Special Edition Using Microsoft® Office XP

How Macros Work

When you get right down to it, a macro is nothing more than a computer program. Macros can be surprisingly short—even a one-line macro can perform helpful tasks—or they can run for hundreds of lines, with loops and variables and input boxes, and other elements you normally associate with a full-fledged programming language. You don't need to be a programmer to automate much of your work with macros. All you need is a basic understanding of the underlying application and a willingness to step through a few lines of code.

With rare exceptions, you can create a macro to automate any task you can do manually in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, FrontPage, or Access. Macros are ideal for automating routine drudge work—those everyday ...