How to Create Addin

Creating Add-ins in Excel

After much analysis I created my own steps to Create Excel Addin 

Follow the below basic steps to create Addin - 

1. Always use Workbook or Activeworkbook – don’t use Thisworkbook in coding
2. The Final Addin Should not have any sheets like – Raw file or data sheet
3. Have a blank Sheet and all the coding should refer to Workbook Object or Activeworkbook method
4. The Main Subroutine should be Public Sub Sub_name
5. All Functions should be Public Function FnName
6. All the modules should have specific names- select the module in Project Explorer View & Press F4 (properties) now enter a specific name for the module
7. Now select the VBA Project in Project Explorer view & Press F4 (Properties) and enter a specific name for the project. This step is required because if you leave the default name for the project it would be named as "VBAProject" and MS Excel would not allow you to enter duplicate addins with same name - "VBAProject"
8. You can use Public variables in Add-ins
9. Now save the file as .XLA (2003 version) or .xlam (2007 version) [ Note you can save the file in any location - just remember where you have saved the addin file)
10. Now your Addin has been created

So now the addin has been created, how to include the same in your project -

Now goto the main Excel file where you have to include the addin and goto the Visual Basic Editor (press Alt-F11)

Go to Tools > References > Click on Browse and select the required .xla or .xlam file

At this stage if you are getting any errors the below are the possible reasons -

• The Function Name or Module name or Project name or Sub routine name or Variable name would have already been there in the current module as well. Check for duplicated Sub or Function or Variable name and correct it
• If the current Excel file already has an Addin and you get an error while including a new Addin the check for the same issues - Function Name, Sub routine Name, Project Name, Variable names etc

Now that you have included the Addin, how to make it working -

In the current Excel sheet - goto the Visual Basic Window and double click on "ThisWorkbook" and enter the below code -

'''' Below Code Courtesy http://www.brainbell.com/tutorials/ms-office/excel/Distribute_Macros.htm

Option Explicit

Dim cControl As CommandBarButton

Private Sub Workbook_AddinInstall()

On Error Resume Next

Call AddMenus

On Error GoTo 0

End Sub

Private Sub Workbook_AddinUninstall()

On Error Resume Next 'In case it has already gone.

Call DeleteMenu

On Error GoTo 0

End Sub

Sub AddMenus()

Dim cMenu1 As CommandBarControl

Dim cbMainMenuBar As CommandBar

Dim iHelpMenu As Integer

Dim cbcCutomMenu As CommandBarControl

'=========  use the below code to create Addin Drop down button 

    '(1)Delete any existing one. We must use On Error Resume next _

    'in case it does not exist.

        On Error Resume Next

        Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar").Controls("&Drop down Name").Delete

    '(2)Set a CommandBar variable to the worksheet menu bar

        Set cbMainMenuBar = _

            Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar")

    '(3)Return the index number of the Help menu. We can then use _

        this to place a custom menu before it.

        iHelpMenu = _

        cbMainMenuBar.Controls("Help").Index

    '(4)Add a control to the "Worksheet Menu Bar" before Help.

    'Set a CommandBarControl variable to it

        Set cbcCutomMenu = _

            cbMainMenuBar.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlPopup, _

                                            Before:=iHelpMenu)

    '(5)Give the control a caption

      cbcCutomMenu.Caption = "&Drop down Name"

    '(6)Working with our new control, add a sub control and _

    '  give it a caption and tell it which macro to run (OnAction).

        With cbcCutomMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)

            .Caption = "DD List 1"

            .OnAction = "DD list1_macro"  ''' this macro name should be the same in the addin

        End With

    '(6a)Add another sub control and give it a caption _

      'and tell it which macro to run (OnAction)

        With cbcCutomMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)

            .Caption = "DD List 2"

            .OnAction = "DD List2_macro"  ''' this macro name should be the same in the Addin

        End With

    'Repeat step "6a" for each menu item you want to add.

