Hour 13. Creating Macros

Although you shouldn't use macros to develop complex applications, you can use macros to develop simple applications. It's therefore a good idea for you to have a general understanding of macros and how they work. In fact, there's one task that you can accomplish only by using macros—reassigning a keystroke—so it's important to understand at least the basics of how macros work. Furthermore, using macros can often help you get started with developing complex applications because you can convert the macros that you build to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code. This means you can develop part of an application by using macros, convert the macros to VBA code, and then continue developing the application. Although I don't recommend this approach for serious developers, it offers a great jump-start for those new to Access or Windows development in general.

In this hour you'll learn the basics of creating a macro. You'll learn how to run an Access macro, as well as how to modify an existing macro. You'll learn how to document and test a macro. Finally, you'll learn when macros are appropriate and how to create two special types of macros: an AutoExec macro and an AutoKeys macro.

In this hour you will learn the following:

• Why macros are important

• The basics of creating a macro

• How to run an Access macro

• How to create a macro

• How to modify an existing macro

• How to document a macro

• How to test a macro

• When you should use macros and when you shouldn't

• How to convert a macro to VBA code

• How to create an AutoExec macro

• How to create an AutoKeys macro