2008 upgrade, moving macros

[john.e.palmer]

What's the best way to take my '04 office macros (Excel and Word) and
bring them into '08?

 

[Michel Bintener]

There is no way of doing that, as Office 2008 does not support VBA macros.
If you want to have the functionality your old macros used to provide, you
will have to rewrite them in AppleScript or, in the case of Excel, use XML
macros (this last statement is based on what I remember reading in the
Office newsgroup a couple of days ago; I might not remember it correctly).

What's the best way to take my '04 office macros (Excel and Word) and
bring them into '08?

--
Michel Bintener
Microsoft MVP
Office:Mac (Entourage & Word)

*** Please always reply to the newsgroup. ***

 

[JE McGimpsey]

or, in the case of Excel, use XML
macros (this last statement is based on what I remember reading in the
Office newsgroup a couple of days ago; I might not remember it correctly).

You do - XL4M (i.e., Excel 4 Macro, not XML) macros still work in XL08.

 

[john.e.palmer]

You do - XL4M (i.e., Excel 4 Macro, not XML) macros still work in XL08.

Does '08 have a method of creating macros, similar to what's available
in '04? If there is one, I can't find it.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Does '08 have a method of creating macros, similar to what's available
in '04? If there is one, I can't find it.

CMD-F11 inserts a Macro sheet, same as in XL04.

 

[Robbert Keegel]

If Word '08 doesn't support importing old macros, I can hardly call '08 an improvement. If it won't let you create even new macros, I call it a disaster.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

If Word '08 doesn't support importing old macros, I can hardly call '08 an
improvement. If it won't let you create even new macros, I call it a
disaster.

Well, it's a disaster for my cross-platform VBA solutions, too, but it's
true.

You *can* create new macros via AppleScript - *that* support was
improved quite a bit.

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

CMD-F11 inserts a Macro sheet, same as in XL04.

It inserts a macro sheet, but there is no facility to record macros. If you
have VBA macros from Office 2004, they will have to be converted by hand,
line by line to XLM or Applescript.

 

[john.e.palmer]

It inserts a macro sheet, but there is no facility to record macros. If you
have VBA macros from Office 2004, they will have to be converted by hand,
line by line to XLM or Applescript.

since I don't know either XLM or Applescript, is one inherently
better? i.e. which one has the broadest application? Any translation
books or programming books that you could recommend? (I still lament
the passing of TurboBASIC)

Anyone know the name of the idiot that decided to drop the record
macro feature from Office? Or even why?
And if I say more, I'm unlikely to be polite........

Thanks!

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Anyone know the name of the idiot that decided to drop the record
macro feature from Office? Or even why?

Record Macro was dropped because it produced VBA code. VBA is no longer
supported in Office 2008.

The ultimate reason is that MacBU simply ran out of time and resources
to convert the VBA compiler, run-time environment and editor before
shipping. They announced this a rather long time ago...

 

[john.e.palmer]

Record Macro was dropped because it produced VBA code. VBA is no longer
supported in Office 2008.

The ultimate reason is that MacBU simply ran out of time and resources
to convert the VBA compiler, run-time environment and editor before
shipping. They announced this a rather long time ago...

Thanks for the info. I'm been on Mac only a couple of months, so I
haven't been "in the loop" for Office for Mac software. I haven't
seen the upgraded Office 2007 for Win. Did they drop macro record for
that as well?

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

Thanks for the info. I'm been on Mac only a couple of months, so I
haven't been "in the loop" for Office for Mac software. I haven't
seen the upgraded Office 2007 for Win. Did they drop macro record for
that as well?

No, macro recording for Excel 2007 in VBA is still there.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Thanks for the info. I'm been on Mac only a couple of months, so I
haven't been "in the loop" for Office for Mac software. I haven't
seen the upgraded Office 2007 for Win. Did they drop macro record for
that as well?

No - MS had announced several years ago that VBA support would be
dropped for Win Office 12 (which became Office 2007), but a massive
outpouring of condemnation (and pleading) garnered what was billed as a
temporary reprieve.

While VBA support wasn't "guaranteed" for Office 14 (MS is skipping 13
as a version number, for some reason), they've recently re-confirmed
that it will continue for that version as well.