    'Add another menu that will lead off to another menu

    'Set a CommandBarControl variable to it

'======== use the below code just to create just one addin button

    ' Set cbcCutomMenu = cbcCutomMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlPopup)

    ' Give the control a caption

    ' cbcCutomMenu.Caption = "Ne&xt Menu"

    'Add a control to the sub menu just created above

    '    With cbcCutomMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton)

    '        .Caption = "&Charts"

    '        .FaceId = 420

    '        .OnAction = "MyMacro2"

    '    End With

  On Error GoTo 0

End Sub

Sub DeleteMenu()

   On Error Resume Next

        Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar").Controls("&Drop down Name").Delete

        Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar").Controls("DD List 1").Delete

        Application.CommandBars("Worksheet Menu Bar").Controls("DD List 2").Delete

   On Error GoTo 0

End Sub

Now that the code is ready how to execute it !!

Create a Console Sheet and Add Two Command Buttons-

1st Button - Name "Delete Addin" - Call the macro "DeleteMenu()"

2nd Button - Name "Include Addin" - Call the macro "AddMenus()"

Procedure to use the Addin

When you first click on Include Addin Button, Excel would create a Drop down / buttons in Addin Tab

When you click on Delete Addin Button, Excel would remove the Drop down / buttons in Addin Tab

So that you have created Addin, Include the Addin, and created buttons in Addin  - how to execute the Addin 

Its just simple now, you just got to click on the buttons created in the Addin Tab to run the appropriate macro

Voila… it works !!!

Customized Mail Merge - Excel VBA

Excel Macro - Mail Merge

Ever wondered how to send multiple attachments to a set of 'To' list and 'CC' list with different Mail body text !!

Well here is the solution to send email attachments with customized To, CC  & Mail Body text

Open an Excel Sheet and enter the Attachment details in Col B [path and file name]; To list in Col C [if there are multiple email ids then separate them with Semi-Colon ';'] ; Mail Body contents in Col D

The line which says .send if activated, all mails would be sent automatically.

Function Email_Attachment()

Dim olApp As Outlook.Application
Dim olMail As MailItem
Dim WBMl As Workbook

Set WBMl = ActiveWorkbook
R = WBMl.Sheets(1).Range("B65536").End(xlUp).Row
S = WBMl.Sheets(1).Range("B1").End(xlDown).Row

For a = S To R
    Set olApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
    Set olMail = olApp.CreateItem(olMailItem)
    With olMail
        .To = Cells(a, 3).Text
        .CC = Cells(a, 4).Text
        '.SentOnBehalfOfName = """xyz"" "
        .Subject = "Resources"
        .Body = Cells(a, 5).Text
        .Attachments.Add Cells(a, 2).Text

        ' un-comment the below option to send mails automatically
        '.send

        ' the below option is give so that the mails are draft mode.
        .display
    End With
    Set olMail = Nothing
    Set olApp = Nothing
Next a
End Function

Error Handling - Find Method

How to handle an error when the value which you are searching is not available in Excel sheet.

Sub Err_Hnd()

Dim M_Rng as Range
Sheets("My Sheet").Select
On Error Resume Next
Set M_Rng = Sheets("My Sheet").Columns(1).Find(What:=Test_PID, after:=Cells(1, 1), LookIn:=xlValues,
                    LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, _
                    searchdirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=False)
On Error GoTo 0

If M_Rng Is Nothing Then GoTo Err_H:
'''' if M_Rng has returned any value then your code execution starts from here
Err_H:
           '''' based on the error what has to be done
           ''' exit sub
End Sub

Below are the Error Handler Options in Excel VBA-

• On Error GoTo
  Enables the error-handling routine that starts at , which is any line label or line number. The specified line must be in the same procedure as the On Error statement.
• On Error Resume Next
  Specifies that when a run-time error occurs, control goes to the statement immediately following the statement where the error occurred. In other words, execution continues.
• On Error GoTo 0
  Disables any enabled error handler in the current procedure.

