VBA Macros in ChEn 1703

Welcome to programming macros with visual basic for applications (VBA) in MS Excel.
You will hear this referred to as either macros or VBA. The best way to learn this is by doing so
I have set up a series of examples that I hope you will find helpful. I have tried in a series of
notes to explain nearly everything that is really important for scientific computing. No summary
like this will ever be complete so I hope you will share what you learn with the class so that we
can learn from you too. Often in your career you will be faced with situations in which you do
not seem to have every tool you need and that may be that case with learning how to program.
Sometimes that is because you do not see that you really do have the tool. Having friends and
colleagues who you can talk with is very helpful and that is especially true in programming.
Sometimes you really do not have what you need and that is when you have to take the initiative
and research things for yourself.
At the heart of any programs are the symbols we use to represent numbers and in some
cases letters. These are variables just like those we use in algebra and calculus. The computer
needs to know which types of variable you are using so that it can allocate the right amount of
memory in the right places. Just like you know whether a word is a noun or a verb from context,
VBA thinks is knows what a variable is based on the number that you assign to it. The table
below summarizes what variables look like and examples of where we will use them. There are
many other data types available in VBA, but this set encompasses the most useful ones.
Variable Type
Integers
RealsSingle precision (8 digits)
Double precision (16 digits)
Strings
Boolean

Examples
5,-2,0
2.1, 42, 3.141592654,
5#
Hi Mom, u012345
True, 1, False, 0

Usage
Loops
Numbers in calculations
Location of cells
Loops, Ifs

In the remainder of this document, we will introduce the principles of macro

programming through several examples. The examples are often simple to emphasize how use
the programming techniques. At the end of this document, we will develop some more advanced
examples to demonstrate their utility for scientific programming. I would recommend that you
copy these macros into excel to see how they work. Pay particular attention to where you need
to give the program input. Programming does not come all at once but patience and persistence
do pay off and students who do so will find themselves successful at the end.
In addition to describing input/output protocols for VBA to and from Excel, we will
describe three types of algorithms, in which you should become proficient in. The first type of
algorithm is sequential where every step proceeds one immediately after another. The second
type of algorithm is iterative where the step by step algorithmic process has internal loops. The
third type of algorithm is conditional where the algorithm must make decisions between options.
Twelve examples highlighting each of these features are given below. The first example is of a
simple absolute value computation.

Example 1
Sub Absolute_Value_If()
This macro takes the absolute value of the value in A1 and places it in B1
Dim x As Single
Start

Range("A1").Select
x = ActiveCell.Value

Input x from
A1

If x < 0 Then
x = -x
End If

x<0

no

yes
x=-x

Range("B1").Select
ActiveCell.Value = x
Output x to
B1

End Sub

End
Notes:
1. Macros have the following form:
Sub NameString()
~
~
End Sub
Variables names you should replace with your own, like NameString, will be italicized.
Your program will go where you find the ~ ~. Sub stands for subroutine.
2. There is another form that you can use called Function with a similar form:
Function NameString()
~
~
End Sub
The difference between the Sub and Function formats has to do with the way that variables
are passed (i.e. transferred in and out of the subroutine or function). If you place a function
or subroutine within a subroutine, you can give variables to the inner or nested function or
subroutine by placing them within the parentheses following NameString. A subroutine will
return several values, while a function will only return one value. In practice you could write
either a function or a subroutine to calculate the absolute value so the distinction is of little
value to us most of the time; when in doubt use a subroutine because it is more versatile.
Additionally functions can be used both as spreadsheet functions and called from within a
subroutine, where as subroutines have to be played as macros or called from within
subroutines (see the call statement in ch 5 of your text for more information on calling
subroutines).
3. To activate a particular cell in a spreadsheet use the Range nomenclature as in
Range(LocationString).Select.
The LocationString will be a letter representing the column followed by a number that
corresponds to a row. For exampled, Range(A1).Select will place the cursor on cell A1 at

