44221: Information Systems Lecture 8 (Week 10) Spreadsheet Automation By Ian Perry

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Named Ranges & Macros As spreadsheets get larger and larger, and especially when a spreadsheet has multiple worksheets, it becomes increasingly difficult to: Print specific portions of the spreadsheet. Find your way around this complex 3D model. Named Ranges & Macros Provide ‘relatively easy to implement’ solutions to both of the above ‘problems’.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation How would you print this?

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Always use File, Print Preview Oops! Too wide forA4 with a Portrait Orientation Much better, but, what if I only want to print the table of data? Use ‘File’, ‘Page Setup…’ in order to change the Orientation to Landscape, and make a few other adjustments.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Set the Print Area Highlight the range you want to print. Use menu to: File Print Area Set Print Area Now, when you: File Print Preview

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation How would you print this? It is relatively easy to print it all, or to print any contiguous block of cells. BUT, what if I only want to print the data in Columns A, F, G & H? This is where named ranges come in very handy.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation The ‘Shape’ of the Worksheet? Top QuartersMonths Left

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation To Name a Range? Highlight range to be defined. Use menu to: Insert Name Define … Name the range. Press OK

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Now ‘File’, ‘Page Setup…’ Setting the: ‘Print area’ ‘Rows to repeat at top’ ‘Columns to repeat at left’ using the range names you have just defined. AND always remember to ‘Print Preview’, otherwise you may waste a lot of paper.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Macros What is a Macro? A series of stored commands (i.e. a program) that perform a specific task. The easiest way to create a Macro is to record it. Before you record a Macro, it is a good idea to plan the commands you want the Macro to perform. If you make a mistake when you record the Macro, any errors/corrections you make are also recorded. Having recorded the Macro: You can then then ‘run’ the Macro (in a number of ways), in order to repeat, or “play back”, the commands.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation What are Macros used for? Macros can be used for almost anything you want to do with a spreadsheet. They are most useful when they are used: to automate repetitive tasks. and/or: to simplify complex tasks. We are going to use macros to: Automate the process of moving about a workbook containing multiple worksheets. Print specific sections, not necessarily in contiguous blocks, of a worksheet.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation What do we want to achieve?

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation To Record a Macro – Step 1 ‘Tools’, ‘Macro’, ‘Record New Macro…’:

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation To Record a Macro – Step 2 Enter a suitable ‘Macro name’ & Choose a ‘Shortcut key’

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation To Record a Macro – Step 3 The ‘Stop Recording’ pop-up will appear. Simply select the ‘YearSum’ tab.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation To Record a Macro – Step 4 The ‘YearSum’ Worksheet will be displayed. Select the ‘Blue’, ‘Stop Recording’ button.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation To Run this new Macro Or: Select ‘Tools’, ‘Macro’, ‘Macros…’ from the menu system, choose the macro you want to run from the list presented in the ‘Macro’ pop-up window, and press the ‘Run’ button. Either: press the ‘Ctrl+Y’ keys at the same time.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation To complete the Navigation Simply record another 4 Macros, in the same manner, using the following settings in the ‘Record a Macro’ pop-up window: Macro NameShort-cut Key GoToQtr1Ctrl+a GoToQtr2Ctrl+b GoToQtr3Ctrl+c GoToQtr4Ctrl+d Can now move from one Worksheet to any other using these Macros. BUT, what about Printing?

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation The Printing Plan! Set some ‘Named Ranges’, i.e.: SummaryTable and SummaryCharts Then record two Macros, that use; ‘File’, ‘Page Setup…’ to set the following: Page Orientation {Portrait or Landscape} Margins Center on page {Horizontally and/or Vertically} Sheet Print Area {SummaryTable or SummaryCharts} Print {Gridlines}

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Set the ‘Named Ranges’ SummaryCharts (A1:K21) SummaryTable (A1:D9)

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Recording a Printing Macro – Step 1 ‘Tools’, ‘Macro’, ‘Record New Macro…’:

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Recording a Printing Macro – Step 2 ‘File’, ‘Page Setup…’, then on ‘Page’ tab: ‘Orientation’ = ‘Landscape’

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Recording a Printing Macro – Step 3 On ‘Margins’ tab: ‘Center on page’ = ‘Horizontally’ & ‘Vertically’

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Recording a Printing Macro – Step 4 On ‘Sheet’ tab: ‘Print area’ = ‘SummaryCharts’ ‘Print’ = ‘Gridlines’ Print Preview

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Recording a Printing Macro – Step 5 Close the Print Preview window. Then stop the Macro Recording. AND Repeat for the other Print Range.

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation The Full set of Macros: OK, but: Having to remember the correct ‘Short-cut Key’, or go through the whole ‘Tools’, ‘Macro’, ‘Macros…’, etc. rigmarole is not very user-friendly – is it? Macro NameShort-cut Key GoToYearSumCtrl+y GoToQtr1Ctrl+a GoToQtr2Ctrl+b GoToQtr3Ctrl+c GoToQtr4Ctrl+d PrintSummaryChartsCtrl+s PrintSummaryTableCtrl+t

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Associating Macros with Buttons - 1 Need to display the ‘Forms’ Toolbar; ‘View’, ‘Toolbars…’, ‘Forms’: Select the Button Control ‘Draw’ the Button

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Associating Macros with Buttons - 2 When the ‘Assign Macro’ pop-up appears; Choose the Macro to assign to the Button, and press ‘OK’:

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation Associating Macros with Buttons – 3 ‘Right-Click’ on the Button; ‘Edit Text’ to make it more meaningful:

Ian PerrySlide : Information Systems: Spreadsheet Automation And there you have it! All that remains to be done, is to: Repeat the ‘Associate Macros with Buttons’ process for all of the other Macros. Then ‘Copy’ & ‘Paste’ the Buttons as and where required, so that the user can easily: Move from one Worksheet to any other Worksheet. Print Preview specific ranges of the ‘YearSum’ Worksheet. All without the user having to know very much about how to use Excel.