, there are not that many online resources covering this in detail.

I find this a little bit surprising. After all, I’m sure about one thing:

Many people who are interested in learning macros and Visual Basic for Applications feel confused the first time they open the Visual Basic Editor. I know it because, as explained above, that happened to me. This is a pity because, in practice, you’re likely to constantly work with the VBE on your way to becoming a proficient VBA user.

The place where you’ll find those Code Windows is the Visual Basic Editor. Therefore, if you want to become an advanced macro and VBA user, you must understand how to use the VBE properly.

The importance of the Visual Basic Editor and the lack of resources covering the VBE in detail are the main reasons why I decided to write this Excel tutorial. In this post, I cover the following topics:

Enough with the introduction. Let’s get into the first topic of this Excel tutorial about the Visual Basic Editor.

The Visual Basic Editor is not exactly the same as Excel. It is actually a separate application, even though you’ll usually open it through Excel. In fact, in order for the VBE to be able to run, Excel must be open.

The main function of the VBE is to allow you to write and edit VBA code.

The Visual Basic Editor is sometimes referred to as the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). In this Excel tutorial, I use the first term (Visual Basic Editor or VBE) but don’t be confused if you see the second term being used in other places.

How To Open The Visual Basic Editor In Excel

You can open the VBE using either of the following methods:

  • Click on “Visual Basic” in the Developer tab of the Ribbon.

    Visual Basic button in Excel

  • Use the keyboard shortcut “Alt + F11”.

How Does The Visual Basic Editor Look

The basic VBE window can be divided in the following 6 sections, all of which I explain below. In reality, there are more components than those which appear in this screenshot (such as the Locals and Watch Windows) but, since they’re more advanced, I’ll cover them in a future Excel tutorial.

Visual Basic Editor window

The Visual Basic Editor:

  • Has several windows.
  • Is highly customizable.

As a consequence of the above, there is the possibility that your VBE window doesn’t look exactly as the screenshot above.

In fact, if this is the first time that you’re opening the Visual Basic Editor, you probably can’t see element #6 that appears in the lower part of the image above. The reason is that this particular window (known as the Immediate Window) is, by default, hidden. I explain how you can easily unhide it below.

As you get more familiar with the VBE, you’ll notice that you have a lot of flexibility regarding how the interface looks like. The Visual Basic Editor allows you to, for example:

  • Hide or un-hide windows.
  • Move or re-arrange windows.
  • Dock windows.

Let’s dive right in and understand the 6 main components of the Visual Basic Editor.

Component #1: Menu Bar

Menu bar of Visual Basic Editor

If you’ve been using computers for a reasonable amount of time, you’re probably quite familiar with menu bars. If that’s the case, the VBE menu bar is not very different from the other menu bars you’ve seen before.

The menu bar, basically, contains several drop-down menus. Each of the drop-down menus contains commands that you can use to interact and do things with the different components of the Visual Basic Editor.

One thing you’ll notice when clicking on any menu, is that several commands have a keyboard shortcut that is displayed at that point. Take a look, for example, at the Debug menu and notice all the keyboard shortcuts that appear on the right side of this image:

Debug menu in Visual Basic Editor

Component #2: Toolbar

Toolbar location in Visual Basic Editor

Again, if you’re a computer user, a toolbar is an item that you’ve probably seen many times before. You’re probably aware that a toolbar contains on-screen buttons, icons, menus and other similar elements that you can use while working with the VBE.

The toolbar that appears in the screenshot above is called the Standard toolbar. This is the only toolbar that the Visual Basic Editor displays by default. There are, however, 3 other basic toolbars:

  • The Debug toolbar.
  • The Edit toolbar.
  • The UserForm toolbar.

In addition to the above, the VBE gives you the possibility to customize the toolbars in several ways.

You can change all of these settings by going to the View menu and selecting “Toolbars”. The Visual Basic Editor displays a menu with the 4 different toolbars and the option to access the Customize dialog.

Toolbar settings in Visual Basic Editor

The toolbars with a checkmark to their left are those currently displayed by Excel. You can add or remove a checkmark in order to display or hide a particular toolbar by clicking on its name. For example, in the screenshot below, only the Standard toolbar is being displayed.

Standard toolbar in Visual Basic Editor

If you click on “Customize”, the Visual Basic Editor displays the Customize dialog, which looks as follows:

Customize dialog of Visual Basic Editor

Using this dialog box, you can control additional aspects regarding the toolbars that are displayed by the VBE. This includes, for example, the possibility of controlling the display of the Shortcut Menus toolbar or adding new toolbars.

You may be wondering what toolbar display set up is commonly applied by VBA users. In practice, there are different opinions.

  • Some advanced VBE users use the default settings.
  • However, other advanced VBA users display several toolbars.

You can also add commonly used commands that aren’t by default in the Standard toolbar.

Component #3: Project Window / Project Explorer

Project Window in Visual Basic Editor

The Project Window, also known as the Project Explorer, is useful for navigation purposes.

This is the section of the Visual Basic Editor where you’ll be able to find every single Excel workbook that is currently open. This includes add-ins and hidden workbooks. More particularly, each Excel workbook or add-in that is open at the moment appears in the Project Explorer as a separate project.

A project is (basically/simply) a set of modules. If it makes it easier to understand you can take John Walkenbach’s explanation in Excel VBA Programming for Dummies, who says that a project can be seen as “a collection of objects arranged as an outline”.

As explained by Walkenbach in Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA, each project may have the following nodes:

  • A node called “Microsoft Excel Objects” always appears in any project. This node usually contains 2 types of objects:
    • #1: Each worksheet in the relevant Excel workbook. In other words, each of the worksheets is considered a separate object.
    • #2: The Excel workbook itself, called “ThisWorkbook”.
  • The Modules node appears when the project contains VBA modules.
  • If the project contains UserForm objects, which are used to create custom dialog boxes, the Project Explorer displays a node called “Forms”.
  • A project can also contain class modules (modules that define a class) and, in that case, the Project Window displays a node called “Class Modules”.
  • Finally, if a project has references, there is a node called “References”.

Let’s take a look at how all of this looks in the VBE interface:

In the screenshot below, the only project that appears is the Excel workbook “Book 1. xlsm”. Within the Microsoft Excel Objects node, you can see that the Excel workbook has 2 worksheets. Finally, this particular project contains 1 VBA module and, therefore, the Modules node is visible. There are, however, no UserForm objects, class modules or references. Therefore, the Forms, Class Modules and References nodes don’t appear.

Explanation of Project Explorer in VBE

You can expand or contract the items that appear in the outline by double-clicking on them or by clicking on the “+” or “-” that appear to the left of each item, depending on the case.