the upper left hand corner of the spreadsheet. Similarly, Range(C25) will place the cursor
in the 25th row of the C column of the active spreadsheet. This is called absolute referencing.
There is a relative referencing scheme that you can use. It is mildly more cumbersome so we
will not emphasize it in this class. When you record your macros (particularly in Excel 2007
you should make sure that your referencing system is set to absolute).
4. You know how to add numbers by simply using the plus sign. To add strings you use the
& symbol. For example
if String1 = A and String2 =B then
String1 & String2 =AB.
Similarly,
if String1 = to and String2 =get and String3 =her then
String1 & String2 & String3 =together.
Mostly, we will want to add strings so that we can find locations. A common strategy is to
choose a column but allow the row to change by assigning the variable j to be a positive
integer (not zero!) and writing
Range(A & j).Select.
This line places the cursor in the jth row of the A column.
5. Once you have selected a position on the spreadsheet you will need to assign its contents to a
variable. If x is the name of the variable then you can choose either
x=activecell.value
for numbers including integers and reals or
x=activecell.text
for strings. There are other options but they are not as frequently used in scientific
computing. To place a variable in a cell you just turn these assignment statements around.
For example after determining the value of x in the program you can write
activecell.value=x
to place the number stored in x in the active cell of the spreadsheet or numbers including
integers and reals or
activecell.text=x.
for text. If you use activecell.text the spreadsheet will treat it as a letter instead of a number.
Beginning students often get confused here and then cannot use the results of the calculations
in their spreadsheets or find that the indentation looks different from the numbers they put in
by hand.
6. Conditionals are very important within your programs. There are three ways to write a
conditional
(a) If SomeTrueExpression Then WhatHappensWhenTrue
(b) If SomeTrueExpression Then
WhatHappensWhenTrue
End If
(c) If SomeTrueExpression Then
WhatHappensWhenTrue
Else
WhatHappensWhenFalse
End If
Form (b) is more commonly used than (a).
3

Condition
True?
yes
What to do if
yes

(a) and (b)

no

Condition
True?

no

yes
What to do if
yes

What to do if
no

(c)

7. Assignment statements are where you do the actual calculations. For example,
x=x+1.
This expression is best read as x is set equal to x + 1. This means that the program adds 1
to the previous value of x and assigns that as the new value of x. You can use most of the
expressions that would be available in the spreadsheet. For example, you can take the third
root of x by writing
x=x^(1/3).
Be aware that some of the functions you use in workbooks are limited to only the workbook.
In that case pick a place on the spreadsheet you know you will never use like DD62543 and
use that place to calculate the function.
8. Comments can be included by inserting in front of any writing. Comments are very
important and should be included.
9. You should always dimension your variables. Your programs can run without dimensioning
but this is a very good programming habit because it will help you quickly find errors (if any).
To declare a variable as a particular type of variable, we use the Dim command. The Dim
command should go immediately under the Sub line and any comments but before you use
any variables. Some examples include:
Dim NumberOfIntervals As Integer
Dim xLowerLimit As Real
Dim Atotal As Double
Dim GradeString As String
Dim LoopFlag As Boolean
Sometimes you need to choose among more than two cases where only a simple
statement that will either answer the question of yes/no or true/false remains insufficient. Then
you have two options. Either you can use nested if-then statements or you can use a case
statement. Lets first look at the nested if structure in an example. Here we use the if-else
construction multiple times.
Example 2
Sub Grade_Calcs_Nested_If()
'This macro takes the final percentage in A1 and returns a letter grade in B1
Dim p As Single
Dim GradeString As String
4

Range("A1").Select
p = ActiveCell.Value
GradeString = ""
If p >= 90 Then
GradeString = "A"
Else
If p >= 80 Then
GradeString = "B"
Else
If p >= 72 Then
GradeString = "C"
Else
If p >= 64.9 Then
GradeString = "D"
Else
GradeString = "F"
End If
End If
End If
End If
Range("B1").Select
ActiveCell.Value = GradeString
End Sub
Start
Input p from A1
and set Grade =
p90
yes
Grade = A

no

p80
yes
Grade = B

no

p72

no

yes
Grade = C

p64.9

no

yes
Grade = D

Grade = F

Output Grade
to B1
End

Notes:
1. Note that when we use a nested structure that we indent the contents. This makes the
program look something like a nest if you turn the paper on its side. This is a really good
5

