Record a Simple Task

To automate a simple task, you can “record” the task as you perform it. The set of actions you record is called a macro. After you have recorded a task, you can “play it back” whenever you want.

For example, suppose you often review Word documents containing revision marks. You can record a macro in Word to display the revision marks automatically. Before you begin recording the macro, make sure the Highlight changes on screen check box in the Highlight Changes dialog box (Tools menu) is cleared and the Track changes while editing check box is selected. Then start the macro recorder: Click Record New Macro (Tools menu, Macros submenu), and then type a name for your macro. To make it easy to remember what the macro does, use the descriptive macro name Turn_on_change_tracking.

The Stop Recording toolbar appears. Word is now ready to record your actions. Click Highlight Changes (Tools menu), select the Highlight changes on screen check box, and then click OK. Click the Stop Recording button. The entire sequence of actions you just performed is now stored as a macro.

You can record another macro that automatically hides revision marks. Turn on the macro recorder again and this time name your macro Turn_off_change_tracking. Clear the Highlight changes on screen check box, and then turn off the macro recorder.

Does the computer beep when you click the mouse button?   The macro recorder cannot record all mouse movements. If you try an action using the mouse and the computer beeps, try it again using the keyboard. Do you really need a macro?   Before recording a macro, make sure there isn’t a built-in feature that accomplishes the task. Search in Help for words related to the task. Run through the task once before you record   The macro recorder records everything you do. If you know exactly what actions you want to take before you turn on the recorder, you can record a cleaner macro. Is the Stop Recording Toolbar in the way?   Just drag it to another part of the screen or dock it on one side of the window. This will not affect the macro you are recording. Save your work   When you first start recording macros, they might not always work exactly as you expect. For example, if you record a series of keystrokes with text selected and then run it with nothing selected, you might not get the results you wanted. As a precaution, always save your work immediately before you run a macro for the first time. Then, if the results are less than perfect, you can just close the document without saving changes, reopen the document, and try again.

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Want to know more?   Look up Getting Results - Automate in Help.