Absolute Beginners Guide to Microsoft Office Excel 2003

Chapter 13. Automating Tasks with Macros

In this chapter

• Using macros to automate step-heavy tasks you frequently perform.

• Recording a series of keystrokes and commands to create a macro.

• Running macros by pressing a key or clicking a button.

• Editing macro commands in Microsoft's Visual Basic Editor.

• Protecting Excel worksheets and your computer against macro viruses.

Excel is packed with tools to help you enter commands without winding through a series of menus and submenus. You can press Ctrl+S to save a workbook, click the Print button to print a worksheet, or press Ctrl+N to create a new workbook, just to name a few. By learning the dozens of toolbar buttons and shortcut keystrokes available in Excel, you can significantly reduce the amount of time you spend entering commands. To become even more efficient, you can create your own macros , as explained in this chapter.