How to expand or collapse items in Project Window

You can also control whether the items that are displayed in the Project Window appear in a hierarchical or a non-hierarchical list. You change this setting by clicking on the Toggle Folders button of the Project Window.

Toggle Folders button in Visual Basic Editor

The screenshot above shows items being displayed in a hierarchical list. When displayed in a non-hierarchical list, the Project Window looks roughly as follows:

Project Explorer with non-hierarchical list

You can also hide or unhide the Project Explorer itself. I explain how to do this below.

How To Display The Project Window

If you can’t see the Project Explorer, you can make the Visual Basic Editor display it by using any of the following methods:

  • Clicking on “Project Explorer” in the View menu.

    How to show the Project Window in the Visual Basic Editor

  • Clicking on the Project Explorer icon in the toolbar.

    Project Explorer icon in VBE toolbar

  • Using the keyword shortcut “Ctrl + R”.

How To Hide The Project Window

You can hide the Project Explorer by using either of the following methods:

  • Clicking on the close button of the Project Window.

    Close button in Project Window of VBE

  • Right-clicking anywhere on the Project Explorer and selecting “Hide”.

    Option to hide Project Window of Visual Basic Editor

Component #4: Properties Window

Properties Window in Visual Basic Editor

The Properties Window displays the properties of the object that is currently selected in the Project Explorer and allows you to edit those properties.

Just as with the Project Window, you can hide or unhide the Properties Window. You’re likely to (eventually) work with the Properties Window, particularly in the context of creating UserForms. If you’re just beginning to use the VBE, you probably won’t need this window too much.

In any case, let’s take a look at how you can hide or unhide the Properties Window.

How To Unhide The Properties Window

You can get the Visual Basic Editor to show the Properties Window by using any of the following methods.

  • Clicking on “Properties Window” within the View menu.

    How to display the Properties Window in the VBE

  • Clicking on the Properties Window icon.

    Properties Window icon in VBE

  • Using the “F4” keyboard shortcut.

How To Hide The Properties Window

You can get the Visual Basic Editor to hide the Properties Window by doing either of the following:

  • Click on the Close button of the Properties Window.

    Close button of Properties Window in VBE

  • Right-click on the Properties Window and select “Hide”.

    How to hide Properties Window of Visual Basic Editor

Component #5: Programming Window / Code Window / Module Window

Programming Window in Visual Basic Editor

As you may expect, the Code Window of the Visual Basic Editor is where your VBA code appears, and where you can write and edit such code. At the beginning, though, the Programming Window is empty as in the screenshot above.

There is a Code Window for every single object in a project. You can access the window of a particular object by going to the Project Explorer and doing any of the following:

  • Double clicking on the object. The main exception to this rule are UserForms. If you double-click on a UserForm, the Visual Basic Editor displays the UserForm in Design view, a topic I’ll cover in future tutorials.
  • Selecting the object and, then, clicking on “Code” in the View menu.

    View code command in Visual Basic Editor

  • Selecting the object and clicking on the View Code icon that appears at the top of the Project Explorer.

    View code button in Project Explorer

  • Right-clicking on the object and selecting “View Code”.

    How to view code in Visual Basic Editor

  • Using the keyboard shortcut “F7”.

Component # 6: Immediate Window

The main purpose of the Immediate Window is to help you noticing errors, checking or debugging VBA code.

The Immediate Window is, by default, hidden. However, as with most of the other windows, you can unhide it. Let’ take a look at how you can do both the hiding and the un-hiding:

How To Unhide The Immediate Window

You can unhide the Immediate Window by doing either of the following:

  • Clicking on “Immediate Window” in the View menu.

    How to view the Immediate Window in the Visual Basic Editor

  • Using the “Ctrl + G” keyboard shortcut.

However, as explained in Excel VBA Programming for Dummies, if you’re just getting started with the VBE “this window won’t be all that useful”. Therefore, if you’re just beginning to work with macros and Visual Basic for Applications, you probably don’t need to display the Immediate Window.

If you’re a more advanced user, you’ll probably want to have the Visual Basic Editor show the Immediate Window, since this can be very useful.

How To Hide The Immediate Window

You can hide the Immediate Window using either of the following methods:

  • Click the Close button.

    How to hide the Immediate Window

  • Right-click on the Immediate Window and select “Hide”.

    Option to hide Immediate Window

You already know that:

  • The VBE allows you to customize several aspects.
  • On your way to becoming a macro and VBA expert you’ll probably spend a significant amount of time working with the Visual Basic Editor.

Therefore, its important to have a basic idea of…

How To Customize The Visual Basic Editor

If you want to customize the Visual Basic Editor, the first thing you’ll want to do is open the Options dialog. To do this, go to the Tools menu and click on “Options”.

Tools menu in Visual Basic Editor

The Options dialog looks roughly as follows.

Options dialog of Visual Basic Editor

As you can see, there are plenty of settings you can modify. In most cases, you can enable or disable an option by clicking on the blank box to the left of it. If there is a checkmark, the option is enabled. If the box is empty, the option is not enabled.

In the screenshot above, the only option that is not enabled is “Require Variable Declaration”.

Example of a disabled action in the Options dialog

For the moment, let’s take a look at some of the most common suggestions made by Excel experts. The following sections go separately through each of the 4 tabs in the Options dialog:

  • Editor.
  • Editor Format.
  • General.
  • Docking.

Tabs in Options dialog of Visual Basic Editor

Editor Tab

The Editor tab is where you can determine the settings for the Code Window and Project Window. Let’s take a look at the main settings of this tab.

Editor tab of Options dialog in VBE

Code Settings

Setting #1: Auto Syntax Check.

This option allows you to determine what happens when you make a syntax error while entering VBA code. There are 2 options:

  • If Auto Syntax Check is enabled, a dialog box pops up as soon as the VBE discovers that you’ve made a syntax error. This dialog box gives you a rough idea of what mistake you’ve made. Additionally, the Visual Basic Editor highlights the syntax error by using a different font color (usually red).

    Let’s take a look at the VBA code for a very simple macro that deletes rows when some of the cells are blank. The second statement of this macro is “Selection.EntireRow.SpecialCells(xlBlanks).EntireRow.Delete”. If, for example, I press the Enter key after “Selection.”, the Visual Basic Editor gives me the following warning signs:

    Auto Syntax Check enabled warning

  • If Auto Syntax Check is disabled, the Visual Basic Editor displays syntax errors in a different font color (usually red). Under this setting, no dialog boxes pop on your screen.

    In the case of the syntax error used as an example above, the VBE looks roughly as follows:

    Visual Basic Editor if Auto Syntax Check is disabled

Should you enable or disable the Auto Syntax Check?

This decision comes down to personal preference and knowledge of Visual Basic for Applications.

