PAUSE

Macro Sheets Only

Pauses a macro. Use the PAUSE function, instead of choosing the Pause button in the Single Step dialog box, as a debugging tool when you do not wish to step through a macro. You can also use PAUSE to enter and edit data, to work directly with Microsoft Excel commands, or to perform other actions that are not normally available when a macro is running.

Syntax

PAUSE(no_tool)

No_tool is a logical value specifying whether to display the Resume Macro button when the macro is paused. If no_tool is TRUE, the toolbar is not displayed; if FALSE, the toolbar is displayed; if omitted, the toolbar is displayed unless you previously clicked the close box on the toolbar.

Remarks

• All commands and tools that are available when no macro is running are still available when a macro is paused.
• You can run other macros while a macro is paused, but you can pause only one macro at a time. If a macro is paused when you run a second macro containing a PAUSE function, choosing Macro Resume resumes only the second macro; you cannot resume or return to the first macro automatically.
• PAUSE is ignored in custom worksheet functions, unless you manually run them by choosing the Run button from the Macro dialog box, which appears when you choose the Macro command from the Tools menu. PAUSE is also ignored if it's placed in a formula for which the resume behavior would be unclear, such as:

  
  

  IF(Cost<10, AND(PAUSE(),SUM(!$A$1:$A$4)))
  

• If one macro runs a second macro that pauses, Microsoft Excel locks the calling cell in the first macro. If you try to edit this cell, Microsoft Excel displays an error message.
• To resume a paused macro, choose the Resume Macro button on the toolbar or run a macro containing a RESUME function.
• If one macro runs a second macro that pauses and you need to halt only the paused macro, use RESUME(2) instead of HALT. HALT halts all macros and prevents resuming or returning to any macro. For more information, see RESUME.

Tip Since the automatic Resume Macro button can be customized, you can create a custom toolbar that will appear whenever a macro pauses.

Example

The following macro formula checks to see if a variable named TestValue is greater than 9. If it is, the macro pauses; otherwise, the macro continues normally.

IF(TestValue>9, PAUSE())

Related Functions

HALT Stops all macros from running

RESUME Resumes a paused macro

STEP Turns on macro single-stepping

List of Control Functions