Page 52 - Excel Progamming Weekend Crash Course

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Session 2 — The VBA Code Editor 27

VBA and the Excel object model often provide more than one way to perform
a task. Just because a recorded macro codes a task in a certain way does not
Note mean you have to do it exactly that way in your programs.

Viewing and Running Macros
To run a macro, you can press the associated hot key if one was assigned to the macro. You
can also select Tools ➪ Macro ➪ Macros, or press Alt+F8 to display the Macro dialog box (see
Figure 2-7).

Figure 2-7 You can select a macro to run in the Macro dialog box.
This dialog box enables you to run a macro as well as perform other actions. Select the
desired macro and then:

Use the Macros In list to select which macros will be displayed in the list.
Click Run to run the selected macro.
Click Step Into to debug the macro (see Session 25 for more information on
debugging).
Click Edit to open the macro in the VBA Editor for viewing and editing.
Click Delete to delete the macro.
Click Options to change the shortcut key assigned to the macro and/or change the
macro description.

If you select the Edit option, you can copy code from the macro and then paste it into
your own programs.

Online Help
The VBA Editor provides an excellent online help system that contains detailed information
about the VBA language, the Excel object model, and the Editor itself. There are several
ways to access this information.
One method is context-sensitive help, accessed by pressing F1. The Editor keeps track of
what you are doing, and when you press F1, it displays help information that is relevant to
the task at hand. For example, if you have selected an item in the Project Explorer, pressing