You may want to disable the Auto Syntax Check if you:

  • Think that having dialog boxes popping up anytime you make a syntax error is annoying.
  • Have enough knowledge of VBA in order to find out what is the problem with a statement that has a syntax error.

Some advanced VBA users are of the opinion that Auto Syntax Check should be disabled. The main reason for this is that the VBE highlights the error by (by default) using red font. In this context, the message box displayed by the VBE may be redundant.

However, if you’re a beginner, keeping the Auto Syntax Check enabled can be of great help.

Setting #2: Require Variable Declaration.

This option allows you to determine whether the Visual Basic Editor automatically inserts a statement at the beginning of any new VBA module to require that you define (explicitly) all the variables that you use in those modules. This statement is:

Option Explicit

Note that changing the Require Variable Declaration setting only affects future modules. Modules that are already in existence when you modify the setting are not affected.

As explained in Excel VBA Programming for Dummies, you should get used to defining explicitly all the variables that you use. In that sense, it may make sense to enable the Require Variable Declaration option. Some advanced VBA users say that you should enable Require Variable Declaration. One of the (main) benefits of enabling Require Variable Declaration is the fact it reduces the risk of errors arising out of misspelled variable names.

The case for enabling Require Variable Declaration is even stronger if you’re beginning to use the VBE. In this context, Require Variable Declaration (usually) saves you time when debugging and improves your understanding of Visual Basic for Applications.

Despite the above, some advanced Excel users keep this option turned off.

Setting #3: Auto List Members.

The Auto List Members settings allows you to determine whether, while you’re typing VBA code, the Visual Basic Editor displays a list of options that can be used to complete the statement you’re writing. The list generally includes methods and properties that may apply to the object that you’ve just finished typing.

Let’s see how this looks in practice by using the VBA code of the first macro that I explain in this blog post, and whose purpose is to delete an entire row if there are blank cells in specified cell range. In particular, let’s take a look at the second statement, which is “Range(“E6:E257″).Select” and see what happens while I’m typing it:

The screenshot below shows how the Visual Basic Editor automatically displays a list to help me complete the statement:

List when Auto List Members option is enabled

If you scroll down the list, you’ll notice that one of the suggestions included in that list is “Select”, which is what we’re looking for.

List with Select option in Visual Basic Editor

Auto List Members has several advantages, including the following:

  • The Visual Basic Editor may show you properties and methods that you weren’t aware of.
  • The list displayed by the VBE updates itself automatically as you type characters. For example, continuing with the same example as above, the screenshot below shows the suggestions made by the Visual Basic Editor after I’ve partially typed “Selection”:

    Example of Auto List Members in VBE

  • You can avoid typing. This is due to the fact that you can enter any of the members that appear in the list by selecting it and pressing the Tab key or double-clicking on the relevant member.
  • When you use Auto List Members, you reduce the risk of making syntax errors.

Overall, Auto List Members is probably one of the most helpful features of the Visual Basic Editor. Unless you have a very compelling reason to do otherwise, enable it.

Setting #4: Auto Quick Info.

The Auto Quick Info setting allows you to determine whether the Visual Basic Editor displays information about the arguments of functions, properties and methods as you type them.

To see how Auto Quick Info works in practice, let’s go back once more over the statement “Range(“E6:E257″).Select” which I used to illustrate the Auto List Members option above. The screenshot below shows how the VBE helps me while I am typing the range:

Example of Auto Quick Info in Visual Basic Editor

Just as the Auto List Members setting, Auto Quick Info is a really helpful feature that you’ll probably want to keep enabled.

Setting #5: Auto Data Tips.

Auto Data Tips works when you’re in break mode, where program execution is temporarily suspended. This occurs for example when debugging VBA code, a topic I will cover in future tutorials.

If Auto Data Tips is enabled, and you’re in break mode, the Visual Basic Editor displays the value of a variable when you place the cursor over it.

Let’s take a look at Auto Data Tips in action. For these purposes, I use the VBA code for a macro that deletes an entire row when the row is completely empty. This particular macro has 2 variables: aRow and BlankRows. In the screenshot below, Excel displays the value of the variable BlankRows (BlankRows = Nothing) when I place the cursor on top of it:

Auto Data Tips in Visual Basic Editor

This is another option that you’ll probably like to enable. This is particularly useful in the context of debugging.

Setting #6: Auto Indent.

This setting is self-explanatory. If you have Auto Indent enabled, the indentation of each line of VBA code is the same as the indentation of previous line.

In addition to the above, you can determine what is the indentation width by inputting a value in the Tab Width box. The default number of characters to indent is 4. The value you input here must be between 1 and 32.

Tab Width within VBE Options dialog

Some advanced VBA users use a different number of spaces (usually less than 4) for the tab width. The reasoning behind using less indentation is that it keeps code from extending too far into the right of the screen. Other advanced VBA users suggest that if you’re not using a fixed width font (as I suggest below), it may advisable to increase the number of characters (used to indent) to have clear levels of indentation in your Code Window.

To see how this works in practice, let’s take a look at the piece of VBA code that appears in the previous example where I illustrated Auto Data Tips. The full VBA code of that macro looks as follows:

Example of VBA code with indentation

You’ll notice that, near the end, there are three statements that have exactly the same indentation. The image below highlights them:

Screenshot of indented statements in VBE

Let’s assume that I am writing this piece of code and I’m about to type “BlankRows.Delete”, the second of the 3 statements I highlight in the image above:

  • If Auto Indent is turned on, once I press the Enter key after “Application.ScreenUpdating = False”, the VBE takes me to a new row with exactly the same indentation. Notice the location of the cursor in the screenshot below:

    example of auto indent in vbe

  • The result of pressing the Enter key is different if Auto Indent is not enabled. Check out what happens when this is the case and compare the location of the cursor between the image below and the image above:

    Now, the cursor appears at the left margin of the Programming Window, regardless of the indentation of the previous row.

    Example of Auto Indent turned off in VBE

Appropriate indentation is very important. Therefore, you’ll probably want to enable Auto Indent and set a tab width that works well for your particular circumstances and VBE settings.

Window Settings

Setting #1: Drag-and-Drop Text Editing.

If you enable the Drag-and-Drop Text Editing, the Visual Basic Editor allows you to move pieces of text by dragging and dropping them with your mouse.

Whether you enable this option or not depends on your own taste. I prefer to use the keyboard to copy and move pieces of VBA code. However, you may prefer to use the mouse to drag and drop.

Even if you don’t plan to use it much, enabling Drag-and-Drop Text Editing doesn’t do harm.

Setting #2: Default to Full Module View.

This option makes reference to, and regulates, how procedures are displayed in the Programming Window.

  • If Default to Full Module View is enabled, procedures generally appear as a single list in the Code Window.

