Introduction

Welcome to Visual Basic® for applications — the programming language used in Microsoft® Excel. Using Visual Basic, you can automate everyday tasks, add custom features and functions to suit your needs, and even create complete applications.

In Microsoft Excel, you automate tasks with macros. A macro is a sequence of instructions, written in Visual Basic, that tells Microsoft Excel what to do.

Microsoft Excel provides a feature called the macro recorder, which writes macros for you by storing the actions you take and the commands you choose as you work with Microsoft Excel. Later you can play back, or run, the macro to repeat your recorded actions automatically, saving yourself time and effort.

After you learn to record and run macros, you'll discover how useful they can be, and you'll want to make them even more powerful by adding your own Visual Basic code and improving the recorded code.

Whether you're a new user or an experienced macro developer, Visual Basic can make you more productive. With Visual Basic, you can create custom commands, menus, dialog boxes, messages, and buttons — and you can display custom Help topics for all of these items. From automating repetitive tasks to developing powerful, full-featured applications, Visual Basic's tools enable you to customize Microsoft Excel so that it fits your specific needs.