How to save custom functions and macros to an Add-In
Table of Contents
1. How to save custom functions and macros to an Add-In
Macros and custom functions are great, they can automate many tedious tasks. To have them available whenever you need them, save user defined functions and macros to a personal add-in.
When you open a new excel spreadsheet, these functions and macros are ready to be used.
How to quickly create an empty Add-in for Excel 2007 and later versions
- Save a blank workbook as a Excel Add-In (*.xlam) in your Add-In folder.
I named it MyAddIn.xlam. - Press with left mouse button on Office button.
- Press with left mouse button on "Excel options" button.
- Press with left mouse button on "Add-Ins" tab.
- Select Excel Add-ins.
- Press with left mouse button on "Go..." button.
- Press with left mouse button on "Browse.." button.
- Select MyAddIn.xlam.
- Press with left mouse button on OK.
- Make sure MyAddIn is enabled in Add-In Manager.
- Press with left mouse button on OK.
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Add custom functions to your personal add-in
- Press with left mouse button on "Developer" tab on the ribbon.
- Double press with left mouse button on Myfunctions.xlam in project window.
- Press with left mouse button on "Insert" tab.
- Press with left mouse button on Module.
- Copy and paste custom functions and macros to code window.
How to use custom functions in an Add-In
- Select a cell.
- Type the custom function name in formula bar. Press Enter.
If you don´t know the name of your custom function, continue to step 3. - Press with left mouse button on "Insert Function" button.
- Select category "User Defined".
- Select your custom function.
- Press with left mouse button on OK.
How to use macros in an Add-In
- Press with left mouse button on "Developer" tab.
- Press with left mouse button on Macros button.
- Type the name of your macro.
- Press with left mouse button on "Run" button
2. How to add a custom-made item to the shortcut menu - VBA
This post describes how to add a new custom-built item to the shortcut menu in Excel, when you press with right mouse button on a cell a context menu appears. Let's add a new item to the cell context shortcut menu and link it to a macro.
I demonstrated in a previous post how to automatically select cell A1 on every sheet in a workbook using vba. This is the macro we are going to use. This macro selects cell A1 in all sheets in the active workbook. Copy the following code to a regular code module, see details below.
Macro VBA code:
Sub SelectA1()
Dim sht As Worksheet, csheet As Worksheet
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Set csheet = ActiveSheet
For Each sht In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
If sht.Visible Then
sht.Activate
Range("A1").Select
ActiveWindow.ScrollRow = 1
ActiveWindow.ScrollColumn = 1
End If
Next sht
csheet.Activate
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
This vba code adds an item on the cell shortcut menu. Copy the code into the standard code module.
Sub AddItemShortCutMenu()
Dim Shortcut As CommandBar
Dim NewItem As CommandBarButton
Set Shortcut = Application.CommandBars("Cell")
Set NewItem = Shortcut.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)
With NewItem
.OnAction = "SelectA1"
.Caption = "Select cell A1 in all sheets in this workbook"
End With
End Sub
This vba code removes the item on the cell shortcut menu. Copy the code into the standard code module.
Sub RemoveItemFromShortCutMenu()
On Error Resume Next
CommandBars("Cell").Controls("Select cell A1 in all sheets in this workbook").Delete
End Sub
The code below adds the item on the shortcut menu whenever this workbook is opened. It also deletes the Item from the shortcut menu whenever the workbook is closed. Copy the code below and paste it into the ThisWorkbook code window. You open ThisWorkbook code window by double-press with left mouse button oning ThisWorkbook in the project explorer.
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Call AddItemShortCutMenu
End Sub
Private Sub Workbook_BeforeClose(Cancel As Boolean)
Call RemoveItemFromShortCutMenu
End Sub
Create an add-in
Now if you save the workbook as an add-in and install the add-in, the added item on the shortcut menu is always available.
How to create an add-in: Save your custom functions and macros in an Add-In
How to copy vba code into a standard code module
- Press Alt-F11 to open visual basic editor
- Press with left mouse button on Module on the Insert menu
- Copy and paste vba code.
- Exit visual basic editor
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Personal.xls (Daily dose of excel)
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4 Responses to “How to save custom functions and macros to an Add-In”
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Having lost my macros a number of times using Excel 2010, I have discovered that Personal.xlam is NOT saved on exit even if changes have been made! You must remember to save it manually or lose all your hard work. Does anyone know how to FORCE a save if the file is "dirty"?
[…] can find instructions to do this in many places. A quick search revealed this site which also includes pictures; at step 5 in their “Add custom functions to your personal add-in” […]
I've made very bad experience with your approach and thus ended up with a Workbook with all the macros (I call them services) which includes a test environment for a regression test etc. Whenever I've changed something in this Workbook I 'Setup/Renee' the Addin. This is not just saving it as Addin but is a much more complex process. It has to be considered that the Addin is open and referenced by other open Workbooks. And last but not least these two instances - which only differ by their extension (xlsb versus xlam) have to be considered when the Workbook is opened.