habit to get into. Sometimes you will have hundreds to thousands of lines of code within
each part of the if-then statement and indenting will be critical to keeping track of what is
happening.
2. In excel programs greater than, less than, and equal to behave much as one might expect.
You can combine them to write the equivalent of less than or equal to as <=. Others follow
similarly. For not equal two, we write <>, which is a combination of the less than and
greater than symbols.
The alternative to the nested if structure is the case statement. Here you input a value
and then give it instructions based on its value. To show you how this is to be done, we first
rewrite the absolute value and grading programs.
Example 3
Sub Absolute_Value_Case()
'This macro takes the absolute value of the value in A1 and places it in B1
Dim x as Single
Range("A1").Select
x = ActiveCell.Value
Select Case x
Case Is < 0
x = -1 * x
Case Is >= 0
x=x
End Select
Range("B1").Select
ActiveCell.Value = x
End Sub
Example 4
Sub Grade_Calcs_Case()
'This macro takes the final percentage in A1 and returns a letter grade in B1
Dim p As Single
Dim GradeString As String
Range("A1").Select
p = ActiveCell.Value
GradeString = ""
Select Case p
Case Is >= 90
6

GradeString = "A"
Case 80 To 90
GradeString = "B"
Case 72 To 80
GradeString = "C"
Case 64.9 To 72
GradeString = "D"
Case Is < 64.9
GradeString = "F"
End Select
Range("B1").Select
ActiveCell.Value = GradeString
End Sub
Notes:
1. Case allows you to select from a series of values. The case construct has the following form
Select Case VariableToBeEvaluated
Case RangeOfValuesWithinWhichTheVariableToBeEvaluatedMayFit
WhatYouDoIfConditionalIsTrue
Include additional cases as necessary
End Select
2. There are three types of case construction.
(a) If your VariableToBeEvaluated will match an individual value. For example,
Case 94
Note however that 94.1 and 93.9 are not included in this case
(b) If your VariableToBeEvaluated will fall within a bounded range, then you specify the
boundaries of the range. For example,
Case 80 To 90
This is equivalent to 80 x <90, so 90.0000 would not fall in this range but 80.0000 would.
(c) If your VariableToBeEvaluated will fall within an unbounded range or includes infinity,
then you specify the one known boundary with an inequality in the following form
Case Is >= 94
3. Please notice how much more elegant the case structure is for longer sets of conditions. Both
nested ifs and cases do the same job, but one will look nicer than the other. For small
structures (say for less than 3 conditions) the if-then-else construction is better. For longer
lists of conditions the case is probably better. For example, imagine how long the program
could get by including the pluses and minuses in the grading system. The nested ifs would
quickly become unwieldy whereas the case would be much nicer. The computer does the
same thing in both options but the user interface is different.
4. The flow diagrams with cases for examples 3 and 4 are the same as those with ifs for
examples 1 and 2.

These programs are great if you only have one cell to evaluate. However, the real power
of programming comes when you can get a computer to repeat what would otherwise be tedious
calculations. It is quite clear that you could take the absolute value in your head or rather easily
determine your letter grade from a table. But determining the letter grades for 100 students is a
different story. At 20 seconds per person that would take 2000 seconds, which is just over 33
minutes. Now do that several times per semester over several semesters for several classes and
the time can really add up. Calculating one absolute value takes no time at all but doing
similarly simple calculations for 1000 values can really add up. Here we need a computer to do
the same thing over and over again. Loops provide that functionality. There are two types of
loops. The first is called a for loop or for-next loop. Choose this form when you know exactly
how many times you want to repeat a function. For example, if you know that you want to
calculate the absolute values of 100 values in a single column from row 2 to row 101. To show
how to use the for-next construction we will write a macro to count from 5 to 500 in steps of 5.
Example 5
Sub Steps_Of_Five_For()
'This macro counts from 5 to 500 in steps of 5 and places these values in column A
Dim i As Integer
For i = 1 To 100
Range("A" & i + 1).Select
ActiveCell.Value = 5 * i
Next 'i
End Sub
Start

Start

i=1

For i = 1-100
Output 5*i
i=1

i<=100
?

