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Subject:How do I learn to write macros? From:Geoff Hart <Geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> Date:Fri, 20 Aug 1999 09:23:42 -0400
Nancy Smith wondered <<How can I learn to write macros in
Word? You all seem to be able to do so many things so easily, as
in "Just write a macro" but I don't know where/how to learn!>>
There are tons of books available on how to "program" macros in
Visual Basic for Applications (the macro language used by Word et
al.); check out any good computer bookstore and pick a book
whose style suits you.
But the good news is that for something as simple as the table,
you don't need to "write" anything: you _record_ it! Here's how:
1. In the Tools menu, select Macro.
2. From the submenu, select Record new macro. (Fill out the
appropriate information in the dialog box that this opens.)
3. Perform the steps you want to record for future repetition.
4. When you're done, open the Tools menu, select Macro, then
select "Stop Recording" from the submenu.
Voila!
For more complex activities, you may actually need to learn some
of the programming language, but the recorder all by itself is
surprisingly powerful.
"Perhaps there is something deep and profound behind all those sevens,
something just calling out for us to discover it. But I
suspect that it is only a pernicious, Pythagorean coincidence." George
Miller, "The Magical Number Seven" (1956)