    Take a look, for example, at how 3 macros for deleting rows with empty cells appear in the following screenshot.

    Example of defaulting to full module view

  • If the option is turned off, you’ll only be able to see 1 procedure at a time. You can use the Procedure Box, which is the drop-down menu at the upper right corner of the Programming Window, to switch between the different procedures.

    Continuing with the example of the macros for deleting rows with empty cells, this looks roughly as follows:

    Screenshot of full module view turned off

You can also turn the Full Module View on and off using the Procedure View (where you can only see 1 procedure at a time) and Full Module View (where you can see all the procedures as a single list) buttons that appear on the lower left corner of the Programming Window.

Procedure View and Full Module View buttons in VBE

This is another setting where personal taste is important. I leave Default to Full Module View enabled and my guess is that most Excel users would prefer to do the same.

Setting #3: Procedure Separator.

This setting is kind of self-explanatory. If enabled, it separates the procedures in the Code Window with a bar. This looks roughly as follows:

Procedure separators in Visual Basic Editor

Without procedure separators, the Code Window (with the same macros that appear above) looks roughly as follows:

Screenshot of VBE without procedure separators

You’d probably agree that the first screen is more organized and makes it easier to distinguish between the different procedures. If that’s the case, you’d prefer to enable Procedure Separators.

In certain cases, there may be reasons to disable Procedure Separators but this is not very common.

Editor Format Tab

As implied by its name, the Editor Format tab is where you can format the editor. In other words, here is where you can customize the way the VBA code looks.

Editor Format tab in Visual Basic Editor

On the right side of the Options dialog, you’ll notice that there is a Sample box. Here is where the VBE provides you an example of how the text in the Visual Basic Editor looks under the current settings. For example:

Sample in Editor Format tab of Options dialog

The Editor Format regulates the way the Visual Basic Editor looks using 4 sections. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Section #1: Code Colors.

Code colors settings in Visual Basic Editor

The Code Colors settings allows you to determine 3 characteristics for any type of text: font color, highlighting color and margin indicator. You can adjust these settings in 2 simple steps.

Step #1: Determine The Category Of Text You Want To Configure.

You can select which type of text you want to adjust by selecting it in the first list that appears on the upper left corner of the Options dialog.

Types of text in Visual Basic Editor

Step #2: Adjust The Foreground, Background and Indicator Settings.

Once you’ve selected the type of text whose settings you want to modify, you can proceed to set the following 3 characteristics by using the relevant drop-down menus:

  • The font color, determined by “Foreground” in the Options dialog.

    How to set font color in Visual Basic Editor

  • The highlighting color, set by “Background”.

    How to set text highlighting color in Visual Basic Editor

  • Whether the Visual Basic Editor displays an indicator on the margin of the Programming Window, and the color of that indicator.

    How to set up indicators in Visual Basic Editor

In order to understand how this looks in practice, let’s take a look at the default settings for 2 types of text.

  • As you’ve seen above (when reading about the Auto Syntax Check option), the Visual Basic Editor highlights syntax errors by making their font color red (by default).

    The following screenshot shows the configuration for this type of text in the Options dialog:

    Syntax Error Text in Editor Format tab

  • One of the screenshots I use above (when explaining Auto Data Tips) shows text highlighted in yellow. This is known as Execution Point Text and its configuration looks as follows:

    Execution Point Text in Visual Basic Editor

Code Color settings are, as many other of these settings, a matter of personal taste. I prefer to leave the default colors. However, you may want to play around with the settings to find the configuration you like the most.

Section #2: Font.

As you probably expect, Font settings allow you to determine which font is used to display the VBA code in the Programming Window.

The default font is Courier New and my suggestion is that you keep it. The reason for this is that this font is fixed-width. In fixed-width fonts:

  • All of the characters are the same width; and (therefore)
  • Use the same amount of horizontal space.

This (usually) enhances the readability of your VBA code. For example:

  • All characters are appropriately aligned; and
  • You can (more) easily identify multiple or missing spaces.

Section #3: Size.

This is another setting that is self-explanatory. Here is where you can specify the font size used in the Code Window. This setting is a matter of personal taste, although factors such as the monitor you’re using may affect your decision.

Section #4: Margin Indicator Bar.

You can use this setting to determine whether to turn on or off the margin indicator bar.

So, what is the margin indicator bar?

This is the grey bar that appears on the left side of the Programming Window of the VBE. It displays very useful indicators that’ll help you, for example, when debugging your VBA code.

In the last screenshot above, I showed you the Code Colors settings for Execution Point Text. Now, let’s take a look at how Execution Point Text appears in the Code Window. Notice the indicator for this text in the margin indicator bar.

Screenshot with margin indicator bar in VBE

This is one of the settings that you’ll want to turn on. As mentioned above, margin indicators can be very useful when working on the Visual Basic Editor.

General Tab

The General tab of the Options dialog contains settings that fall in a variety of categories such as form, error handling and compiling. Additionally, several of them are relevant only for more advanced topics, such as debugging. Therefore, I only provide a rough explanation of the different options that are available in this tab.

When you’re starting to work with the VBE, the default settings in this tab (usually) work well enough.

General tab of Options dialog in Visual Basic Editor

Setting #1: Form Grid Settings.

Form Grid Settings allow you to control the way in which the VBE handles UserForms. This is a more advanced topic that I may cover in future tutorials.

Setting #2: Show ToolTips.

ToolTips are descriptions that the Visual Basic Editor can display in order to help you understand a particular toolbar button. If Show ToolTips is enabled, ToolTips are displayed automatically whenever you hover over a particular button.

As an example, the following image shows the ToolTip for the Project Explorer button in the VBE Standard toolbar:

Screenshot of ToolTips in Visual Basic Editor

Having ToolTips enabled is generally considered useful.

Setting #3: Collapse Proj. Hides Windows.

This option does what its title says: when you collapse a project in the Project Explorer, it hides any window related to that particular project. This (generally) applies to project, UserForm, object or module windows.

Let’s take a look at how this looks in practice. Notice how, in the following image, the project “Book 1.xlsm” is expanded and you can see the Programming Window that corresponds to Module1.

Example of expanded project in VBE

Compare the above with the next screenshot. In this image, I have simply collapsed the project in the Project Window. As a result, all related windows (the most prominent being the Code Window) are hidden.

Screenshot of collapsed project in VBE

If you expand the project again, the windows that have been hidden are restored in their previous positions.

Enabling Collapse Proj. Hides Windows is, usually, a good idea.

Setting #4: Edit and Continue & Notify Before State Loss.

When the Notify Before State Loss setting is enabled, the VBE issues you a notification if the following conditions are met:

  • You’re running VBA code.
  • You attempt to do something that requires the resetting of all the variables in the module.

Setting #5: Error Trapping.

