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The next step, before jumping into the actual process coding, is to define the variables the user is going to use in the code. This is the basic structure of an Excel macro. Try this out and you should notice that Excel will automatically create a line between the two different macros. If the user wanted to, he or she could create a second new macro by starting a new Sub Name() line below the first End Sub. The Sub Name() line tells the editor the start of the macro code. However, these are just best practice guidelines and need not necessarily be adhered to. Since CFI Macro is two words, this should be written as cfiMacro. VBA names generally cannot contain spaces. Note: The general convention for typing names for any macro, function, or variable in VBA is to use lower case if there is only one word, and to use an uppercase letter at the start of every new word. The VBA Editor will automatically add an “End Sub” line a few lines below the “Sub”. For example, to name the macro “CFI Macro”, a user should type “Sub cfiMacro()” and press enter. Pressing enter will automatically fill the window with the general format of an Excel macro. To define a macro name, the user must type Sub name() and press “enter” in the coding window of the editor. The macro name is what the user will use to call the macro into action. This name cannot match other macros, and it usually cannot match the name of other properties, functions, and tools within Excel. To start off, the macro must be given a unique name. Simply type in a new module name and press enter. Optionally, the user can name this module using the properties window in the bottom left corner of the editor.

To create a new module, press Insert > Module. To start coding, the user will have to create a Module file. As a summary, pressing Alt + F11 in Excel opens up the VBA window and allows the user to begin coding macros. In a separate article, CFI discusses what VBA is and how to access the VBA Editor.

Visual basic for excel cheat sheet