Why Your Excel Macro Struggles with Formatting and How to Optimize It

Introduction

Macro recording in Excel is a powerful tool, but it often produces inefficient and overly complex code. This article explores why Excel macros record in this manner and provides strategies to optimize them for better performance and efficiency.

The Downside of Macro Recording

When you record a macro, Excel tends to capture every action you perform, including selecting cells and setting properties that are not being changed. This extra code can make your macro inefficient and slow. By taking the time to selectively modify the recorded code, you can make it more streamlined and effective.

Example: Border Formatting

Consider the example of applying a thin bottom border to the active cell. The recorded macro uses 13 statements, whereas a more optimized macro can achieve the same result in just one statement. This not only makes the code more concise but also significantly improves the macro's performance.

Original Recorded Macro

Sub BottomBorderAsRecorded
    'Macro1 Macro
      xlNone
      xlNone
      xlNone
      xlNone
    With xlEdgeBottom
        .LineStyle  xlContinuous
        .ColorIndex  xlAutomatic
        .TintAndShade  0
        .Weight  xlThin
    End With
      xlNone
      xlNone
      xlNone
End Sub

Optimized Macro

Sub BottomBorderAsNeeded
    xlEdgeBottom.Weight  xlThin
End Sub

The optimized macro performs only the necessary action, significantly reducing the execution time and making the code more readable.

Example: Page Setup for Printing

When dealing with page setup for printing, the disparity between the recorded and optimized macros is even more pronounced. The recorded macro for putting the date in the bottom right footer uses 50 statements, while the optimized version requires only one. This streamlined approach not only reduces the code length but also enhances performance.

Original Recorded Macro

Sub PageSetupAsRecorded
    'Macro2 Macro
    .PrintArea  
    With 
        .PrintTitleRows  
        .PrintTitleColumns  
    End With
    .PrintQuality  
    .CenterHorizontally  False
    .CenterVertically  False
    .Orientation  xlPortrait
    .Draft  False
    .PaperSize  xlPaperLetter
    .FirstPageNumber  xlAutomatic
    .Order  xlDownThenOver
    .BlackAndWhite  False
    .Zoom  100
    .PrintErrors  xlPrintErrorsDisplayed
    .OddAndEvenPagesHeaderFooter  False
    .DifferentFirstPageHeaderFooter  False
    .ScaleWithDocHeaderFooter  True
    .AlignMarginsHeaderFooter  True
    .EvenPage.LeftHeader.Text  
          
        .EvenPage.RightHeader.Text  
        .EvenPage.LeftFooter.Text  
          
        .EvenPage.RightFooter.Text  
        .EvenPage.LeftMargin  0.7
        .EvenPage.RightMargin  0.7
          0.75
          0.75
        .EvenPage.HeaderMargin  0.3
          0.3
        .FirstPage.LeftHeader.Text  
          
        .FirstPage.RightHeader.Text  
        .FirstPage.LeftFooter.Text  
          
        .FirstPage.RightFooter.Text  
        .FirstPage.LeftMargin  0.7
        .FirstPage.RightMargin  0.7
          0.75
          0.75
        .FirstPage.HeaderMargin  0.3
          0.3
        .RightHeader.Text  
        .RightFooter.Text  
    End With
    .PrintArea  
End Sub

Optimized Macro

Sub PageSetupAsNeeded
    .RightFooter.Text  
End Sub

The optimized macro captures only the essential adjustments, leading to faster execution and cleaner code. This approach can be applied to other complex tasks in Excel, such as conditional formatting, pivot tables, and other data management operations.

Conclusion

Understanding why Excel records macros inefficiently and how to optimize them can lead to significant improvements in your productivity and the performance of your spreadsheets. By selectively modifying recorded macros, you can create streamlined and efficient code that not only runs faster but also remains maintainable and easier to understand.