macros

Microsoft has been working hard to make Office available on every platform. One of the biggest changes has been the ability to run Office the a browser or Office online. However, one drawback has been that automation in Office online has been limited to Web Add-ins which are aimed solidly at professional developers. However, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros are only supported in Windows and Mac clients. They are not supported on the web platform, the iOS or Android platforms. And, well, they still are not. However, something new has arrived which will allow you to create “macros” anywhere, on any platform (eventually).

Microsoft recently announced Office Scripts. It is an end-user approachable, web and collaborative supported scripting language. It is still in preview and only supported in Excel online, for now.

First, to access this you must have your administrator enable it in the Office 365 Portal:

For citizen programmers this line from the above page says it all:

Scripts allow you to record and replay your Excel actions on different workbooks and worksheets. If you find yourself doing the same things over and over again, an Office Script can help you by reducing your whole workflow to a single button press.

So, I enabled it in my test tenant and created the quintessential “Hello Wold” Action Recording. When your administrator enables this on your tenant, you will get this new Automation tab:

From there, I clicked on Record Actions, typed “Hello World!” in cell A1, and then stopped the macro. It then asked me to name it and give a description (optional), and then Save. From there it opened the Code Editor and here is what I see:

	async function main(context: Excel.RequestContext) {
	// Set range A1 on selectedSheet
	let workbook = context.workbook;
	let worksheets = workbook.worksheets;
	let selectedSheet = worksheets.getActiveWorksheet();
	selectedSheet.getRange("A1").values = [
	["Hello World"]
	];
	}

view raw

HelloWorld.js

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Once you open a new workbook, you can then click on the Code Editor button and you will see all your recorded scripts:

The future is here. Check it out now. You can learn more about Office Scripts from here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/tutorials/excel-tutorial.

With one month and one week to go, it is time to start moving off Windows XP and Office 2003. Here is another great article from Microsoft about how/why:

Support for Windows XP and Office 2003 ends April 8, 2014 — what’s next?
http://blogs.technet.com/b/firehose/archive/2014/02/26/support-for-windows-xp-and-office-2003-ends-april-8-2014-what-s-next.aspx

A few interesting highlights from the article:

Windows XP and Office 2003, however, have been supported for more than a decade, or since “Baywatch” went off the air.
Computers currently running Windows XP and Office 2003 won’t stop working on April 9, but over time security and performance will be affected: Many newer apps won’t run on Windows XP; new hardware may not support Windows XP; and without critical security updates, PCs may become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware and other malicious software that can steal or damage personal information and business data.
Office 365 — the next generation of familiar Office productivity applications in the cloud. The subscription-based service offers familiar Office tools and maintains file integrity and design when documents are edited by multiple people, and it provides enterprise-class security and privacy.

If you are considering the move and have questions about your Microsoft Office Integrated Line of Business Applications, there are many ways Microsoft and Microsoft partners can assist you in assessing and remediating these solutions.

You can learn more about Office 365 for your business here: http://blogs.office.com/office365forbusiness/

Tag: macros

Office Scripts: The future is here

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