What language do Excel macros use?

What language are Excel scripts written in?

It really depends on what you're doing.

If you're writing a macro, then the VBA editor will tell you what language it is written in (though if you run a macro from the Excel application, you will see it as a VBA script). If you're creating your own functions, they can be written in any language you'd like, though I usually prefer C# or VBScript to VB6, VB.Net, or VBA because that allows me to use the object model with out-of-the-box tools.

What is the programming language of macros?

Macros is a higher-order, functional programming language, as simple and elegant as it can get.

However in the last years we all got to know of and adopt different Lisp dialects (such as Scheme) and functional languages (such as Elm). We decided to use Clojure instead of Scheme, which offers higher-level abstractions, has better interop with Java/JVM and most importantly, has a much larger developer community. We do love Clojure nevertheless. It is simple and fun to use. Macros are part of the language, but they are also an abstraction around the compiler itself. It lets us to have an easier time of writing code, compile the Clojure code with fewer mistakes and we can leverage macros without worrying about the actual implementation. Let's look at some features of Macros.

How does the compiler know whether to insert the compiler macro, or the runtime? The compiler just needs to compile one source file (one file at a time): If there are no macros in the source code (outside of macros that are only used by Clojure), the compiler doesn't bother to expand macros. If there is a function call, the compiler must expand the function call to its result: In both cases this is done using a standard macro expansion step, and if there is no syntax error in the input source code this will lead to the execution of the compiler macro, or of the original source code, depending on the value of the macro. At compile time the code will be the same as without macros.

What are the two macro languages used in MS Excel?

Macro and VBA are the two possible choices.

Macro is easier for me but in VBA it would be more of an option for you to use.

What is the difference between macro and VBA? There is no real difference, they are used for the same purpose and they both can do anything in Excel. Also, with which macros can I get started first? You can learn the basics of MS Excel in VBA first. Then, once you feel comfortable with that, you can learn how to write macros.

Are VBA macros faster than macro (in Excel 2007)? No. They run at the same speed.

I'd say there is only slight difference between them. As long as you know one of them you should be able to learn the other on your own (as well as read instructions and documentation).

From what I understand, both support similar, if not identical functionality. VBA might allow you to do things you cannot achieve with a macro, however there's no strict need for them. VBA is also much less powerful than macros.

Both of them run in the same process and VBA might even run in parallel with the rest of the Excel program. Since macros can be used to trigger VBA, VBA can also be used to trigger macros. Macros are used for automation, and VBA is an extension of the macros language (with some notable differences). Macros, as the name suggests, are just a little 'program' written in Excel, whereas VBA is more 'user' friendly, and includes much of what you could do manually with Excel features.

Macros have limited access to Excel automation features such as the Application.ScreenUpdating property and the Event code Application.OnKey(.), whereas VBA has much more control over automation.

VBA macros are a little quicker and are not restricted by the Excel GUI or automation. The disadvantage is that the application must be open during their execution.

In summary, macros and VBA are the same - they are both simply ways of writing automation code - but macros are somewhat limited in functionality and speed (in my experience) due to how they work within the excel gui.e. VBA was built on top of macros, and is therefore capable of much more.