Next i
Output 5*i
End

N
End

Notes:
1. For-next loops have the following form:
For Index = StartingInteger To EndingInteger
~
~
Next Index
We customarily indent the contents of a loop much like we did with if-then statements.
8

2. The index must be an integer! Real numbers or strings will not work. This is a common
mistake that beginning programmers make. For example, a very nice problem asks you to
write the values from 0.5 to 9.5 in steps of 1. Many beginning programmers will write
For i = 0.5 to 9.5. This will cause an error. Use integerial indexes and then multiply the
index by a fraction later in the program.
3. You do not necessarily have to step through loops in ever increasing steps of +1. You can
choose other integerial steps for example. For-next loops have the following form:
For Index = StartingInteger To EndingInteger Step Interval
~
~
Next Index
Here the interval may be any integer greater than 1 and it may be either positive or negative.
For example to count down by twos you may select a step of -2. Again, we customarily
indent the contents of a loop much like we did with if-then statements.
4. When I create nested loops, I might have several next statements in a row. It is a good habit
to write the index used after the next so that you do not get lost. It is good form and prevents
sloppiness.
Another looping example is that of calculating lots of grades. Say this time that the final
percentages are in column C from row 2 to 33. Then the following macro will calculate the
grades for all 32 students in the class.
Example 6
Sub Grades_For32_Students_For()
'This macro determines the grades for a fixed number of students, here 32
'It takes percentages from column C and places them in column D.
Dim i As Integer
Dim p As Single
Dim GradeString As String
For i = 1 To 32
Range("C" & i + 1).Select
p = ActiveCell.Value
GradeString = ""
'setting the GradeString to blank is particularly important because all grades must be earned
Select Case p
Case Is >= 90
GradeString = "A"
Case 80 To 90
GradeString = "B"
Case 72 To 80
GradeString = "C"
Case 64.9 To 72
9

GradeString = "D"
Case Is < 64.9
GradeString = "F"
End Select
Range("D" & i + 1).Select
ActiveCell.Value = GradeString
Next 'i
End Sub
Notes:
1. To prevent the macro from using the same input and output cells 32 times, we have to adjust
the input to the Range function. This is done by linking the index to the row number. We
have to add one to the index to determine the row. The remainder of the macro just
combines the two earlier macros together. The case is nested within the loop.
2. In loops you must be careful to reset the starting values to zero or blanks otherwise variables
will carry over from the previous iteration of the loop. Every time one cycle of the loop is
executed, it is called an iteration.
Start
For i = 1-100
Input p from C & i
and set Grade =
p90

no

yes
Grade = A

p 80
yes
Grade = B

no

p 72

no

p64.9

yes
Grade = C

no

yes
Grade = D

Grade = F

Output Grade
to B1
Next i
End

So what do we do when we do not know the number of times to iterate? The for-next
structure does not work so nicely then. In that case we can use the while loop or the while-wend
loop. Example 7 provides an instance of this type of looping. This program is designed to figure
out how many rows are used in a file so that subsequent loops can use the for-next structure.
Example 7
10

Sub Find_Blank_While()
'This macro finds the first blank and then reports the number of filled or nonblank rows
Dim Counter As Integer
'the first section of this macro sets up the initial values
Counter = 2 'we set counter equal to 2 because it is our first row number
Range("A" & Counter).Select
While ActiveCell.Text <> ""
Counter = Counter + 1
Range("A" & Counter).Select
Wend
Range("A1").Select
ActiveCell.Value = Counter - 1
End Sub
Start

Start

Counter = 2
Move to A2

Counter = 2
Move to A2
While Cell
not blank

Cell
Blank
?
N
Output
Counter-1 to
A1
End

Raise Counter
Move to
A&Counter

Raise Counter
Move to
A&Counter
Wend
Output
Counter-1 to
A1
End

Notes:
1. While loops have the following form:
While SomethingIsTrue
~
~
Wend Index
We customarily indent the contents of a loop much like we did with if-then statements.
Every while loop also needs a counter and a way to change the SomethingIsTrue into
SomethingIsFalse. Without the latter you will have an infinite loop, meaning the loop will
go on forever and the program will never stop.
11

