As you probably already know, Excel macros can help to add functionality, and automate tasks in your worksheets. However, when you create macros by recording a sequence of keystrokes or Excel actions, you are somewhat limited in terms of what you can accomplish. Sometimes complex tasks, or tasks that involve user input, require more than the just a simple recorded macro.

 

You can overcome the limitations of basic recorded macros, by using VBA, (which stands for Visual Basic for Applications). In Excel, you can add visual basic code to your macros to make them even more powerful.

 

Keep in mind that this is an advanced topic, and that writing program code can be tricky even for seasoned programmers. If you don’t catch on right away, don’t be alarmed. Be patient, keep an open mind, and try to have fun exploring what you can do with VBA. One of the best ways to learn this kind skill is through experimentation.

 

In this lesson you will learn how to add VBA code to your macro. You will also learn about comments and how to add them to VBA code. You will learn about variables and how to declare them, and how to get input from a user.

 Finally, you will learn how to iterate over an Excel range, and how to make conditional decisions with if /then/else statements.