As implied by its name, error trapping makes reference to how errors are trapped and handled when the VBA code runs.

Let’s take a quick look at what each of the 3 available options does:

  • If you choose “Break on All Errors”, break mode is entered whenever there is an error in the VBA code. This includes cases where there may be an error handler or the code is in a class module. This option may be useful when doing debugging. However, at the beginning, I suggest that you don’t choose it.
  • When “Break in Class Module” is enabled, break mode is entered if there is an error in the VBA code within a class module. This is the setting suggested by several advanced VBA users.
  • “Break on Unhandled Errors” is the default setting. This is also the choice suggested by several advanced VBA users. Under this setting, break mode won’t be entered as long as there is an error handler that traps the error. However, if there is no adequate error handler, break mode is entered.

Setting #6: Compile.

The Compile settings allow you to control the moment at which VBA code is compiled.

Why is this important?

At this moment is not necessary to go too deep into the concept of compiling. For the moment, is enough to understand that applications written in a particular programming language (which can’t be executed by a computer) need to be transformed into another language (that can be executed by the computer). More precisely:

  • VBA code must be compiled before it can be executed; but
  • Not (absolutely) all VBA code in a project must be compiled before certain (usually the initial) parts of the VBA code can start running.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at the 2 options that appear in the General tab.

Option #1: Compile On Demand.

Compile On Demand means that the Visual Basic Editor compiles the VBA code as is needed. Let’s take a look at an example to understand how Compile On Demand works:

Let’s assume, for example, that you’re working with 5 procedures named “Procedure1” through “Procedure5”. You want to first run Procedure1. Procedure1 calls Procedure2 which, in turn, calls Procedure3. Procedure3 doesn’t call any further procedures.

If Compile On Demand is enabled, Procedure1 is the only procedure that is compiled at the beginning of the process described above. No additional code (from the other procedures) is compiled until the relevant procedure is called. Once Procedure1 calls Procedure2, the code of Procedure2 is compiled. Similarly, once Procedure2 calls Procedure 3, Procedure3 is compiled. Since Procedure4 and Procedure5 aren’t called, their codes are not compiled.

If Compile On Demand is disabled, the code of all the procedures (Procedure1 through Procedure5) is compiled before Procedure1 starts running. As you can imagine, under this scenario, the procedure you want to execute starts running a little bit later since there is more code to be compiled. Additionally, you won’t be able to run the procedure you want (Procedure1) if there is any language or compile error in any of the other procedures (Procedure2 to Procedure5).

Option #2: Background Compile.

This option is only available if you have enabled Compile On Demand. As implied by its name, Background Compile means that idle time is used for purposes of finish compiling a program in the background.

Docking Tab

The Docking tab is used to set the behavior of the different windows of the Visual Basic Editor. More precisely, is used to determine whether a tab docks, a concept that I explain below.

Screenshot of Docking tab in Visual Basic Editor

A window is dockable if the box to its left has a checkmark. Otherwise, the window isn’t dockable. In the screenshot below, the only window that isn’t dockable is the Object Browser.

Example of a non-dockable window in Visual Basic Editor

You may be wondering what exactly happens when a window is dockable. The difference between being dockable and not is the following:

  • When a window is docked, the VBE fixes that window in a certain spot along one of the edges of the Visual Basic Editor window.

    Check out, for example, how the Project Explorer and the Properties Window are fixed along the left edge of the VBE window:

    Example of docked windows in Visual Basic Editor

  • If windows are not docked, you just have a bunch of windows within the VBE.

    Compare the screenshot above with the following image, where the Project and Properties Windows are not docked. This image is only for illustration purposes. You can maximize and minimize these windows by clicking on the relevant buttons at the top right hand of the relevant window.

    Screenshot of VBE with non-docked windows

As you probably expect, I suggest that you dock most windows. Having the different VBE windows docked makes it easier to locate the window that you need when you need it, and generally improves the user experience.

If your screen is not big enough to dock the windows along the edges of the VBE, you may want to undock some of them. If you do this, you’ll probably have to switch between windows in order to get to the one you want. The advantage of having few (or none) docked windows is that you’ll have more space for your Code Window.

How To Add VBA Modules

When you record a macro, Excel automatically inserts a module into the Excel workbook you choose before beginning to record. However, there are other opportunities where you may want to add other VBA modules. You can do this by using either of the following methods.

How To Add A VBA Module: Method #1

Under this method, you can add a VBA module to a project in 2 easy steps.

Step #1: Select Project To Add Module To.

Go to the Project Explorer and select the project to which you want to add a module. For example, in the screenshot below, a module would be added to “VBAProject (Book 1.xlsm)”, which is the only open project.

Project in which module would be added

Step #2: Insert Module.

Go to the Insert menu and select “Module”.

How to insert a module in the Visual Basic Editor

How To Add A VBE Module: Method #2

In this case, you add a module by right-clicking on the relevant project (in the Project Window), choosing “Insert” and clicking on “Module”.

How to insert a module in VBE

How To Remove VBA Modules

Just as you can add new VBA modules to a project, you can remove them by using either of the 2 methods explained below. As a general rule, you can only remove VBA modules. You cannot remove other code modules, such as those for:

  • Worksheets (Sheet#); or
  • The workbook (ThisWorkbook).

How To Remove A VBA Module: Method #1

In this method, you can remove a VBA module by following 2 simple steps.

Step #1: Select Module To Be Removed.

Go to the Project Window and select the relevant module. For example, if you wanted to remove “Module2”.

Selected module in Project Window of VBE

Step #2: Remove Module.

Go to the File menu and select “Remove module_name”, where “module_name” stands for the name of the module you want to remove. For example, when removing “Module2”, the File menu looks roughly as follows:

How to remove module in VBE using File menu

How To Remove A VBA Module: Method #2

Under this method, you simply right-click on the relevant module in the Project Explorer and select “Remove module_name”. For example, in the case of “Module2”:

Remove a module in Visual Basic Editor

Regardless of which of the 2 methods above you use to remove a VBA module, the Visual Basic Editor displays a dialog asking you whether you want to export the module before actually removing it.

Dialog asking whether to export VBA module before removing

Most of the times, the reason why you’re removing a VBA module is because you don’t need the VBA code within it. In those cases, click “No”.

If, for any reason, you actually want to export the module, click on “Yes”. However, if you are interested in learning how to export objects in the Visual Basic Editor, take a look at the next section of this Excel tutorial…

How To Export Or Import An Object In The Visual Basic Editor

Let’s assume that you’re working on a VBA project and want to be able to access a particular object separately and use it, for example, in future VBA projects or share it with your colleagues. To do this, you need to learn how to export and import objects in the VBE.

