Excel VBA Macros: Custom Functions and Structures

Overview

In this course, you'll continue developing your VBA skills in Excel by creating custom functions, making decisions in code, working with variables, and performing repetitive tasks. You'll also debug VBA errors, deal with errors, and improve macro performance. Then, you'll prompt the user for more information and configure macros to run automatically. This is the second course in a multi-course Specialization. All of the courses in this Specialization require that you have a recent version of Microsoft Excel installed. The course setup instructions provided in the first course go into more detail about the hardware and software requirements.

Syllabus

Creating Custom Worksheet Functions

While VBA enables you to create macros, which automate repetitive tasks, another major use of VBA in Microsoft® Excel® is to write custom functions, which you can then use in a cell formula like you would use VLOOKUP, DSUM, and Excel's other built-in functions. The ability to create your own custom worksheet functions enables you to streamline your worksheet formulas and perform tasks that are difficult or complicated using built-in functions alone.

Improving Your VBA Code

As you start developing functionality in your macros and custom functions, inevitably you'll encounter problems—procedures that don't work or don't work as you expect them to, or performance issues that make some tasks take longer than you think they should. Fortunately, there are many tools and strategies you can employ to improve your VBA code.

Controlling How and When Macros Run

Recorded macros typically run when the user chooses to run them, and then they play back the same way each time they run. However, you may want to make your macros more flexible and diverse, pausing to allow the user to select various options regarding how the macro should run. Or you might want to make some macros even more automatic; for example, running anytime the user changes the value in a particular cell, or every time a workbook is first opened. In this lesson, you'll examine various ways to control how and when macros run.