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At this point, you should feel comfortable recording your own Excel macros. Here are some of other important concepts you’ll need to keep in mind when working with macros.

Macro-enabled file extensions

Beginning with Excel 2007, Excel workbooks were given the standard file extension .xlsx. Files with the .xlsx extension cannot contain macros. If your workbook contains macros and you then save that workbook as an .xlsx file, your macros are removed automatically. Excel warns you that macro content will be removed when saving a workbook with macros as an .xlsx file.

If you want to retain the macros, you must save your file as an Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook. This gives your file an .xlsm extension. The idea is that all workbooks with an .xlsx file extension are automatically known to be safe, whereas you can recognize .xlsm files as a potential threat.

Macro security in Excel 2010

With the release of Office 2010, Microsoft introduced significant changes to its Office security model. One of the most significant changes is the concept of trusted documents. Without getting into the technical minutia, a trusted document is essentially a workbook you have deemed safe by enabling macros.

If you open a workbook that contains macros in Excel 2010, you see a yellow bar message under the Ribbon stating that macros (active content) have, in effect, been disabled.

If you click Enable, it automatically becomes a trusted document. This means you no longer are prompted to enable the content as long as you open that file on your computer. The basic idea is that if you told Excel that you “trust” a particular workbook by enabling macros, it is highly likely that you will enable macros each time you open it. Thus, Excel remembers that you’ve enabled macros before and inhibits any further messages about macros for that workbook.

This is great news for you and your clients. After enabling your macros just one time, they won’t be annoyed at the constant messages about macros, and you won't have to worry that your macro-enabled dashboard will fall flat because macros have been disabled.

Trusted locations

If the thought of any macro message coming up (even one time) unnerves you, you can set up a trusted location for your files. A trusted location is a directory that is deemed a safe zone where only trusted workbooks are placed. A trusted location allows you and your clients to run a macro-enabled workbook with no security restrictions as long as the workbook is in that location.

To set up a trusted location, follow these steps:

1. Select the Macro Security button on the Developer tab.

This activates the Trust Center dialog box.

2. Click the Trusted Locations button.

This opens the Trusted Locations menu (see Figure 1-6), which shows you all the directories that are considered trusted.

3. Click the Add New Location button.

4. Click Browse to find and specify the directory that will be considered a trusted location.

FIGURE 1-6: The Trusted Locations menu allows you to add directories that are considered trusted.

After you specify a trusted location, any Excel file opened from this location will have macros automatically enabled.

Storing macros in your Personal Macro Workbook

Most user-created macros are designed for use in a specific workbook, but you may want to use some macros in all your work. You can store these general-purpose macros in the Personal Macro Workbook so that they’re always available to you. The Personal Macro Workbook is loaded whenever you start Excel. This file, named personal.xlsb, doesn't exist until you record a macro using Personal Macro Workbook as the destination.

To record the macro in your Personal Macro Workbook, select the Personal Macro Workbook option in the Record Macro dialog box before you start recording. This option is in the Store Macro In drop-down list (refer to Figure 1-1).

If you store macros in the Personal Macro Workbook, you don’t have to remember to open the Personal Macro Workbook when you load a workbook that uses macros. When you want to exit, Excel asks whether you want to save changes to the Personal Macro Workbook.

The Personal Macro Workbook normally is in a hidden window to keep it out of the way.

Assigning a macro to a button and other form controls

When you create macros, you may want to have a clear and easy way to run each macro. A basic button can provide a simple but effective user interface.

As luck would have it, Excel offers a set of form controls designed specifically for creating user interfaces directly on spreadsheets. There are several different types of form controls, from buttons (the most commonly used control) to scrollbars.

The idea behind using a form control is simple: You place a form control on a spreadsheet and then assign a macro to it – that is, a macro you’ve already recorded. When a macro is assigned to the control, that macro is executed, or played, when the control is clicked.

Take a moment to create a button for the AddTotalRelative macro you created earlier. Here’s how:

1. Click the Insert button under the Developer tab. (See Figure 1-7.)

2. Select the Button Form Control from the drop-down list that appears.

3. Click the location where you want to place your button.

When you drop the button control onto your spreadsheet, the Assign Macro dialog box, shown in Figure 1-8, activates and asks you to assign a macro to this button.

4. Select the macro you want to assign to the button and then click OK.

FIGURE 1-7: You can find the form controls in the Developer tab.

FIGURE 1-8: Assign a macro to the newly added button.

At this point, you have a button that runs your macro when you click it! Keep in mind that all the controls in the Form Controls group (shown in Figure 1-7) work in the same way as the command button, in that you assign a macro to run when the control is selected.

FORM CONTROLS VERSUS ActiveX CONTROLS

Notice the form controls and ActiveX controls in Figure 1-7. Although they look similar, they’re quite different. Form controls are designed specifically for use on a spreadsheet, and ActiveX controls are typically used on Excel user forms. As a general rule, you should always use form controls when working on a spreadsheet. Why? Form controls need less overhead, so they perform better, and configuring form controls is far easier than configuring their ActiveX counterparts.

Placing a macro on the Quick Access Toolbar

You can also assign a macro to a button in Excel’s Quick Access Toolbar. The Quick Access Toolbar sits either above or below the Ribbon. You can add a custom button that runs your macro by following these steps:

1. Right-click your Quick Access Toolbar and select Customize Quick Access Toolbar.

This opens the dialog box shown in Figure 1-9.

2. Click the Quick Access Toolbar button on the left of the Excel Options dialog box.

3. Select Macros from the Choose Commands From drop-down list on the left.

4. Select the macro you want to add and click the Add button.

5. Change the icon by clicking the Modify button.

FIGURE 1-9: Adding a macro to the Quick Access Toolbar.