Is there a spreadsheet with an easy macro language?

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Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,823
6,229
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Way back in the dark ages I used a spreadsheet called Lucid. It had a point and click macro language that was very easy to use and could produce very complex macros. Now it appears I need to learn how to code to produce macros. I'm way to old and not nearly bright enough for that. Is their a spreadsheet with a simple macro interface? I've looked at a lot of them, and haven't had any luck at all. Any suggestions?
 
Billb2

Billb2

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2005
3,035
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86
In Microsoft Excel you just turn on macro record, do what you want, then turn off macro record. Put the recorded macro in to you spreadsheet and you're done. And yes, you can edit the recorded macro if you want.
 
G

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,823
6,229
136
Billb2 said:
In Microsoft Excel you just turn on macro record, do what you want, then turn off macro record. Put the recorded macro in to you spreadsheet and you're done. And yes, you can edit the recorded macro if you want.
Click to expand...
What I need is a bit more complex than that. I need to be able to gather data from another sheet based on values in certain cells, and jump from sheet to sheet. All of that can be done manually, but at that point it isn't much faster than using paper and a pencil.

Back in the days of dos I had a very slick series of sheets I used for estimating. It would be impossible for me to recreate that in Excel.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,201
9,691
126
Greenman said:
What I need is a bit more complex than that. I need to be able to gather data from another sheet based on values in certain cells, and jump from sheet to sheet. All of that can be done manually, but at that point it isn't much faster than using paper and a pencil.

Back in the days of dos I had a very slick series of sheets I used for estimating. It would be impossible for me to recreate that in Excel.
Click to expand...
It might be worth learning some code. I've just started trying to learn spreadsheets, and keep hitting walls due to what I need isn't easy using standard spreadsheet tools. Everything is too abstracted and convoluted. It's helping me learn spreadsheets, but it isn't helping me make useful tools.

I'm getting a little old myself, but I think some python would make the stuff I need a little easier. I just need to make the time to learn...
 
G

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,823
6,229
136
lxskllr said:
It might be worth learning some code. I've just started trying to learn spreadsheets, and keep hitting walls due to what I need isn't easy using standard spreadsheet tools. Everything is too abstracted and convoluted. It's helping me learn spreadsheets, but it isn't helping me make useful tools.

I'm getting a little old myself, but I think some python would make the stuff I need a little easier. I just need to make the time to learn...
Click to expand...
I just don't have the desire or the time. It's a shame because what I want used to exist. It was so easy to use it was almost fun.
 
PowerEngineer

PowerEngineer

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2001
3,597
771
136
Billb2 said:
In Microsoft Excel you just turn on macro record, do what you want, then turn off macro record. Put the recorded macro in to you spreadsheet and you're done. And yes, you can edit the recorded macro if you want.
Click to expand...

Well, technically yes, you can edit recorded macros; but in actual practice the coding of the recorded steps is so often overly complex and convoluted that the resulting macro is hard to understand and maintain (IMHO). I do use macro recording from time to time as a quick way of seeing how something is done, and then incorporate a much more condensed version of the code into my own macro.

OP, in my experience, there is a trade-off between simple but limited and complex but powerful. It is true the VB of Excel is on the complex side (not so much the programming concepts but the schema for Excel structures), however it does allow you to do almost anything (really anything!) with Excel.

Because Excel has become so dominant, there may already be Excel templates for estimating available on the internet to give you at least a good start. There are also lots of coding samples/examples available by just googling; I frequently find code snippets that I can insert right into my own macros (and even if they are not quite what I need, it is a much quicker way of learning than just reading the manuals).

I'm tempted to tell you to take it on as a challenge because you are not too old and you are bright enough (based on your other postings), but that may be because I actually enjoy coding once I immerse myself in it and that's just weird! o_O
 
G

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,823
6,229
136
PowerEngineer said:
Well, technically yes, you can edit recorded macros; but in actual practice the coding of the recorded steps is so often overly complex and convoluted that the resulting macro is hard to understand and maintain (IMHO). I do use macro recording from time to time as a quick way of seeing how something is done, and then incorporate a much more condensed version of the code into my own macro.

OP, in my experience, there is a trade-off between simple but limited and complex but powerful. It is true the VB of Excel is on the complex side (not so much the programming concepts but the schema for Excel structures), however it does allow you to do almost anything (really anything!) with Excel.

Because Excel has become so dominant, there may already be Excel templates for estimating available on the internet to give you at least a good start. There are also lots of coding samples/examples available by just googling; I frequently find code snippets that I can insert right into my own macros (and even if they are not quite what I need, it is a much quicker way of learning than just reading the manuals).

I'm tempted to tell you to take it on as a challenge because you are not too old and you are bright enough (based on your other postings), but that may be because I actually enjoy coding once I immerse myself in it and that's just weird! o_O
Click to expand...
I can't argue with a word you've said. I should spend the time to learn how to do this. But damn I hate to give up what little spare time I have. The other thing thing is, I've always been very bad with any language. I've been married into a Mexican family for 33 years and the only Spanish I know is how ask for a beer, and only one kind. The only good thing about that is I know exactly what I'll be drinking come cinco de mayo.

Right now I have a few sheets kludged together. It works, but it bothers me because it's poorly implemented. It could be cleaner, faster, and easier to use. I'm going to take your advice and look at macros that are available. It should be easier to modify something than starting from scratch.
 
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lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,201
9,691
126
Greenman said:
I've been married into a Mexican family for 33 years and the only Spanish I know is how ask for a beer, and only one kind. The only good thing about that is I know exactly what I'll be drinking come cinco de mayo.
Click to expand...
Can't argue with your priorities. You got the essentials covered. Everything else is fluff :^D
 
PowerEngineer

PowerEngineer

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2001
3,597
771
136
FWIW I have also proven to be completely inept at foreign languages (having enough trouble with English!). I managed only a 15% percentile score on my Latin achievement test in high school! In my case at least, the two "language" skills are not tightly tied; although I do sometimes wonder if I might be a bit better at languages now as a result of my exposure to so many computer "languages".
 
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