MS would *really* like to kill VBA altogether, since it doesn't fit in
well with the security frameworks that modern computing requires. But
the sheer size of the installed base of VBA code in the enterprise world
makes that a practical impossibility. I look for them to try to
eliminate the tools to create *new* VBA code in version 15, hoping to
wean customers into updating to .Net or whatever's next - kind of the
way they've kept XL4M macros working, but taken a lot of the Help and
on-line support for it away.

There've been theories that Office 2008 was the first step in
eliminating VBA, but don't believe it. MacBU is simply too small to have
accomplished all the *major* internal restructuring that had to happen
(move to XCode to allow native Intel ops, updating file structures to
meet the new Open XML formats, and implementing the new core features)
to also bring a compiler, run-time environment and editor, all of which
had been kept on life support for ten years, up to date within the time
frame set to launch the new product.

While I might have chosen to allocate resources differently, I doubt
anyone could have made the business case, given the size and usage of
the Mac Office market, for delaying release long enough to make VBA
adequate, much less right. A two-year delay for all users to benefit a
small (but vocal!) minority of Mac Office users just didn't make
business sense for a division required to pay its own way within the
corporation.

I still have hopes that a viable cross-platform automation solution can
be developed, if not in this version, then no later than the next. If
not, we're probably looking at a permanent status akin to Works, not
Office.

 

[john.e.palmer]

No - MS had announced several years ago that VBA support would be
dropped for Win Office 12 (which became Office 2007), but a massive
outpouring of condemnation (and pleading) garnered what was billed as a
temporary reprieve.

While VBA support wasn't "guaranteed" for Office 14 (MS is skipping 13
as a version number, for some reason), they've recently re-confirmed
that it will continue for that version as well.

MS would *really* like to kill VBA altogether, since it doesn't fit in
well with the security frameworks that modern computing requires. But
the sheer size of the installed base of VBA code in the enterprise world
makes that a practical impossibility. I look for them to try to
eliminate the tools to create *new* VBA code in version 15, hoping to
wean customers into updating to .Net or whatever's next - kind of the
way they've kept XL4M macros working, but taken a lot of the Help and
on-line support for it away.

There've been theories that Office 2008 was the first step in
eliminating VBA, but don't believe it. MacBU is simply too small to have
accomplished all the *major* internal restructuring that had to happen
(move to XCode to allow native Intel ops, updating file structures to
meet the new Open XML formats, and implementing the new core features)
to also bring a compiler, run-time environment and editor, all of which
had been kept on life support for ten years, up to date within the time
frame set to launch the new product.

While I might have chosen to allocate resources differently, I doubt
anyone could have made the business case, given the size and usage of
the Mac Office market, for delaying release long enough to make VBA
adequate, much less right. A two-year delay for all users to benefit a
small (but vocal!) minority of Mac Office users just didn't make
business sense for a division required to pay its own way within the
corporation.

I still have hopes that a viable cross-platform automation solution can
be developed, if not in this version, then no later than the next. If
not, we're probably looking at a permanent status akin to Works, not
Office.

thanks for the information.
since most of my excel and word macros are simply to allow menu access
through keystrokes; e.g. in Excel, ctrl+option+cmd+F brings up an
input box, and 2 return sets number of decimals to 2. Is there a way
to active menus through keystrokes? And by this, I mean Alt-E/D/C/
return would bring up Edit drop down menu, select delete columns and
then delete the highlighted columns. As opposed to shortcut keystroke
cmd-F for Find.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

thanks for the information.
since most of my excel and word macros are simply to allow menu access
through keystrokes; e.g. in Excel, ctrl+option+cmd+F brings up an
input box, and 2 return sets number of decimals to 2. Is there a way
to active menus through keystrokes? And by this, I mean Alt-E/D/C/
return would bring up Edit drop down menu, select delete columns and
then delete the highlighted columns. As opposed to shortcut keystroke
cmd-F for Find.

You can't use the menu manipulations in Mac Office, but if you choose
Tools/Customize Keyboard... you can set nearly any command to nearly any
keyboard shortcut (a few are reserved by the System, and any shortcuts
you set via System Preferences/Keyboard and Mouse/Keyboard Shortcuts
take precedence).

 

[john.e.palmer]

You can't use the menu manipulations in Mac Office, but if you choose
Tools/Customize Keyboard... you can set nearly any command to nearly any
keyboard shortcut (a few are reserved by the System, and any shortcuts
you set via System Preferences/Keyboard and Mouse/Keyboard Shortcuts
take precedence).

Thanks. I'll take a look at that solution.....