But first, let’s define exporting and importing:

  • Exporting an object means taking a particular VBA object from a VBA project and saving it in a separate file. Graphically, this looks as follows:

    Process of exporting a VBA object

  • Importing is, basically, the opposite of exporting. More precisely, it means taking a VBA object from a separate file and into a particular VBA project. Graphically:

    Process of importing a VBA object

You can’t export the objects that appear under the References node in the Project Explorer.

Also, if you export a UserForm object, the code associated with that UserForm is also exported. Therefore, exporting a UserForm actually creates 2 separate files.

Now, let’s take a look at how to export an object in the Visual Basic Editor…

How To Export An Object In The Visual Basic Editor

First of all, if your purpose for exporting an object is to use it another project, you may not need to go through the whole exporting and importing process. In most cases, you can simply do the following to have the object in both projects:

  • Open both the original and the destination projects.
  • Use the mouse to drag the relevant object from the original project to the destination project.

If you still need to export an object using the Visual Basic Editor, simply follow these 3 easy steps.

Step #1: Select The Object You Want To Export.

Go to the Project Window and click on the VBA object you want to export. For example, if you want to export Module2:

Select object to export in Project Window

Step #2: Instruct The VBE To Export The Object.

You can instruct the Visual Basic Editor to export the object by using either of the following methods:

  • Clicking on “Export File…” in the File menu:

    Export File option in Visual Basic Editor

  • Right-clicking on the object you want to export and selecting “Export File…”.

    Export File in context menu of VBE

  • Using the “Ctrl + E” keyboard shortcut.

Step #3: Save The File.

Once you’ve instructed the VBE to export the object, the Export File dialog appears.

Export File dialog in VBE

This dialog probably looks quite familiar. Here you get to save the exported object as any other file. Basically, choose the folder you want to save the file in (in the screenshot below is “Example”), give the file a name (in the image below is “Module2”) and click “Save”.

How to save an exported file in Visual Basic Editor

Note that, as explained in Excel VBA Programming for Dummies, the type of file that is saved depends on the type of object that you’re actually exporting. In all of the cases, however, the result is a text file.

You don’t need to worry about this too much, as the Visual Basic Editor tells you automatically what is the type of the file to be saved. In the example above, Module2 is a Basic File (*.bas).

Type of file for an exported object in VBE

Once you’ve completed the 3 steps above, the object is saved in a separate file. You can now, among others, share the exported object with your colleagues or use it yourself in other VBA projects.

Exported VBA object file

This exported file is only a copy of the original VBA object. Therefore, the Visual Basic Editor keeps the original object in the project and you can continue working with it as usual.

Original object that has been exported in VBE

How To Import An Object In The Visual Basic Editor

You can import an object in the Visual Basic Editor in 3 simple steps.

Step #1: Select The Project.

Go to the Project Window and select the project into which you want to import the object.

For example, if you want to import the object into the Excel workbook named “Book 1.xlsm”:

Project selection for importing in Visual Basic Editor

Step #2: Instruct The VBE To Import An Object.

You can give the Visual Basic Editor the instruction to import an object in any of the following 3 ways:

  • Go to the File menu and click on “Import File…”.

    Import File option in File menu

  • Right-click on the project and select “Import File…”.

    How to import a file in the Visual Basic Editor

  • Use the “Ctrl + M” keyboard shortcut.

Step #3: Select The File To Be Imported.

After you’ve instructed the Visual Basic Editor to import a file, the Import File dialog is displayed.

Import File dialog in Visual Basic Editor

You’ve probably seen very similar dialog boxes before and, therefore, are probably quite familiar with them. Here, you just need to:

  • Find the file that you want to import.
  • Select the file and click on the Open button on the lower right corner of the screen, or simply double click on the file name.

For example, if you wanted to import the module that was exported in the example above and which is named “Module2”:

File selection to import object into VBA project

Conclusion

If you plan on becoming an expert on macros and Visual Basic for Applications, you’ll have to understand and master working with the Visual Basic Editor. Even though the VBE may look intimidating at first, you now know enough about it to start using it appropriately and start creating macros now.

Since this tutorial is aimed at VBA beginners, I haven’t covered a few advanced topics. If you want to be informed about future tutorials, including those that cover more advanced VBE matters, please enter your email below.

Books Referenced In This Excel Tutorial

  • Walkenbach, John (2013). Excel VBA Programming for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
  • Walkenbach, John (2013). Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

What is Programming in Excel?

Programming refers to writing a set of instructions that tell Excel to perform one or more tasks. These instructions are written in the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as this is the language understandable to Excel. To write an instruction, one can either write a code in VBA or record a macro in Excel. A macro is recorded to automate repetitive tasks. When a macro is recorded, VBA generates a code in the background.

For example, to submit an Excel report, a table needs to undergo the same set of tasks each time. These tasks include applying a pre-defined border, color, alignment, and font. To program in Excel, a macro can be recorded for performing all these tasks.

The purpose of programming in Excel is to save the user from performing the same tasks again and again. Moreover, it helps accomplish multiple tasks at a great speed that would have taken a lot of time, had they been performed manually.

Table of contents
  • What is Programming in Excel?
    • Stages of Programming in Excel VBA
      • Stage 1–Enable the Developer Tab in Excel
      • Stage 2–Record a Macro in Excel
      • Stage 3–View and Examine the VBA Code Generated by the Recorded Macro
      • Stage 4–Test the VBA Code of the Recorded Macro
      • Stage 5–Save the Recorded Macro (or the VBA Code)
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recommended Articles

Stages of Programming in Excel VBA

Programming in Excel VBA is carried out in the following stages:

  1. Enable the Developer tab in Excel
  2. Record a macro in Excel
  3. View and examine the VBA code generated by the recorded macro
  4. Test the VBA code of the recorded macro
  5. Save the recorded macro (or the VBA code)

Further in this article, every stage of programming ine xcel has been discussed one by one. The steps to be performed in each stage are also listed.

Stage 1–Enable the Developer Tab in Excel

Let us understand how to enable the Developer tabEnabling the developer tab in excel can help the user perform various functions for VBA, Macros and Add-ins like importing and exporting XML, designing forms, etc. This tab is disabled by default on excel; thus, the user needs to enable it first from the options menu.read more in Excel. This tab is enabled to record a macro and access VBA. When the Developer tab is enabled, it appears on the Excel ribbonRibbons in Excel 2016 are designed to help you easily locate the command you want to use. Ribbons are organized into logical groups called Tabs, each of which has its own set of functions.read more. However, by default, Excel does not display the Developer tab.

Note: To know an alternate method to record a macro and access VBA, refer to the “alternative to step 1” in stages 2 and 3.

The steps to enable the Developer tab in Excel are listed as follows:

Step 1: Go to the File tab displayed on the Excel ribbon.