In the above example what we are doing is allowing the execution of the macro to proceed if an error occurs (i.e, using the On Error Resume Next )
Subsequently we are disabled the error handler using On Error GoTo  0
Now we are checking the Range variable if it contains Nothing, if yes then we take the code execution to the error handler label, otherwise the execution proceeds as usual.

Using Find Method in Code

Sometimes in Excel Macro coding, when you are required to find any specific cell value and execute the list of codes. It becomes extremely time taking when you loop through all cells in the excel column.The simple solution is to use the Find method in Excel Code.

Set rFound_Cell=Columns(2).Find(What:="$$", after:=Cells(1,1), LookIn:=xlValues, _
    LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, _
    searchdirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=False)

SRow=rFound_Cell.Row

What if there are multiple matching cells and you got to loop through each time the match occurs -
Use the Countif Function to establish the number of occurrence of string or value in the sheet and then loop it.

Dim rFound_Cell As Range
Set rFound_Cell = Range("B1")
Sheets("Sheet1").Select
For i = 1 To WorksheetFunction.CountIf(Columns(2), "($$$)")

      Set rFound_Cell = Columns(2).Find(What:="($$$)", after:=rFound_Cell, LookIn:=xlValues, _
                                    LookAt:=xlPart, SearchOrder:=xlByRows, _
                                    searchdirection:=xlNext, MatchCase:=False)
      SRow = rFound_Cell.Row

Next i

How to Speed-up the macro execution

Sub Main_Prg()
Speedup_Macro True
'''' Your Code
'''
'''end of code
Speedup_Macro False
End Sub

Function Speedup_Macro(Chk As Boolean)
If Chk = True Then
    Application.DisplayAlerts = False
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    Application.DisplayStatusBar = True
    Application.StatusBar = "Macro is working....pls wait "
Else
    Application.DisplayAlerts = True
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
    Application.DisplayStatusBar = True
    Application.StatusBar = ""
End If
End Function

Description -
Application.DisplayAlerts

The default value is True. Set this property to False if you don't want to be disturbed by prompts and alert messages while a macro is running; any time a message requires a response, Microsoft Excel chooses the default response.
When using the SaveAs method for workbooks to overwrite an existing file, the 'Overwrite' alert has a default of 'No', while the 'Yes' response is selected by Excel when the DisplayAlerts property is set equal to False.

Application.ScreenUpdating
Turn screen updating off to speed up your macro code. You won't be able to see what the macro is doing, but it will run faster.
Remember to set the ScreenUpdating property back to True when your macro ends.

Procedure to reduce the size of Excel files

Just wondering how to reduce the size of Excel files, frustrated with ever increasing excel file size without any idea, tried creating new copies still of no use. Well even I was a victim of this ever increasing file size in excel. After a lot of trial and error method and some technical analysis, I tried to put the steps in order so that it would be helpful for everyone.

Follow the below steps to reduce the size of excel files -

1. Before starting the procedure take a backup of the file
2. Unhide all sheets
3. Select all unused / blank columns and go to Edit>Clear>All
4. Select all unused / blank rows and go to Edit>Clear>All
5. Repeat the steps 2 & 3 for all the sheets
6. Save the file and close it and now check the file size, it would have reduce considerably.

The above steps work, believe me I have tested the same and after following the steps the file size reduced from 90 MB straight down to 5 MB !!!

Also some excel sheets would have a very small scroll bar irrespective of the contents of the sheet

Steps to correct the scrollbar issue –

Find the last used row and then select all the cells below this till end of the column

Select Edit > Delete and select Entire Row

Now Save the excel file and then reopen it

Now the scrollbar would turn out to be of normal length

Hope this works and the file size would be reduced thereby saving time to open the file and also save the disk space.

Thanks for reading this article J

Excel Functions Library

Excel Functions Library