2. To get out of infinite loops you have one of three options: (1) press the escapealways a
good first thing to do, (2) use control-alt-delete to bring up the task manager and shut down
excelthere is an equivalent for Apple-Mac systems, or (3) turn off the power.
3. Counters are critical and must be included in each while loop as a matter of good form. They
should increase in value usually by 1 each cycle or iteration. Usually they start at 1 but here
they started at 2 because we wanted the Counter to reflect the last row number that had
something in it.
3. Remember that "" stands for an empty string. Cells without anything in them are blank or
empty.
This macro works and performs the proper functions. However, it can be improved in
two ways. First, there is a real danger that you will get into an infinite loop. This is not a
problem with for-next loops because you specify the number of times that they run, but while
loops can loop forever if you make a mistake in the programming. This is the primary reason
that many scientific programmers prefer to use for-next loops instead of while loops. To avoid
this it is a good thing to put in an escape clause. This can be done by specifying the number of
times that a loop can run. To make that happen, the second improvement is to use flags. Flags
are Boolean variables. While loops work when the argument at the front is true. In the example
immediately above the loop worked when (ActiveCell.Text ""). The first time that
ActiveCell.Text = "", the program exits the loop and proceeds with the remaining instructions.
We can replace (ActiveCell.Text "") with a looping flag. Here is the improved macro:
Example 8
Sub Find_Blank_While_Version2()
'This macro finds the first blank and then reports the number of filled or nonblank rows
Dim Counter As Integer
Dim LoopFlag As Boolean
'the first section of this macro sets up the initial values
Counter = 2 'we set counter equal to 2 because it is our first row number
LoopFlag = True
While LoopFlag
Counter = Counter + 1
Range("A" & Counter).Select
If ActiveCell.Text = "" Or Counter = 1000 Then 'or some really big number
LoopFlag = False
End If
Wend
'LoopFlag
Range("A1").Select
ActiveCell.Value = Counter - 1
End Sub
12

Start

Start

Counter = 2
LoopFlag=True

Counter = 2
LoopFlag=True

N
Cell Blank
Or Counter
103
LoopFlag
?
N
Output
Counter-1 to
A1

LoopFlag
False
Y

While
LoopFlag
Raise Counter
Move to
A&Counter

Cell Blank
Or Counter
103
N

Raise Counter
Move to
A&Counter

Y
LoopFlag
False

Wend
Output
Counter-1 to
A1
End

End

Notes:
1. This is not a program that you can write with a for-next loop. It requires a while loop.
2. You can of course nest while loops much like you can nest for-next loops. To prevent
confusion with nested loops, put the name of the looping flag immediately after the wend.
Even if you only have one loop, it is good form to get into the habit now.
3. Note the use of the Or to combine true and false statements. The logical operators OR and
AND work perfectly here. They behave just like they do on worksheets as discussed in class.
In fact this is a very nice way to combine two otherwise identical if-then statements. The
more cumbersome alternative is
If ActiveCell.Text = "" Then
LoopFlag = False
End If
If Counter = 1000 Then 'or some really big number
LoopFlag = False
End If
4. There are other loop forms that you can choose from including the do loop. However, with
these two types of loops, you can perform every essential function that we will run into in
scientific computing.
Here is another example of the while loop. I have often found myself scrolling through
hundreds of numbers to find the maximum. This macro use a worksheet function to determine
the maximum and then will report its row number.
Example 9
Sub Find_Maximum_While()
'This macro finds the row number corresponding to the maximum starting from row 3
13

'we can use work book function to first determine what the maximum is
Dim LoopFlag As Boolean
Dim Counter As Integer
Range("A2").Select
ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "=MAX(R[1]C:R[65534]C)"
Maximum = ActiveCell.Value
Counter = 2 'we set counter equal to 2 because it is our first row number
LoopFlag = True
While LoopFlag
Counter = Counter + 1
Range("A" & Counter).Select
If ActiveCell.Value >= Maximum Or Counter = 1000 Then 'or some really big number
LoopFlag = False
End If
Wend
'LoopFlag
Range("A1").Select
ActiveCell.Value = Counter
End Sub
Notes:
1. Here we have used a workbook function to find the maximum. You can use any workbook
function in this way. This function uses relative referencing instead of absolute referencing.
Absolute referencing specifies the exact location of the cells, like A1 or C25. Relative
referencing gives the location of the cells relative to the current active cell. Absolute
referencing is usually better because it is harder to give a reference that is not on the
spreadsheet, which is unfortunately common even for experienced programmers. Relative
referencing follows the form R[n]C[m], where n is the number of rows below and m is the
number of rows to the right of the active cell. If you want to go up or to the left use negative
values for n and m.
2. There are several other loops that are available in VBA. You can explore them if you wish,
but these two loops will give you all of the basic tools you need to program scientifically.
Armed with these basics, we can write more advanced macros. This next macro uses
nested for-next loops make a histogram plot of your quiz scores. In the first set of loops we
calculate the overall quiz score, and in the second set of loops we calculate the scores for the
reading. In the first set, the outer loop ranges from 0 to 10 because these were the possible quiz
scores. The inner loop ranges scans across all the scores to count those that have the score
specified in the first loop. Essentially, the program first looks for all of the scores that are
between 0.000 and 0.999 and tallies the count. It then looks for scores that are between 1.000
14