Programming in Excel Example 1

Step 2: Select “options” shown in the following image.

Example 1.1

Step 3: The “Excel options” window opens, as shown in the following image. Select “customize ribbon” displayed on the left side of this window.

Programming in Excel Example 1.2.0

Step 4: Under “choose commands from” (on the left side of the window), ensure that “popular commands” is selected. Under “customize the ribbon” (on the right side of the window), choose “main tabs” from the drop-down list.

Next, select the checkbox of “developer” and click “Ok.” This checkbox is shown in the following image.

 Example 1.3.0

Step 5: The Developer tab appears on the Excel ribbon, as shown in the following image.

Programming in Excel Example 1.4

Stage 2–Record a Macro in Excel

Let us learn how to record a macroRecording macros is a method whereby excel stores the tasks performed by the user. Every time a macro is run, these exact actions are performed automatically. Macros are created in either the View tab (under the “macros” drop-down) or the Developer tab of Excel.
read more
in Excel. When a macro is recorded, all tasks performed by the user (within the workbook) are stored in the Macro Recorder until the “stop recording” option is clicked. Apart from Microsoft Excel, a macro can be recorded for all Office applications that support VBA.

The steps to record a macro in Excel are listed as follows:

Step 1: From the Developer tab, click “record macro” from the “code” group.

Alternative to step 1: One can also click “record macro” from the “macros” group of the View tab of Excel.

how to record macros in excel Example 1.5

Step 2: The “record macro” window opens, as shown in the following image. In this window, one can name the macro before recording it. The default macro name given by Excel is “macro1.”

The rules governing a macro name are stated as follows:

  • It should not contain any space ( ), period (.) or exclamation point (!).
  • It cannot contain any special characters (like $, @, ^, #, *, &) except the underscore (_).
  • It should not begin with a numerical value. Rather, it must start with a letter.
  • It cannot exceed 255 characters in length.

Note: It is recommended to use short and meaningful names for macros. Further, one must assign a unique name to each macro. In VBA, two macros within the same code module cannot have the same names.

how to record macros in excel Example 1.7

Step 3: In the “macro name” box, we have entered the name “recording_macro.”

Notice that an underscore has been used as a separator between the two strings (recording and macro) of the name. No spaces, periods or special characters have been used in this name.

 how to record macros in excel Example 1.8

Step 4: Click “Ok” to start recording the macro. Once “Ok” is clicked in the preceding window, the “record macro” button (in the Developer tab or the View tab) changes to the “stop recording” button.

Next, carry out the tasks to be recorded in the macro “recording_macro.”

Note: Since the Macro Recorder records every action performed by the user, ensure that the actions are executed in the right sequence. If the recorded sequence is correct, Excel will perform the tasks efficiently each time the macro is run.

However, if a sequencing error occurs, one must either re-record the actions or edit the VBA codeVBA code refers to a set of instructions written by the user in the Visual Basic Applications programming language on a Visual Basic Editor (VBE) to perform a specific task.read more manually. If one is recording the macro for the first time, it is recommended to keep a copy of the workbook to prevent any undesired changes to the stored data.

In the following steps (step 4a to step 4c), the tasks to be recorded have been performed.

Step 4a: Select cell A1 of the worksheet. This is the first task that is recorded. The selection is shown in the following image.

how to record macros in excel Example 1.9

Step 4b: Type “welcome to VBA” in cell A1. This is the second task that is recorded. Exclude the beginning and ending double quotation marks while typing.

Example 1.10.0

Step 4c: Press the “Enter” key. As a result, the selection shifts from cell A1 to cell A2. This becomes the third task that is recorded.

The selection is shown in the following image.

Example 1.11

Step 5: Click “stop recording” in the “code” group of the Developer tab. By clicking this option, Excel is told to refrain from recording any further tasks.

The “stop recording” option is shown in the following image.

Programming in Excel Example 1.12.0

Stage 3–View and Examine the VBA Code Generated by the Recorded Macro

Let us observe and study the VBA code generated by the macro recorded in stage 2. Remember that one can either directly write a code in the Visual Basic Editor (VBE or VB Editor) or let a macro do the same.

The VBE is a tool or program where VBA codes are written, edited, and maintained. When a macro is recorded, a code is automatically written in a new module of VBE. Note that VBA is the programming language of Excel.

The steps to view and study the code generated by the recorded macro are listed as follows:

Step 1: Click “visual basic” from the “code” group of the Developer tab. This option is shown in the following image.

 Example 1.13

Alternative to step 1: As a substitute for the preceding step, press the keys “Alt+F11” together. This is the shortcutAn Excel shortcut is a technique of performing a manual task in a quicker way.read more to open the VBE window.

Note: “Alt+F11” is a toggle key which when pressed repeatedly, helps to switch between VBE and Excel.

Programming in Excel Example 1.14

Step 2: The Visual Basic Editor window opens, as shown in the following image.

To the left of the VBE window, the worksheet, workbook, and module are shown. This window on the left (named “Project-VBAProject”) is also known as the Project window or the Project Explorer of VBE.

how to record macros in excel 1.15.0

Step 3: Double-click “modules” shown in the following image.

Note: “Modules” are folders shown in the Project window after recording a macro. They are not shown prior to recording a macro. “Modules” are also shown when a module is inserted manually from the Insert tab of the VBE.

Programming in Excel Example 1.16

Step 4: Double-click “module1” under modules. A code appears on the right side of the VBE window. This window on the right [named “Book1-Module1 (Code)”] is known as the module code window.

The code is displayed in the following image.

Note: The code generated by recording a macro can be checked in the “modules” folder (in the module code window). In a module code window, one can also write a code manually or copy-paste it from another source.

 how to record macros in excel Example 1.17

In the following steps (step 4a to step 4d), the code generated by the recorded macro has been studied.

Step 4a: The first word of the code is “Sub.” “Sub” stands for subroutine or procedure. At the start of the code, the word “Sub,” the macro name (recording_macro), and a pair of empty parentheses are displayed. This is followed by the statements to be executed by the code. These statements are:

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = “Welcome to VBA”

Range (“A2”). Select

The code ends with “End Sub.”

The start or head [Sub Recording_Macro ()] and the end or tail [End Sub] of the code are shown in the following image.

Note 1: The words “macro” and “code” are often used interchangeably by several Excel users. However, some users also distinguish between these two words.

A VBA code is a command created either by writing a code directly in VBE or by recording a macro in Excel. In contrast, a macro consists of instructions that automate tasks in Excel. According to one’s choice, one can decide whether or not to differentiate between the two words.

Note 2: The “Sub” can be preceded by the words “Private,” “Public,” “Friend,” or “Static.” All these words set the scope of the subroutine. The default subroutine used in VBA is “Public Sub.” So, when “Sub” is written in a code, it implies “Public Sub.”

