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

44221: Information Systems

Lecture 8 (Week 10)

Spreadsheet Automation

By Ian Perry

http://itsy.co.uk/ac/0506/Sem1/44221_IS/

Ian Perry Slide 244221: 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’.


How would you print this?


Always use File, Print Preview

Oops!

Too wide forA4 witha 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.


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


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.


The ‘Shape’ of the Worksheet?

Top

QuartersMonthsLeft


To Name a Range?

Highlight range to be defined.

Use menu to:• Insert• Name• Define …

Name the range.

Press OK


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.


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.


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.


What do we want to achieve?


To Record a Macro – Step 1 ‘Tools’, ‘Macro’, ‘Record New

Macro…’:


To Record a Macro – Step 2 Enter a suitable ‘Macro name’

& Choose a ‘Shortcut key’


To Record a Macro – Step 3 The ‘Stop Recording’ pop-up will

appear. Simply select the ‘YearSum’ tab.


To Record a Macro – Step 4 The ‘YearSum’ Worksheet will be

displayed. Select the ‘Blue’, ‘Stop Recording’

button.


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.


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 Name Short-cut Key

GoToQtr1 Ctrl+a

GoToQtr2 Ctrl+b

GoToQtr3 Ctrl+c

GoToQtr4 Ctrl+d

Can now move from one Worksheet to any other using these Macros. BUT, what about Printing?


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}


Set the ‘Named Ranges’

SummaryCharts(A1:K21)

SummaryTable

(A1:D9)


Recording a Printing Macro – Step 1 ‘Tools’, ‘Macro’, ‘Record New Macro…’:


Recording a Printing Macro – Step 2 ‘File’, ‘Page Setup…’, then on ‘Page’ tab:

‘Orientation’ = ‘Landscape’


Recording a Printing Macro – Step 3 On ‘Margins’ tab:

‘Center on page’ = ‘Horizontally’ & ‘Vertically’


Recording a Printing Macro – Step 4 On ‘Sheet’ tab:

‘Print area’ = ‘SummaryCharts’ ‘Print’ = ‘Gridlines’

PrintPreview


Recording a Printing Macro – Step 5

Close the Print Preview window.Then stop the Macro Recording.AND

Repeat for the other Print Range.


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 Name Short-cut Key

GoToYearSum Ctrl+y

GoToQtr1 Ctrl+a

GoToQtr2 Ctrl+b

GoToQtr3 Ctrl+c

GoToQtr4 Ctrl+d

PrintSummaryCharts

Ctrl+s

PrintSummaryTable Ctrl+t


Associating Macros with Buttons - 1 Need to display the ‘Forms’ Toolbar;

‘View’, ‘Toolbars…’, ‘Forms’:

Select the Button Control

‘Draw’ the Button


Associating Macros with Buttons - 2 When the ‘Assign Macro’ pop-up appears;

Choose the Macro to assign to the Button, and press ‘OK’:


Associating Macros with Buttons – 3 ‘Right-Click’ on the Button;

‘Edit Text’ to make it more meaningful:


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.

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

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