I have a question with Excel macros. Iv never worked with them before, and after research I have hit a dead end here. I have a group of users who need to share differnt macros, I can get the personal.xls to go over and be used with out much problem. However, the problem comes in when one of their hard drives go and we have to replace it. They lose all their macros even when though I have an image of the hard drive in ghost. I cant figure out where the macros are stored, or how I go about getting them moved from the computers that I know they work on to the one that they are not (cause I cant find the dang things!)I have searched on the computers and did an unhide for the macros. Alas it was to no avail. I was unable to find them and I am hoping that one of you Excel/Office gurus might be able to help out a poor hardware tech trying very hard to fix it. Thanks!
Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations Mike Lewis on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
Excel macros
- Thread starter Tbey80
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #2
SkipVought
Programmer
Hi,
Excel macros are stored in workbooks.
If you have macros in the Personal.xls workbook, that's were they are.
My users each have a personal.xls workbook. I EXPORT modules from my Personal.xls to the network. They, IMPORT these modules into their Personal.xls workbooks in the VB Editor.
Skip,
[sub]
![[glasses]](/data/assets/smilies/glasses.gif "[glasses] [glasses]")
When a group touring the Crest Toothpaste factory got caught in a large cooler, headlines read...Tooth Company Freeze a Crowd! and
Many are Cold, but Few are Frozen!
![[tongue]](/data/assets/smilies/tongue.gif "[tongue] [tongue]")
[/sub]
AnotherHiggins
Technical User
This topic might be better suited to forum707.
I'm not sure I really understand your question.
Are you trying to share macros? Or just trying to find them so they can be backed up? Or both?
General information: One can store a macro in any workbook. Often, folks store them in Personal.xls, which is generally located in C:\Documents and Settings\UserID\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART. But they could store macros in any workbook. If you're worried about personal hard drive crashes, the users could store their macros in a network folder. In Excel, Tools > Options > General > At Startup, open all files in: and select a network folder.
[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
I'm not sure I really understand your question.
Are you trying to share macros? Or just trying to find them so they can be backed up? Or both?
General information: One can store a macro in any workbook. Often, folks store them in Personal.xls, which is generally located in C:\Documents and Settings\UserID\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART. But they could store macros in any workbook. If you're worried about personal hard drive crashes, the users could store their macros in a network folder. In Excel, Tools > Options > General > At Startup, open all files in: and select a network folder.
[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
- Thread starter
- #5
Skip,
I did not know they had to be exported. I will try that tomorrow when the group is in.
Higgins,
I am trying to do both so that I dont have to kill my self when their laptops go down. Currently we are just doing profile migrations but that doesnt always work and its cumbersome. I located the personal.xls in XLstart folder. Tomorrow I am going to try Skips post and see if that works.
Thanks guys I appriciate any help!
I did not know they had to be exported. I will try that tomorrow when the group is in.
Higgins,
I am trying to do both so that I dont have to kill my self when their laptops go down. Currently we are just doing profile migrations but that doesnt always work and its cumbersome. I located the personal.xls in XLstart folder. Tomorrow I am going to try Skips post and see if that works.
Thanks guys I appriciate any help!
SkipVought
Programmer
They do not have to be exported. As John indicated, there are any number of ways to share macros.
Skip,
[sub]
When a group touring the Crest Toothpaste factory got caught in a large cooler, headlines read...Tooth Company Freeze a Crowd! and
Many are Cold, but Few are Frozen!
[/sub]If sharing is the object then you could put a normal workbook containing the macros in a shared folder, read only.
Personal.xls can then contain a WorkbookOpen macro that opens the shared workbook (read only). Any sheets in the workbook could be set as hidden to avoid accidental use.
Users could then save any truly personal macros in their Personal.xls and be trained how to export them top create a backup if applicable.
Gavin
Personal.xls can then contain a WorkbookOpen macro that opens the shared workbook (read only). Any sheets in the workbook could be set as hidden to avoid accidental use.
Users could then save any truly personal macros in their Personal.xls and be trained how to export them top create a backup if applicable.
Gavin
Why don't you combine what you need into an add-in, store the add-in in a centralized location (i.e. server environment) and let them all share the add-in. One file to keep, to backup, to store. Makes it easier than x number of employees keeping macros all over the place. Only thing is if they want to append a new macro to it they'd either need access to it or send it to somebody who can add it in, which will end up in a little more work for somebody. But, like previously stated, just one way to skin a cat.
HTH
Regards,
Zack Barresse
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. What is a MS MVP? PODA
- Leonardo da Vinci
HTH
Regards,
Zack Barresse
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. What is a MS MVP? PODA
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Thread starter
- #9
Zack,
Well that sounds like a great idea, but I have no idea how to create an add-in for excel. I have only really ever done hardware. Problem with a small company eh?! Now I have to figure out how to play at everything! HA! Good with everything else, just not macros. Less its Macros-City.(thats a video game btw) Thanks for the help, greatly appriciated!
Tom
Well that sounds like a great idea, but I have no idea how to create an add-in for excel. I have only really ever done hardware. Problem with a small company eh?! Now I have to figure out how to play at everything! HA! Good with everything else, just not macros. Less its Macros-City.(thats a video game btw) Thanks for the help, greatly appriciated!
Tom
AnotherHiggins
Technical User
Tbey80,
Here is a way [small](j-walk)[/small] to create an addin with a custom menu structure for your macros. There's even a downloadable example sheet so you can see how things work. You can just tweak the example sheet to customize your own menu.
Each time your users open excel, this menu will be at the top alongside File, Edit ... Help.
Once you have the addin built, you can use combo's instructions on updating addins found here: thread707-595209
If you require further help with this, please create a new post in forum707 because it is a more suitable forum for VBA questions.
[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
Here is a way [small](j-walk)[/small] to create an addin with a custom menu structure for your macros. There's even a downloadable example sheet so you can see how things work. You can just tweak the example sheet to customize your own menu.
Each time your users open excel, this menu will be at the top alongside File, Edit ... Help.
Once you have the addin built, you can use combo's instructions on updating addins found here: thread707-595209
If you require further help with this, please create a new post in forum707 because it is a more suitable forum for VBA questions.
[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
AnotherHiggins
Technical User
Tbey80,
Any luck? I checked the other forum and haven't seen you post back.
[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
Any luck? I checked the other forum and haven't seen you post back.
[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]
Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.
- Thread starter
- #12
Thank you all for your help. I have everything working now. I was missing a piece and didnt know it. I found the step through proccess and I needed a word macro that interfaces into an excel macro, or some other odd thing. Once I had all the pieces of the puzzel I was able to get everything working...And now I know more about macros then I ever thought I would! Ah well, all knowldge is worth having right? Thanks again everyone, some great stuff and food for thought.
Tom
Tom
- Status