Excel Macros For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 1

Macro Fundamentals

IN THIS CHAPTER

Choosing macros

Recording macros

Understanding macro security

Finding out where to store and how to run macros

Exploring macro examples

A macro is essentially a set of instructions or code that you create to tell Excel to execute any number of actions. In Excel, macros can be written or recorded. The key word here is recorded.

Recording a macro is like programming a phone number into your smartphone. You first manually dial and save a number. Then when you want, you can redial those numbers with the touch of a button. With macro recording, you can record your actions in Excel while you perform them. While you record, Excel gets busy in the background, translating your keystrokes and mouse clicks to code (also known as Visual Basic for Applications or VBA). After a macro is recorded, you can play back those actions anytime you want.

In this chapter, you explore macros and find out how you can use macros to automate your recurring processes ...