Excel Cookbook

Chapter 18. Developer Tools: Macros, VBA, Controls, and XML

Excel’s Developer tab contains advanced features you can use to customize and automate Excel. For example, you can automate routine or repetitive tasks, create custom functions, and use controls to develop Excel-based applications.

The recipes in this chapter demonstrate how to use these features and include the following areas:

• Recording and running macros, including using absolute and relative references

• Writing VBA code—Excel’s built-in programming language—to define macros and custom functions and work with events

• Using the personal macro workbook and Excel add-ins to share custom functions and procedures

• Using Form controls, ActiveX controls, and UserForms to create dynamic user interfaces* Importing and exporting XML by mapping XML elements to Excel cells and table columns

18.1 Showing the Developer Tab

Problem

You want to use developer options such as form controls and macros but don’t know where to find them.

Solution

The Excel Developer tab includes options for working with controls, macros, and VBA. Excel hides this tab by default.

To show the Developer tab, use Recipe 1.19 to customize the ribbon, placing a check against the Developer option in the Customize the Ribbon’s Main Tabs section.

Discussion

This recipe shows how to enable the ribbon’s Developer tab. You’ll need this tab for every feature described in this chapter, including using macros, VBA, Form and ActiveX controls, and UserForms. ...