Oct '02 Tools

A macro is a series of commands, keystrokes, and/or mouse clicks that you save and run whenever you want to. If you find yourself repeatedly performing a particular task in Word, Excel, or WordPerfect, you can lighten your workload by combining the steps into a macro that can be run by clicking an icon or pressing a key combination.

Creating a macro...

You can create a macro by recording your keystrokes or mouse clicks using the macro recorder in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

The process for recording a macro is very similar in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You open a new document, worksheet, or presentation and choose Tools, Macro, Record New Macro to open the Record Macro dialog box. There, you assign your macro a name, choose a location for it, and give it a description. Word and Excel let you assign a shortcut key you can use to run the macro later. Word also lets you give the macro a toolbar icon.

Once you complete those tasks and click OK to dismiss the Record Macro dialog box, the Macro Recorder records your keystrokes and mouse clicks. Just type and click away, knowing that whatever you do will be recorded in the macro. You'll notice a tiny floating toolbar that has just two options: Stop Recording and Pause Recording. To take a short break, click Pause Recording. Click the same icon when you're ready to resume. When you're finished recording, click Stop Recording.

We'll create a simple macro in Word, (the process is so similar in the other applications that you can easily create it in Excel or PowerPoint as well). These general instructions apply to Word 2002 at least as far back as Word 95, though the exact steps may vary slightly from one version to version.

Before creating your macros, be sure each output device you plan to use is ready to use. It's a good idea to do a trial run first, walking through the process without recording the macro. Word's Macro Recorder memorizes every step you take-including missteps. When you actually create the macro, you want to record only the steps you need.

You'll also need to have a document ready for printing, which you'll use while creating and testing your macro.

Let's say your default printer is the HP OfficeJet, and you want to create a quick option to print to a different printer let's say a Lexmark. But you want the default settings reinstated automatically, so printing will always be predictable when you use Word's ordinary Print command.

Here are the steps to creating the macro...

With your test document created and open, select File | Print (or press Ctrl-P) to reach the standard Print dialog box. In that dialog box, select Lexmark from the drop-down Name pick list, and then click OK to print your document with the new settings. Now open the Print dialog again, but this time undo the change by selecting your default printer, and then click the Close button.

Now you'll need to repeat the process to record it....

Begin by selecting Tools | Macro | Record New Macro. In the dialog box that appears, enter a short, descriptive name for your macro (such as Lexmark) and click OK.

A small box then pops up with two little buttons. The right button temporarily pauses recording, if necessary, while the left button stops recording after you've completed your macro.

Now record your macro - don't forget to click the Stop button when you're done. The first few times we used the Recorder, we neglected to do this until after recording much that was unrelated to the macro. When we later ran the macro, our reaction could only be described in words we'd rather not print.

Next, test your macro by selecting Tools | Macro | Macros, then select the name you specified and click the Run button. Your document should print to the desired printer and then reset your default printer. Just to be sure, test the latter by printing your document from Word's standard Print command.

You can create macros for other configurations in much the same way. Just walk through the process first for practice, then record. Printing to e-mail or fax is identical to the procedure for a printer if your e-mail or fax application is listed in the Name pick list mentioned above. If not, select File | Send To and see whether Mail Recipient (for e-mail) or Fax Recipient is listed. If so, you can create a similar macro for that application, though you may find it just as easy to use the existing File menu items rather than creating macros for your new menu.

Creating a menu...

To create a menu, select Tools | Customize | Commands. Near the bottom of the Categories pick list on the left, select New Menu. New Menu will then also appear in the Commands list on the right. Click and drag the New Menu on the right to where you want your new menu to appear on Word's main menu bar.

You'll then want to rename your new menu to something like Printers. To do so, right-click New Menu on Word's menu bar with the Customize dialog box open. In the Name field of the drop-down menu that appears, type Printers. If you want to be able to select that menu item with the keyboard shortcut Alt-P, precede the P with an ampersand- &Printers.

The procedure for populating your menu is almost the same as for creating the menu itself. This time, select Macros rather than New Menu from the Categories list on the left, find the macro name you want in the Commands list on the right, and drag the macro's name onto your new menu.

The first macro you drag onto the Printers menu will cause a small, gray box to drop down under Printers. Release the macro you are dragging into that gray space. (For subsequent macros, drag them to the Printers menu and then down to the location you want above, below, or between existing items.) A horizontal black line reveals where the new menu item will appear when you release the mouse button. Like the menu name, menu items can be renamed by right-clicking them and editing the Name box. (Be sure the Customize dialog box is open.)

Note that preceding any character in the name with an ampersand makes that character the shortcut key for that item. You probably shouldn't use the same shortcut key character for more than one item in a given menu. Otherwise, the shortcut key will cycle between the items with the identical shortcut key, and you'll have to press Enter to activate the right menu item.

You can modify your menus and menu items anytime by selecting Tools | Customize. Then you can delete a menu or menu item simply by dragging it anywhere in Word's workspace other than on a menu bar or toolbar. You can also reorder an item on a menu by clicking and dragging it until a horizontal bar indicates the location you want.

Many other menu features are available. To explore them, open the Customize dialog box, right-click on the item you want to modify, and play with the options on the drop-down menu that appears.

With a little imagination, you can create handy menus with selections that run macros to speed up almost any Word, Excel, or PowerPoint feature.

A few suggestion to keep in mind...

• A macro name is limited to 255 characters, must begin with a letter, and may not contain spaces, periods, or special characters such as !, @, &, $, or #.
• Be sure to give your macro a logical, simple name so you know what it does later.
• When you determine a location for your macro, you're saying whether you'll run it in the current document or in all documents. Most of the time, you'll want to make the macro available to all documents. In Word, choose All Documents (Normal.dot). In Excel, choose Personal Macro Workbook. PowerPoint lets you store the macro in the open presentation only.
• When you assign a key combination you'll later use to run the macro, you must choose one that's not already assigned to something else (like Ctrl-C, which is assigned to the Copy command). The Record Macro dialog box will warn you if you try to take an assigned combination.
• Finally, it's best to keep things simple. Complex macros don't always work like you'd expect.