and 1.999 and counts them. It then looks for scores that are between 2.000 and 2.999 and tallies
them up, and so forth. You could do this by hand but a computer is definitely faster.
Example 10
Sub Histograms()
'The overall quiz scores are stored in column B and the scores for the reading question in C.
'the macro places (the lower limit of the) bin in column D and its value in E for the total quiz
'the macro places (the lower limit of the) bin in column F and its value in G for the reading
Dim j As Integer
Dim i As Integer
Dim Counter As Integer
Dim x As Single
For j = 0 To 10
Count = 0
For i = 2 To 108
Range("B" & i).Select
x = ActiveCell.Value
If (x >= j And x < j + 1) Then
Count = Count + 1
End If
Next 'i
Range("D" & j + 2).Select
ActiveCell.Value = j
Range("E" & j + 2).Select
ActiveCell.Value = Count
Next 'j
For j = 0 To 2
Count = 0
For i = 2 To 108
Range("C" & i).Select
x = ActiveCell.Value
If (x >= j And x < j + 1) Then
Count = Count + 1
End If
Next 'i
Range("F" & j + 2).Select
ActiveCell.Value = j
Range("G" & j + 2).Select
ActiveCell.Value = Count
Next 'j
15

End Sub
Notes:
1. Be sure to keep track of which loops you are in. This can be done by comments and by
indentation.
2. Also it is very important when programming to pay attention to the inequalities. For example
if we had written
If (x >= j And x <= j + 1) Then
Then we would have had a double counting problem. Each score except for 0 and 10 would
have been counted twice. Getting something wrong like this in class is one thing but on the
job it can be very painful.
3. There is something that could really improve this macro. What do you think it is?
Another example of a valuable scientific program is determining the value of an integral.
You may remember from calculus that there are many ways to numerically determine the value
of an integral. These include the rectangle rule, the trapezoid rule, Simpsons rule, etc. If you
are interested in numerical methods to calculate each of these there are several courses available
on campus, including Chemical Engineering 2450. Here we will choose the simplest of these
techniques. Say for a moment that we want to calculate the integral of f(x)=1/(1+x2) from x= 0 to
x=1. We know from calculus that the smaller the interval the more accurate the approximation
so lets choose 100 intervals within our range of x. The area of each small rectangle will be the
product of the height from f(x) and the width of the interval x. When we are done, we will
place the value in cell F4 (for no particular reason at all).
Example 11
Sub Calculate_Integral()
Dim xLowerLimit As Single
Dim xUpperLimit As Single
Dim NumberofIntervals As Integer
Dim Atotal As Single
Dim IntervalWidth As Single
Dim i As Integer
Dim xn As Single
Dim fxn As Single
Dim DifferentialA As Single
xLowerLimit = 0# 'This is a real number
xUpperLimit = 2# 'This is a real number
NumberofIntervals = 100 'Must be an integer
Atotal = 0#
IntervalWidth = (xUpperLimit - xLowerLimit) / NumberofIntervals
For i = 1 To NumberofIntervals
xn = IntervalWidth * i
fxn = 1 / (1 + (xn ^ 2))
16