A “Public Sub” can be initiated by subroutines of different modules. However, a “Private Sub” cannot be initiated by subroutines of other modules.

how to record macros in excel Example 1.18

Step 4b: The first activity we performed (in step 4a of stage 2) was to select cell A1. Accordingly, the following statement of the code tells Excel that the active cell is R1C1.

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1

When a macro is recorded, VBA uses the R1C1 style for referring to cells. In this style, the letter R is followed by the row number and the letter C is followed by the column number. So, cell R1C1 implies that the row number is 1 and the column number is also 1. In other words, cell R1C1 is the same as cell A1 of Excel.

Step 4c: The second activity we performed (in step 4b of stage 2) was to type “welcome to VBA” in cell A1. So, the following statement of the code tells Excel that the value in cell R1C1 is “welcome to VBA.”

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = “Welcome to VBA”

Step 4d: The third activity we performed (in step 4c of stage 2) was to press the “Enter” key. By pressing this key, the selection had shifted from cell A1 to cell A2. Therefore, the following statement tells Excel to select cell A2.

Range (“A2”). Select

This is the way VBA generates a code for all the activities performed under stage 2 of programming in Excel. Examining the code line-by-line makes it easier to interpret it.

Stage 4–Test the VBA Code of the Recorded Macro

Let us test the code when it is run multiple times. Note that a macro (or code) can be run as many times as one wants. Each time it runs, it performs the recorded tasks in Excel.

The steps to test the code that we examined in stage 3 are listed as follows:

Step 1: Delete the string “welcome to VBA” from cell A1 of Excel. Let A1 remain as a blank, selected cell. The following image shows the empty cell A1.

Note: To go back from VBE to Excel, press the toggle key “Alt+F11.”

how to record macros in excel Example 1.19

Step 2: Go to VBE again by pressing the key “Alt+F11.” Click anywhere within the code. Next, click the “Run Sub/UserForm (F5)” button. This button is shown within a blue box in the following image.

Note: Alternatively, one can press the key F5 to run the VBA code.

Programming in Excel Example 1.20.1

Step 3: The output is shown in the following image. The preceding code enters the string “welcome to VBA” in cell A1. Thereafter, the selection shifts to cell A2. The string “welcome to VBA” has been entered in cell A1 because this cell was selected (in step 1) before running the code.

Each time the code is run, the currently selected cell (or the active cell) is filled with the string “welcome to VBA.” Then, the selection shifts to cell A2. So, if cell M10 is the active cell, running the code fills this cell with the stated string and selects cell A2 at the end.

However, had cell A2 been selected, running the code would have filled this cell with the string “welcome to VBA.” Moreover, in the end, cell A2 would have remained the selected cell.

Example 1.21.0

Stage 5–Save the Recorded Macro (or the VBA Code)

Let us learn how to save a workbook containing a recorded macro. If a macro is saved, its VBA code is also saved.

The steps to save a workbook containing a macro (or a VBA code) are listed as follows:

  1. Click “save as” from the File tab of Excel. The “save as” dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.
  2. Assign a name to the Excel workbook in the “file name” box. We have entered the name “macro class.”
  3. Save the workbook with the “.xlsm” extension. So, in the “save as type” box, choose “Excel macro-enabled workbook.”
  4. Click “save” to save the workbook.

A workbook containing a macro should always be saved with the “.xlsm” extension. This extension ensures that the macro is saved and can be reused the next time the workbook is opened.

Note 1: The “save as” command is used when a workbook is saved for the first time. It is also used when a new copy of the workbook is to be created and, at the same time, the original copy is to be retained as well.

Note 2: If the workbook containing a macro is saved as a regular workbook (with the “.xlsx” extension), the macro will not be saved. Further, one may lose the code of the recorded macro. 

 Example 1.23.0

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is programming and how is it carried out in Excel?

Programming refers to instructing Excel to perform one or more tasks. To instruct Excel, either a code can be written in the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) or a macro can be recorded in Excel. Each time a macro is recorded, a code is generated by VBA in the background.

The steps to carry out programming in Excel are listed as follows:

a. Enable the Developer tab in Excel.
b. Record a macro in Excel. For recording, perform each activity in the sequence in which it should be recorded.
c. Save the code generated by the recorded macro and run it whenever required.

One can also carry out programming by writing a code manually and then saving and running it.

Note: To learn the details of programming in Excel, refer to the description of the different stages given in this article.

2. How to write a code for programming in Excel?

For programming in Excel, a code is written in Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which is a tool of VBA. The steps to write a code in VBE are listed as follows:

a. Open a blank Excel workbook.
b. Press the keys “Alt+F11” to open VBE.
c. Select any worksheet from “Microsoft Excel Objects” listed in the “Project-VBA Project window.”
d. Click the Insert tab and choose “module.” A folder named “modules” and an object named “module1” are created in the “Project-VBA Project window.” At the same time, a window opens on the right, which is titled “Book1-Module1 (Code).”
e. Enter the code in the “Book1-Module1 (Code)” window that has opened in the preceding step.
f. Click anywhere within the code once it has been written entirely.
g. Run the code by pressing F5 or clicking the “Run Sub/UserForm (F5)” button.

If the code has been entered correctly in step “e,” Excel will perform the tasks it has been instructed to. However, if there is an error in the code, an error message will appear.

Note: For saving a code, refer to stage 5 of programming in Excel given in this article.

3. How to learn programming in Excel?

To learn programming, one can learn how to record a macro in Excel. It is easier to learn macro recording than to create a code manually in VBE. Moreover, macro recording can be done even if one does not know VBA coding.

However, each time a macro is recorded, examine the generated code carefully. As one becomes proficient in macro recording, the codes too will become understandable. In this way, learning programming in Excel will no longer be a complicated task.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to Programming in Excel. Here we discuss how to record VBA macros along with practical examples and downloadable Excel templates. You can learn more from the following articles–

  • Create Button Macro in ExcelA Macro is nothing but a line of code to instruct the excel to do a specific task. Once the code is assigned to a button control through VBE you can execute the same task any time in the workbook. By just clicking on the button we can execute hundreds of line, it also automates the complicated Report.read more
  • What is VBA Macros?
  • Excel MacroA macro in excel is a series of instructions in the form of code that helps automate manual tasks, thereby saving time. Excel executes those instructions in a step-by-step manner on the given data. For example, it can be used to automate repetitive tasks such as summation, cell formatting, information copying, etc. thereby rapidly replacing repetitious operations with a few clicks.
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  • Code in Excel VBAVBA code refers to a set of instructions written by the user in the Visual Basic Applications programming language on a Visual Basic Editor (VBE) to perform a specific task.read more

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