1. Spreadsheet Models for Managers
Session 15
Spreadsheet Tools for Managers
Command Macros
Templates
Distribution within the Enterprise
Last revised: November 16, 2009

2. Review of last time Iteration Dynamic arrays
Using the Set statement for objects

3. Command macros Command macros “do” things to Excel or to workbooks
Define a name
Color a cell blue
Open a workbook
Anything (almost anything) that you can do with keyboard or mouse
Use the macro recorder to see what command macros look like
Recorder is a fast way to learn how to do something
Also use to “rough out” your macro

4. Example: Create a worksheet named “info”
Turn on recorder, insert a new worksheet, name it “info”
Stop recorder, open Visual Basic Editor
But the macro recorder isn’t a very good programmer. Here’s what a programmer would write:
Sub Macro1()
Sheets.Add
Sheets("Sheet4").Select
Sheets("Sheet4").Name = "Info"
End Sub
Sub Macro1()
Sheets.Add.Name = "Info"
End Sub
Usually, when you record, you’ll have some cleanup to do

5. Many commands aren’t recordable
For an example, turn on the recorder and open a file
The recorded macro opens that specific file
But a common need is a command macro that enables the user to specify a file
To learn about these methods and statements use these references:
Excel-L discussion list
Various books
Sub TypicalUse()
Dim theFile
theFile = Application.GetOpenFilename
If theFile = False Then Exit Sub
<…various other steps…>
End Sub

6. What command macros should you build?
Commands that are expensive
If done incorrectly
If you were to train (and retrain) people to do them
If people have to do them by hand
So build command macros for procedures that:
Are complex
Are used reasonably often
Must be done right
One other category: doing things quickly
High throughput can be a competitive asset
It can enable new ways of doing business
Usual structure: automatic polling of workbooks across the intranet

7. Presentation vs. maintenance
Often we must present our data or models
The needs of presentation sometimes conflict with ease of maintenance
Examples:
M1 M2 M3 Q1 M4 M5 M6 Q2 M7 M8 M9 Q3 M10 M11 M12 Q4 Y
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Y1 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Y2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Y3
The above display is popular, especially with Finance
It also makes maintenance difficult:
The formulas for year data are often different from quarter data
Edit>Fill Right is impossible
Audit tools are thrown off
Alternate approach: split presentation from maintenance
Create the data on one sheet
Display it on another
Use a macro to compute display on a separate sheet
Either a command macro or a function macro can work

8. Templates
A workbook template contains infrastructure for a specific task
You could have made a template for your homeworks
Main application: data collection across an organization or across time
Advantages
Reduce setup costs
Regularize data to support command macros and automation
Mechanize “roll-ups”
How to make a template
Set up the workbook the way you want it
Save as template
If you save to the templates directory, it’s available in the Templates list

9. Enterprise templates
When you distribute a template throughout the organization
You can’t anticipate everything
You’ll probably have to issue updates
People will someday have to transfer data from the old template to the new
To support updates
Version stamp the template
Provide macros to bring data forward to new versions
Avoid having submitters enter formulas
Avoid including macro tools in templates
Distribute macros as add-ins instead
Enables updating macros without affecting data
Knowing that the data never contains macros makes virus detection easier

10. Macros for updating templates
Typical reasons for updating templates
Need a new data range
Incorrect formula
Need new name
New value for a parameter
New parameter
These situations don’t affect existing data
When existing data isn’t compromised, you can easily write an update macro
Pull data from a workbook made from old template
Insert that data into a workbook made from new template

11. An update macro
Sub CopyData(oldWorkbook As Workbook, newWorkbook As Workbook)
Dim namedRegions, i As Integer
Dim rangeOld As Range, rangeNew As Range
namedRegions = Array("InitialHeadcount", "Hiring", "Turnover")
For i = 1 To Ubound(namedRegions)
Set rangeOld = oldWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1") _
.Range(namedRegions(i))
Set rangeNew = newWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1") _
rangeNew.Value = rangeOld.Value
Next i
End Sub

12. Example: Updating a template
Create a tool that asks the user to specify a source file and a destination file, and copies data from the source to the destination. The data is held in the three ranges called “InitialHeadcount”, “Hiring”, and “Turnover”
Make your macro accessible by inserting a button onto the worksheet, and attaching the macro to it.

13. Add-Ins An Add-in is a workbook in a special format
Enables you to “extend” Excel
Use add-ins to distribute macros, styles, chart formats, toolbars, etc.
Main advantage: you can update features without affecting user data
Always version-stamp add-ins

14. Key bindings for macros
To attach a macro to a keyboard shortcut, add this to the ThisWorkbook module:
Read about the key specifiers in on-line help for VBA
The macro specifier is just the name of the macro as a string
Sub Workbook_Open()
Application.OnKey <key-specifier>, <macro-name>
End Sub
Sub Workbook_BeforeClose(ignore As Boolean)
Application.OnKey <key-specifier>

15. Tips for advanced users
The defaults of some Excel options are helpful for novices
But more advanced users should use different values
Edit directly in cell: turn off
Show Visual Basic toolbar (Excel 2003 and 2004)
Add Developer>Visual Basic command to Quick Access Toolbar (Excel 2007)
Manual recalculation
Use templates
Use chart formats

16. The main points Rough out your command macros using the macro recorder
Many commands can’t be recorded
Separate the presentation function from the maintenance function
Using the Set statement for objects
Use templates to collect data from the organization
Avoiding putting macros in templates
Distribute macro collections as add-ins

17. Reference readings
Rob Bovey, Stephen Bullen, John Green, Robert Rosenberg, Excel 2002 VBA Programmers Reference. Birmingham, UK: Wrox Limited.
On line help for VB takes some getting used to, but it is serviceable.
Readings: Excel Macros in Visual Basic for Applications