Description of How International Macros Work in Excel

ID: Q69529

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 3.0, 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0

SUMMARY

In Excel, International Macro contents (both functions and text strings) are always displayed in English with U.S. country settings. No translation is performed when loading the macro sheet in a different language version of Excel. When the macro is run, Excel interprets it and uses the local language translation and conventions taken from built-in tables.

MORE INFORMATION

In versions of Excel prior to 3.0, and in later version's Standard macro format), all functions are translated into the local language when the sheet is loaded in another language version of Excel. Text strings are not translated. This could cause problems when running the macro.

NOTE: This information applies to version 5.0 of Microsoft Excel when using macro code instead of module code.

The following sample macro statements illustrate this behavior:


   =FORMULA("RETURN()")
   =FORMULA("1.45")

If created in a U.S. version of Excel 2.x and then loaded in French Excel, these statements would be converted to the following:


   =FORMULE("RETURN()")
   =FORMULE("1.45")

Notice the text arguments didn't get translated. These statements are unusable due to the mix of languages; French functions expect French arguments.

If the statements in the above example were created in an International Macro, they would remain displayed in U.S./English form; however, French Excel 3.0 and later would understand them, and the macro would run properly.

For more information on the International Macro feature, query on the word "intmac" (without the quotation marks).

REFERENCES

"User's Guide 2," version 4.0, pages 297-299
"User's Guide," version 3.0, pages 655-658

Additional query words: foreign intmac

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