DifferentialA = IntervalWidth * fxn

Atotal = Atotal + DifferentialA
Next 'i
Range("F4").Select
ActiveCell.Value = Atotal
End Sub
Notes:
1. The pound sign (#) denotes a decimal followed by all zeros. It is used to make sure that you
know that the number leading the # is not an integer. For example, 1 is an integer, whereas
1# is equivalent to 1.0000 You and I may just say that it is one, but a computer cares
because integers are treated very differently from real numbers both in terms of how they are
stored and how the computer does the math.
2. One of the skills that you will need to develop is that of an error checker. This has two parts.
First you need to write your programs such that they can easily be checked for errors. Some
students like to put entire calculations on a single line. We could have done that above, but if
you need to check for errors, that makes it difficult. Breaking mathematics operations into
multiple lines can really simplify your error checking.
3. If you want to know what your program is doing, run it in debug mode. The most helpful
expression is key F8 at the top of your keyboard or using the Step Into command from the
Debug menu. When you then run your program, the macro will step through each line of
your code one by one with each application of this command. Use the mouse to scan over
the variables and a box with each variables value will pop up. This way you can know what
values the computer thinks it is using.
4. Another debugging hint is to place the cursor on a line that you want to evaluate. Then use
the toggle break point command (key F9). When you start the program it will run to the
toggle point and pause so that you can see what values the computer is using at the
breakpoint. Again use the mouse to see the values.
5. Sometimes when writing a macro you run it, there is an error, you fix it, and then the program
will not run. In this case be sure to press the stop button (a blue rectangular square). Errors
only interrupt execution of the program so you often have to stop it yourself.
There is one more aspect of macros that you will find valuable over your careers.
Engineers often find that they need to manipulate large sets of numbers. Excel is particularly
good at this and you can manipulate multiple columns of information. A macro can also
manipulate large number of rows and columns without referring to the spreadsheet by storing
your values in an array. An array is an ordered set of numbers. For example, the x, y
coordinates on a plot, a vector, and a matrix are all examples of arrays. With arrays you can
make MS Excel do anything in VBA that you can do with MATLAB, but you may find
MATLAB to be faster in many cases.
The example we will use here is to solve two equations with two unknowns. Imagine
that we have the following two equations to solve,
2x+3y=4
5 x + 6 y = 7.
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You may remember from second year algebra that you can rewrite these in variable form as
a11 x + a12 y= b1
a21 x + a22 y= b2.
This set of questions can be solved using Cramers rule. If you do not remember Cramers rule,
you should look it up because it will help you numerically solve equations that you will
encounter in this and future engineering classes. One expression of Cramers rule for two
equations and two unknowns is
x = (b1 a22-b2 a12)/(a11 a22- a21 a12)
y = (a11 b2-a21 b1) /(a11 a22- a21 a12).
We will now write a macro to solve Cramers rule for this two variable-two equation system.
You can write programs that will do the three equations and three unknowns. The first step in
our program is to dimension the array. We will have two arrays: one for the as and one for the
bs.
Example 12
Sub Cramer_2x2()
This program solves two equations and two unknowns given the necessary coefficients.
Dim i As Integer
Dim a(1, 1) As Double
Dim b(1) As Double
Dim x As Double
Dim y As Double
'we first fill our array from the cells in A1 through B3.
For i = 0 To 1 'This for loop cycles through the rows
Range("A" & i + 2).Select
a(i, 0) = ActiveCell.Value
Range("B" & i + 2).Select
a(i, 1) = ActiveCell.Value
Range("C" & i + 2).Select
b(i) = ActiveCell.Value
Next
'i
'Now we calculate x and y
x = (b(0) * a(1, 1) - b(1) * a(0, 1)) / (a(0, 0) * a(1, 1) - a(1, 0) * a(0, 1))
y = (a(0, 0) * b(1) - a(1, 0) * b(0)) / (a(0, 0) * a(1, 1) - a(1, 0) * a(0, 1))
'Now we put the results into column E
Range("E2").Select
ActiveCell.Value = x
Range("E3").Select
ActiveCell.Value = y
End Sub
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Notes:
1. The dimensions start from 0 not one so a(1,1) has within it 4 values not one. If we were to
dimension a(2,2) this would have 3 by 3 values for a total of 9 positions in the array. Note
that if we wanted to have more dimensions we could. A(1,1,1) would be a three dimension
matrix with 8 positions available.
This summary is meant to provide you with an introduction to programming techniques.
It is by no means complete. Indeed, a hallmark your career will be continuous learning. If you
know that you need some additional functionality. You really have three options. (1) If you can
make a spreadsheet do it, a macro can do it as well. Try recording a macro and seeing if you can
decipher the code. It is not that complicated as many of the commands are intuitive. This is
especially true if you want to teach macros how to plot charts for you, for example. (2) As a
matter of practice you should work together with other students and colleagues. This is one of
the most effective ways to understand things. They often know things that you do not or can
help you put together aspects of the program that you do know but did not realize it. (3) You
may also find the following websites helpful in getting started and then advancing your
knowledge over the coming weeks, months and years.
1. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ then select Development Tools and Languages,
Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio, Visual Basic
2. www.anthony-vba.kefra.com/vba/vbabasic1.htm.
3. We also have access to Safari books through the university. There you will find several
ebooks that could be valuable. Contact the library for more information on how to access
these texts.

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