Macros and VBA, computer science assignment help

1Hello everyone,According to Victor (2011), I have learned that a Macro is a collection of commands that I can run with a single click or keyboard combination. They can automate almost anything I can do in Excel and even do things I might not have known were possible. In essence, a macro is a computer program that gives automated instructions to the computer. The original macros were a way to use a few characters to represent a lot of instructions. They were called macros because the output was much bigger than the input. The use of Macros in Excel saves time and can expand the capabilities of Excel. I have probably seen macro warnings when opening Microsoft Office documents, and so macros might make me think of scary things such as viruses. Well I should know that most macros are not only harmless but are actually tremendous timesavers. And macros are easier to create and use than I might expect. In Excel I can record Macros using the built-in Macro recorder. I can repeat a macro as many times as I want by asking Excel to replay the macro. Macros may be run from a toolbar button, or menu, from a shape in the workbook, or from another macro.Microsoft VBA is the programming language that Excel Macros are recorded in. VBA stands for “Visual Basic for Applications”. With VBA I can create visual basic macros for Excel. If I can record Macros with the Macro recorder, why would I want to use VBA? The truth is that while the Macro recorder is simple to use, it doesn’t create nice code and it can only record straightforward tasks. VBA allows me to add brains to my macros and turn them into intelligent programs, for example I can ask the user to type in their name and store that in my program. VBA allows me to take advantage of features that can’t be accessed through the standard user interface. Excel was the first major Microsoft Office application to use VBA, but VBA is not tied directly to Excel. It works just as well with other VBA-enabled applications, such as Word, Access and PowerPoint. So anyone who knows how to write Excel macros in VBA can transfer that knowledge to other types of Visual Basic programming (Victor, 2011).According to Wynne (2010), I have learned that when I recorded Macros - When a macro is recorded I will often create a substantial amount of code that is completely unnecessary (ie. scroll downs). This is often the most simplest method to create automation. I simply click tools, then macros then record macros. I can then follow the steps I normally take and it will record every move I make in Excel. Once I click the stop button the macro will be available for repeating these exact steps whenever I need! VBA scripts - Using effective VBA scripts allows me to eliminate unnecessary steps which improves my speed. This becomes a very important factor as I add more steps, apply to growing data sets, or when multiple functions are involved. Remember, my computer has to walk through each step in my script so keeping it short is key (Wynne, 2010).Peer Question: What the difference between using Excel worksheet formulas and macros?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2According to Victor Chan of Launch Excel, macros are strings of commands that are all executed automatically through the use of a single input (Chan, 2011). They are named such after the Greek word "makros" meaning big or large. They function in a similar way to how macros work in some PC games, such as World of Warcraft. When your character has upwards of forty to fifty skills to manage at a time, being able to combine a handful of them into one simple button press can simplify your gaming experience, making combat more streamlined and cleaning up your action bars because you don't need as many buttons. Macros in Access and Excel are made up of functions already present in the program, they are simply all tied to one input so they are executed automatically (Database, n.d.).VBA, on the other hand, is a programming language used to design and execute functions not normally present in the base program. Many people prefer to use macros, however, because VBA is viewed as a much more complicated format that might be intimidating to inexperienced users (Database). VBA is actually used when macros are created, however, the difference being that using the macro interface writes the code for you. You can even translate the macros into raw code and they will be written out with all appropriate spacing and syntax (Database). This is a good way for beginner VBA programmers to learn the basics of the language. The biggest advantage to VBA is that it allows for more complex functions than standard macros. It lets the programmer "add brains to your macros and turn them into intelligent programs" (Chan). ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Short answer:Visual Basic Applications (VBA) is the programming language utilized in excel. It can be referred to as the Microsoft?s event-driven programming language Visual Basic. VBA contains Microsoft Office Applications such as Microsoft Excel and is critical in the automation of Excel activities such as the generation of reports, the preparation of graphs as well as charts and the doing of calculations. On the other hand, Macros are programming code pieces that run in Excel and involves the recording of a series of tasks. Notably, Macros are the most powerful Excel feature. However, they are underutilized. Macros aid in the automation of common repetitive tasks. Macros are essential for businesses as they aid in saving time as well as boosting productivity (Jelen & Syrstad, 2013). There are fundamental differences between VBA and Macros. VBA has more functionality in comparison to Macros. With the use of VBA, one is able to have more complex navigation. There are also more conditions that need to be imposed on the tasks that an individual performs in with the use of VBA as opposed to Macros. As well, there are code functions that cannot be performed with the use of Macros but cannot be coded with VBA. How can we time these two activities and what would be the criteria that would determine speed?