# Excel macros?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 20, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676 "2001-04-20T15:04:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676/1 "2001-04-20T15:04:45Z")

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WTF happened to Excel macros? I move from Excel 4 (shut up—it did the job) to Excel 2000 and I have to learn VB to write a lousy three-line macro? This sucks totally.

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**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676/2 "2001-04-20T15:13:38Z")

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Office 2000 is one of the worst non-upgrades I’ve ever had inflicted on me. Stick with 97 if you can…

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676/3 "2001-04-20T15:24:27Z")

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Too late. It was forced on me. I might install Star Office if it gives me proper macros back.

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**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676/4 "2001-04-20T15:48:53Z")

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You can still record macros from keypresses.

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676/5 "2001-04-20T16:04:49Z")

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It’s just not the same. I am bereft of an old tool. One that sucked, but one that I had the bloody manuals for. From the days before Microsoft stopped supplying manuals and forced you to depend on their gawd-awful help screens.

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**Author:** ![keno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f9ae1b/32.png) [@keno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keno)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676/6 "2001-04-20T19:23:07Z")

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You can still use the old style macros, at least thru Excel 7 (don’t have the money or inclination to degrade to 2000). It’s just that the user friendly interfaces are built to work in the new paradigm.

FYI - the change to VBA macros happened with Excel 5.

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**Author:** ![keno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f9ae1b/32.png) [@keno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keno)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-macros/62676/7 "2001-04-20T20:10:08Z")

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Forgot to mention that if you’re looking for a solution, you should try the EXCEL-L list at [PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM](http://PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM).

You have to register to post questions but they have an archive that probably covers your situation.

(I had a quick look at a cellmate’s copy of StarOffice and it there are signs that it has macro capabilities, but there’s little to no help available).